Warm-Up, 7 of 9. Straight from the Hockey IQ book appendix.
From the locker room: Hollow holds are the worst thirty seconds of the routine and the reason I stopped getting knocked off pucks along the boards. Both things are true.
Goal: Strengthen the deep core, build dynamic mobility. Time: 10 minutes.
When: Rest days and off-season, two or three times a week. This one builds something; it’s not just a warm-up.
- Plank to Downward Dog Walkouts – 2 min
- Bird Dog (with reach + hold) – 2 min
- World’s Greatest Stretch with Rotation – 2 min
- Pigeon Pose + Rocking (dynamic) – 1.5 min
- Single-Leg Deadlift Balance Hold – 1.5 min
- Hollow Body Hold (30 sec × 2) – 1 min
Why it works: Every time you get bumped and stay on your feet, that’s your deep core. Every time you take a hit and don’t lose the puck, same thing. Bird dogs and hollow holds train the muscles that keep your spine steady while your legs and arms move. Pigeon opens the hip you sit on all day at school.
Do it right: Hollow body: low back pressed into the floor, no gap. If your back arches, bend your knees more.
Every warm-up and stretch routine here is in the back of the Hockey IQ book, with the full 9-week hockey-bag program. Back to Warm-Up.
FIND. A. WAY.
