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This week’s tip
Eating healthy and working out
Player: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Chris Collins
There’s a reason why Collins is able to play at a high energy pace for all three periods of a game. It’s because he eats right and takes care of himself off the ice. Doing that, Collins said, is the root of becoming a good hockey player. Talent helps, but it isn’t effective if you’re not in good enough shape to maintain a fast pace on the ice. Collins started paying attention to what he ate and how he worked out when he turned pro in 2006. As a result, Collins won’t be found chugging soda or laying on the couch eating fried food. Here’s what he does to stay in shape:
Carbs, protein good: “It’s pretty important to get a lot of carbs and protein the day of a game. A good meal is pasta and some chicken. For a 7 p.m. game I’ll eat five or six hours before – a big meal – take a nap and then grab a protein bar or whole-wheat bagel an hour or so before.”
Fats bad: “I avoid soda, sugary stuff and fried food – anything like that. It’s all personal preference and you know what foods make your body feel the best, but generally sugar and fried food are things to avoid.”
Work it out: “The type of workouts you do depend on what level of hockey you’re in. In high school it’s important to build your strength. I do Olympic lifts to fill out and get stronger. For me, I want to improve my explosiveness and agility, so I do body weight exercises in the summer that focuses on those areas. For a younger player, it’s important to gain the muscle mass that you’re going to need in hockey as you get older.”
In-season workouts: “When you’re playing a lot of games, workouts are about maintaining the strength you built over the summer. Wherever I feel weak, I’ll do a couple of exercises to address those areas.”
Stretch it out: “Stretching is real important before a game. I do mostly explosive stretching, which are stretches that you hold for just two or three seconds. It gets my muscles used to quick bursts, similar to how you use them during a game. Quick stretches make your muscles more explosive.”
Wind it down: “After a game it’s important to relax and stretch. Get on the bike for 10 minutes or go for a walk or light jog to flush your legs out. There’s a lot of lactic acid that builds up after a game.”