Off-Ice Training for In-Season Players: What Actually Works
March 29, 2026
The gym during hockey season isn't about building strength — it's about maintaining it. Zoe Silva outlines the in-season framework she uses with Ice Forge athletes: what to lift, when to lift it, and what to cut entirely when you're playing 3 games a week.
In-season gym work is one of the most misunderstood parts of hockey development. Players either stop lifting entirely — 'I don't want to be sore' — or they keep their off-season volume and dig themselves into a performance hole by March.
The goal in-season isn't to build. It's to maintain what you built while leaving enough in the tank to play your best hockey.
2 sessions per week. No more. Total volume drops to 40-50% of off-season. Keep the intensity — drop the sets. A player doing 4×6 off-season moves to 2×5 in-season. Same weight, half the volume. This preserves neural adaptations without the accumulated fatigue.
Heavy lower body work (trap bar deadlift, single-leg variations), upper body pulling (rows, pull-ups), and core anti-rotation. These are the foundation of skating power and injury resistance. Cut the volume, keep the movements.
Hypertrophy work (high-rep isolation, bodybuilding-style sets), long metcons, anything that creates significant soreness 24-48 hours out. You don't need bigger muscles during a season. You need the muscles you have to fire reliably.
Lift the day after a game, never the day before. Give yourself 48 hours between the session and game day. If you're playing Friday and Sunday, Monday is your window. This is non-negotiable for players serious about performance.
Our off-ice gym at Ice Forge is built around this framework — the equipment supports the hockey athlete, not generic fitness. Book a session and we'll put together a plan that fits your game schedule.