Strength training for hockey players should focus on developing speed, power, and quickness, period! If you are a hockey player looking for a strength training exercise that is highly effective in developing your athleticism, then you need to include kettlebell swings in the equation. Read on if I have your attention.

As a strength and conditioning professional, I am often asked by many people, both fitness enthusiasts and athletes, which single exercise I would recommend to everyone for total body fitness if only I could choose one. Well, the truth is, if I had to pick one and only one exercise, it would probably be the kettlebell swing. With that being said, there are many variations of kettlebell swings you can perform, but for the sake of this article I’m referring to the single-bell double-arm version. In order for you to be successful in the game of hockey, you must work on developing the traits I mentioned above. The more speed and power you can produce, the more you will frustrate and ultimately dominate the competition.

Kettlebell swings are valuable in helping you with this because this single lift engages hundreds of your muscles at once to accomplish it. He will see that he is basically picking up the bell with both arms and swinging it like a pendulum back and forth from between his legs to chest level. This is done by executing a technique in kettlebell training known as hip snapping. The hip snap is performed by forcefully flexing and extending the hip and knee joints to effectively create the momentum you need to swing the bell. Once you try this seemingly simple lift, you’ll be surprised at how challenging it can be. Not only are you working on developing your muscular strength, but you’re also building the cardiovascular condition of a champion. This is hockey strength and conditioning at its best, my friend.

If you haven’t taken the time to include kettlebell swings and other kettlebell lifts into your hockey strength and conditioning workouts, you’re really missing out. Take the time to learn this basic lift and I promise you will not be disappointed. I’ll even make it easier for you by challenging you to access the rest of my articles on the subject for free. Remember most can train hard but only champions train smart my friend!