The Effects of a Division I Men\u27s Ice Hockey Season on Strength and Power

Measures of strength and power were taken during a pre-season training segment in Divison I men’s ice hockey as well as two weeks post-season in order to determine the changes that occurred in a twenty-one week season of play. All subjects performed a concurrent resistance training protocol that aimed to develop power, strength, and minimize the risk for potential injury that led to missed game-playing time. The men’s ice hockey athletes were practicing an average of four days a week with the sport coaches in addition to the resistance training sessions with the primary strength and conditioning coach. The mean values for front squat maximum, bench press maximum, maximum vertical jump, and maximum broad jump all decreased significantly over the course of the season, as evidenced by the post-season performance testing measures. The mean body mass measure for the team did not decrease as anticipated over the course of the twenty-one week in-season, and a small increase was seen in the subjects. The decrease in measures of strength and power despite resistance training efforts may be due to the physically grueling nature of men’s ice hockey and the increase in volume of hockey-related activity during the in-season segment. Body mass maintenance was due to diligent efforts by sports performance staff to see to it that each individual player had a sound nutritional plan