›› | CONDITIONING | WITH A . J . ZEGLEN
WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME ?
Off ice training is more popular than it has ever been , and for good reason . It can have a significant positive impact on your hockey game .
I often get asked by parents , “ What is the correct age to start lifting weights ?” or “ What are the ideal workouts my kid ’ s off season ?” It seems like every time you turn around another self-proclaimed expert is advising something or there is always a guy “ who knows a guy ” who is spreading some self-serving information that will fill his next camp . Here ' s some information that will help give parents some direction and dispel the rumours and misinformation .
There is NO magic age as to when athletes are ready to work out . All kids develop at their own pace . Because of this , we have both an athlete ’ s chronological age ( actual age ) and his / her training age . The training age is determined by the athlete ’ s experience in the gym and playing sports .
For example , we have two clients come into the gym . Client No . 1 is 14-years-old and has been playing sports since he was five and had two previous years of experience in a gym training with his team during the season . Client No . 2 is 19 and has very limited
experience with sports and has never been in a gym . You can see that despite the fact client No . 2 is technically older , he would not be ready to lift weights yet . He would have to start at bodyweight progressions and work his way up while client No . 1 might be able to externally load some exercises with weight despite being , chronologically , five years younger .
Speaking of weight , there is also a concern regarding when young athletes should start lifting . Rumours about having to wait until bones are finished growing are pretty common . Again , the age at which an athlete starts weight training is linked to his / her training age . There are bones in the human body such as the scapulae ( shoulder blade ) and collar bone that are not done developing until your early 20s . You are not going to have athletes wait until they are 25-years-old before they start lifting weights .
As long as the athlete is coached and has progressed properly through the fundamentals then risk of injury is very slim . Truth is , the initial loads for athletes are probably the same or even lighter than other things they already carry . The young athlete performing a perfect squat with a 20-pound weight while he is aware of his form and technique , poses less risk for injury than that same
Sam Court , a defenseman with the Bantam 2 Triple A Monarchs already trains at Focus Fitness .
athlete slinging his 30-pound hockey bag over his shoulder and walking with no attention to form or technique .
Another common question , “ What is the best thing for my kid to be doing in the off season ?” For young athletes ( ages 7-12 ) my answer might surprise you – go play another sport . These are prime years for the development of many athletic attributes that will form a youngster ’ s athletic foundation . Hand-eye coordination , re-action time , balance , proprioception ( the awareness of his / her body in space ) are aspects which , when developed , improve athletic performance and are prime for development at these ages .
There are drills you can do in the gym to better these attributes for sure and if hockey is all the kid wants to do then it can be done . But even better , I would argue , is get out there and play other sports . All those athletic attributes will be developed and the kids will experience the benefit of both competition and being part of a different team . Plus all the other great values that sport teaches us ! Until next time , Strength , Courage , Hustle , Commitment
Photo by Chris Lewis
60 | GAME ON | DECEMBER 2017