Michael Boyle's Strengthcoach.com Blog

I recently spoke at the USA Hockey Level 5 Coaches Symposium in Las Vegas on Designing a Program for Your Team. The basic premise was to develop a “rink-based” program that any team can follow. It is based on a previous post called The All I Need is One Dumbell Workout.

So many coaches complain about not having a weight room, not having a strength coach, not having equipment etc. My feeling is instead of complaining, find a solution. There is a quote I love that sums this up.

“Better to light one candle than to sit and curse the darkness”

The truth is you can actually get a great workout in with only one dumbbell. You can get your entire team training for less than $500 in most cases.

To start, pick a dumbbell that will be challenging for Dumbbell Rows ( challenging but, not the heaviest you could use, think 80%) and then do the following

First, do your power movement for three sets of 5 reps. We use the Dumbbell Snatch but, you can use Jump Squats if you are not comfortable teaching the Dumbbell Snatch.

You could also simply use Jump Squats. The key is to do a power exercise. Power and strength are not the same, power exercises are done explosively and are designed to work the nervous system more than the muscular system.

After doing three sets of your power exercise, it is now on to strength. I like to alternate an upper body exercise and a lower body exercise. For this program, we want to choose exercises that can be done in a rink with one dumbbell or no equipment so we will use Split Squats and Pushups as our first two. Do your strength exercises for ten reps

When an athlete can  do two to three sets of ten bodyweight Splits Squats, use your bleachers, benches etc to progress to Rear Foot Elevated Split Squats

Once you want to load it, you can use your one dumbbell and perform a Goblet Split Squat

If you run out of weight, progress to One Leg Squats.

You alternate your Split Squats or One Leg Squats with Pushups. Pushups are great because there is no dumbbell needed.

You can use three different versions. Based on ability level

if you need a regression for an athlete who struggles, again use your bleachers or benches for Inclined Push Ups.

for more advanced athletes, you can do Decline Pushups.

Next, pair up 1 Leg Straight Leg Deadlifts with Dumbbell Rows, again alternating from one to the other.

You can start with the reaching version of the One Leg Straight Leg Deadlift

and then progress to a 1 Leg Straight Leg Deadlift  with a dumbbell in the hand.

last, add a  Dumbbell Row

Do this circuit 2-3 times and you will have a great total body workout that only requires one dumbbell per athlete.