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nyone who has ever put on skates and grabbed a stick for a little on-ice competition knows playing hockey is harder than it looks! Before we tell youngsters they should have skated faster or shot the puck a little harder, we need to understand just how their bodies work. How can we ensure that our bodies do what we want at the right moment? Whether it is a practice or a game, we rely on our physical strength, stamina and agility to get us to the net and bury the puck or keep the opposing team from doing just that. Our physical makeup suggests there are strategies we can all use to maximize our potential and play the game to the best of our abilities. For the Mallon/Cherry family, playing hockey is a chance to socialize, get exercise and, most important, have some fun. While dad Dave Cherry has played hockey since childhood, mom Bridget Mallon and kids Finnegan and Aurora are relatively new to the sport. Each has specific needs to consider before they hit the ice. Health, safe training and proper nutrition will ensure the family can play for years to come. Ken Brunet, an exercise physiologist at Peak Centre for Human Performance, a sports science centre in Ottawa, explains the needs and priorities of athletes.
BOYS & GIRLS
The physiological makeup of young athletes is actually not so different between boys and girls. Both need to focus on strength and agility while training for hockey. If they aim to continue playing into adulthood, gaining the proper skills is key. “Strength will be the foundation of everything they do in any sport and it should be developed at a young age,” explains Brunet. Starting with the basics such
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as push-ups, sit-ups and chinups, children can progress to supervised strength training as young as age 10. While many parents might be reluctant to allow children to lift weights, the American Pediatric Association states that “appropriate strengthtraining programs have no
“I am known as the waterobsessive on my team.” — BRIDGET MALLON
apparent adverse effect on linear growth, growth plates, or the cardiovascular system.” Once puberty begins, however, each athlete will require his or her own training regimen to ensure their needs are being met. For some boys, increasing aerobic capacity is key, while for girls it can mean more strength focus to develop muscle mass. For both groups, this is the prime time to develop training habits to continue into adulthood.
MOM & DAD
As we age, our bodies continue to require the strength and flexibility to play as they did when we were young. The major difference is that adults are typically less active in their daily lives – so before stepping on the ice, they should ensure their bodies are ready. “For middle-aged or older adults jumping into high-intensity
activity without first preparing yourself a bit can result in injuries or even heart attacks,” says Brunet. A physical examination, including a heart fitness check and strength and flexibility exercises, is recommended to reduce injuries and will result in increased enjoyment of the game.
WHAT YOU PUT IN, YOU GET OUT
Proper nutrition and hydration before, during and after exercise is vital to development and success on the ice. There are many theories about carb-loading, fluid intake and post-game recovery needs. Brunet and his colleagues recommend a holistic approach to nutrition. “I’m a big believer in the big picture and would rather see all athletes plan their day, week, months in order to always be fuelling properly,” Brunet says. “This is a much better strategy to ensure optimal performance.” If you are consuming sufficient calories, including carbohydrates, fluids and protein, on a regular basis, that big plate of spaghetti is not necessarily required or even advised before the game. Too much fat will take longer for your body to process and can adversely affect your performance during a game or practice. “For youth hockey players, the biggest mistake is not getting enough calories,” Brunet says. The frequency and duration of physical activity demands a diet rich in healthy, unprocessed foods that include lean protein and carbohydrates to ensure athletes maximize the benefit of the workout. “When you are not getting enough calories, your body cannot improve and you are wasting a lot of time training,” explains Brunet. Specific personal needs aside, the average athlete needs the
following daily calorie intake: Female Child 1,400-1,850 calories Female Teen 2,050-2,200 calories Female Adult 2,250-2,400 calories Male Child 1,600-2,000 calories Male Teen 2,300-3,300 calories Male Adult 2,650-3,000 calories SOURCE: Health Canada, Canada Food Guide 2011-11-08
WATERSHED MOMENTS For any athlete, a practice or game will result in fluid loss. The harder you work your body, the more fluid you will lose. If you stepped on a scale before a practice and again after, any difference in weight is a result of fluid loss, primarily in the form of perspiration. This is important to understand how much you really need to replenish during recovery. “For every one kilogram of weight lost, you need one litre of water or other fluids,” explains Brunet. The “other fluids” is also a hot topic for debate, especially if you are a hockey parent whose child is begging for sports drinks at the arena. The Mallon/Cherry family prefers to stick to water before and after hockey. “I am known as the water-obsessive on my team,” jokes Bridget. The commercially available sports or energy drinks have some positive qualities in that they do contain water and some carbohydrates, but caution should be taken with drinks high in sugar content. Chocolate milk has gained popularity as an ideal post-game drink. It contains protein to assist in repairing tired muscles and sodium and water to relieve dehydration, and
CENTRE ICE APRIL 2013