Its called a Delayed jump squat and helps not only with strength but explosiveness. Many people I train with as well as me do them, it will rediculously increase power. It is much safer to do the exercise with dumbells by your side then it is with the bar resting on your back.
I would really like to know how much NHL players can squat. Anyone have any information?
My guess would be that the best would squat 700+ pounds.
For perspective, back when I was 18, I would hardly bench 100 pounds yet I could squat 500 pounds (not my max, my training load). Back then I was playing hockey during the winter and cycling 4-5 hours per day at a constant 25mph during the summer.
front squats are very hard when you have a big chest. The bar doesn't sit right. The most beneficial exercise to measure a hockey player is easily squats though. Knees are the big factor when doing heavy squats though.
every single heavyweight to superheavyweight olympic lifter has a big chest and a huge, deep front squat. A lot of the big guys I know can't get the rack position for a front squat, but i had put that down to lack of shoulder flexibility.
I agree with you that squats are number 1 for hockey.
I read a great article about how the bench came to be the upper body measurement. Until the early 70's, the big test was military or strict press. They removed the clean and press from the olympics, as judges were having a hard time deciding whether athletes were using leg drive, or not.
Not sure why the squats in hockey as the brute force to move a pile is more rugby or football than hockey..
endurance is higher in hockey than football but behind rugby
eye hand co-ordination is higher in hockey than rugby and some football players outside of QB and recievers..
stability, i think. taking hits, protecting pucks, clearing a crease, not being cleared from a crease, all legs and core. squats hit core and hips wonderfully if full depth is hit, too. grip strength might be the only other really necessary strength.
Nice mention of rugby, a beautiful game overlooked by many North Americans, as all our big A-level athletes play football. The combination of explosiveness and endurance in big, big men in that game blows my mind. Some of the forward packs averaged around 260lbs at this last World Cup, and most of them play all 80 minutes... plays go on for minutes at a time, and just roll into the next play. I read that forwards run between 5-8 km's in a typical game, and some of them weighed as much as 300lbs (I'm thinking specifically of an Irish prop who was 303, and played the full game, and was fast, too). Very special athletes.
stability, i think. taking hits, protecting pucks, clearing a crease, not being cleared from a crease, all legs and core. squats hit core and hips wonderfully if full depth is hit, too. grip strength might be the only other really necessary strength.
Nice mention of rugby, a beautiful game overlooked by many North Americans, as all our big A-level athletes play football. The combination of explosiveness and endurance in big, big men in that game blows my mind. Some of the forward packs averaged around 260lbs at this last World Cup, and most of them play all 80 minutes... plays go on for minutes at a time, and just roll into the next play. I read that forwards run between 5-8 km's in a typical game, and some of them weighed as much as 300lbs (I'm thinking specifically of an Irish prop who was 303, and played the full game, and was fast, too). Very special athletes.
Building up big legs also lowers your center of gravity so it's harder for people to knock you off balance. There's no point in having a massive upper body in hockey because that just throws off your center of gravity.
i know you only said that 4 plates was an average. But, just so no one gets confused, the two plates on the outside are 25's, i'm nearly 100% sure. It looks like the same weight set i have. Also, that is nowhere close to a legitimate squat, based on depth, but he is hammering 325 pounds up with a jump, and it looks easy for him. That is still very strong.
Yeah I noticed that too but you still have Stewart doing nearly 600 pounds. Good lord.
stability, i think. taking hits, protecting pucks, clearing a crease, not being cleared from a crease, all legs and core. squats hit core and hips wonderfully if full depth is hit, too. grip strength might be the only other really necessary strength.
Nice mention of rugby, a beautiful game overlooked by many North Americans, as all our big A-level athletes play football. The combination of explosiveness and endurance in big, big men in that game blows my mind. Some of the forward packs averaged around 260lbs at this last World Cup, and most of them play all 80 minutes... plays go on for minutes at a time, and just roll into the next play. I read that forwards run between 5-8 km's in a typical game, and some of them weighed as much as 300lbs (I'm thinking specifically of an Irish prop who was 303, and played the full game, and was fast, too). Very special athletes.
Rugby players at the high level are shockingly fit and strong, in so many ways. its amazing to watch a 6'8", 260 pound man get lifted in a line-out, or a 300 pounder sprinting as fast as they do. also incredible is the small guys, who all just have absurd quickness and agility, as well as top end speed. tremendous athletes, all of them. i've played rugby for 8 years now, and i've never been in as good shape as i was at the end of this past season.
its so interesting to compare the fitness needs of different sports. football linemen are some of the quickest people out there, and basketball players are astounding physical specimens. to be able to be 7 feet tall and possess the kind of body control they have is amazing.
hockey players have legs like trees, and extremely high anaerobic fitness. impressive all around
Rugby players at the high level are shockingly fit and strong, in so many ways. its amazing to watch a 6'8", 260 pound man get lifted in a line-out, or a 300 pounder sprinting as fast as they do. also incredible is the small guys, who all just have absurd quickness and agility, as well as top end speed. tremendous athletes, all of them. i've played rugby for 8 years now, and i've never been in as good shape as i was at the end of this past season.
its so interesting to compare the fitness needs of different sports. football linemen are some of the quickest people out there, and basketball players are astounding physical specimens. to be able to be 7 feet tall and possess the kind of body control they have is amazing.
hockey players have legs like trees, and extremely high anaerobic fitness. impressive all around
sorry, that was a bit off topic
great post, all around.
One thing i wanted to add about rugby, which i started playing this year, but at a low level, is watching a fullback or wing, weighing as little as 175, going head on, either defensively or offensively into the big boys. I watched World Cup with a group of guys, two of whom are big NFL fans, and they were really, really surprised at the continuous pace, that the big men had hands and endurance, and that so many guys could kick, and that all the kickers tackle! Great game.
front squats are very hard when you have a big chest. The bar doesn't sit right. The most beneficial exercise to measure a hockey player is easily squats though. Knees are the big factor when doing heavy squats though.
The argument could be made that single leg variations are better than standard (back/front,etc) squats. Lunges, split squat variations, single leg squats. Hockey players don't spend much time pushing with both feet simultaneously. The hip power and stability needs they get out of single leg work is paramount.
Thought they were 18? But yeah that's pretty weak even for 18 year olds. I mean 20-21 year olds at the NFL combine were doing up to 45 reps at 250. Now that's whats up.
yeah.......the guys that do 40 reps with 225 actually weight 300 pounds.
I had no idea that Am.football players where that fast.. And i think being top end football player its more about how smart/ skilled you are rather than how good athlete.. More than hockey etc..
stability, i think. taking hits, protecting pucks, clearing a crease, not being cleared from a crease, all legs and core. squats hit core and hips wonderfully if full depth is hit, too. grip strength might be the only other really necessary strength.
Nice mention of rugby, a beautiful game overlooked by many North Americans, as all our big A-level athletes play football. The combination of explosiveness and endurance in big, big men in that game blows my mind. Some of the forward packs averaged around 260lbs at this last World Cup, and most of them play all 80 minutes... plays go on for minutes at a time, and just roll into the next play. I read that forwards run between 5-8 km's in a typical game, and some of them weighed as much as 300lbs (I'm thinking specifically of an Irish prop who was 303, and played the full game, and was fast, too). Very special athletes.
303 lbs? Doesn't sound right, The heaviest forward I found in the Ireland team was Tom Court who is listed at 268 lbs, most of the forwards are listed around 240 ish. The heaviest player in the welsh team is Adam Jones who weighs 280 and he's most effective if he doesn't play the full 80 even though he can.
