Happy Friday!  I hope you’re gearing up for a great hockey weekend, getting started with this week’s Playbook.  

I’m writing this from Orlando, Florida where surely one of the biggest hockey tournaments in the world is about to take place : The Sunshine Showcase at Disney World has over 5,000 youth players competing with over 30 fields active all day long, it’s a sight to behold and I’d encourage everyone to come and experience it one year!

Anyhow, I digress this week, we are going to talk about all of our favorite subject - FITNESS!

As much as all us hockey players love messing around with the ball, we can’t escape the fact that around half of this game is running!  And being able to run well is very important if you want to progress and play at the best level possible.

The question is how do I improve my running?  Now this is actually a very broad question with many possible answers depending on what your current limiting factor is.  I’m going to use a lot of the information provided by Dr Andy Galpin, one of the leading exercise scientists in the world, on his fabulous YouTube channel PERFORM to dive into one of the more common limiting factors : Engine Size!

If there’s one fitness “number” I’d bet on for both performance and long-term health, it’s VO₂ max.  Not because it’s trendy. Because it’s your engine size.  And whether you’re:

• an athlete trying to feel better, recover faster, and keep up in games, or
• a parent helping a motivated young player build the conditioning to stand out…

…this is the foundation that makes everything else easier.

VO₂ max in plain English

VO₂ max is your body’s ability to take in oxygen, deliver it, and use it while you’re working hard. The bigger the engine, the more you can:

• keep intensity up longer
• recover quicker between shifts/sprints
• stay sharp late in games
• handle more training without falling apart

I hear a lot of players say they want “better conditioning,” but what they really mean is:

• “I fade late in games.”
• “My legs die before my skill does.”
• “I recover too slowly between sprints.”
• “I’m gassed, even though I’m ‘in shape.’”

That can be VO₂ max… or it can be running mechanics, breathing, fueling, warm-up, or mindset.

So what’s important to remember : Don’t just copy a program. Diagnose what’s actually limiting you.

How VO₂ max actually improves (the simple model)

Think of it like two sides of the same coin:

1. The pump (central): your heart’s ability to move blood
2. The receivers (peripheral): your muscles’ ability to pull oxygen out of that blood

Great fitness training doesn’t just hammer one thing. It builds both.

A common mistake (especially in youth athletes)

They jump into a new running program, then add volume too fast:

• 1 mile becomes 2… then 3… then intervals… then pain.

Conditioning improves. But joints and tissues don’t keep up.

That’s where shin splints, Achilles issues, cranky knees, and burned-out motivation show up.

The best ability is availability. Your engine can’t grow if you’re always banged up.

The recommended approach is to train in multiple gears

You don’t build a great engine by redlining every day.

Most strong conditioning plans rotate through 3–4 gears:

Gear 1: Easy (build the base)

• conversational pace
• low injury risk
• teaches efficiency
• you can repeat it often

Gear 2: Moderate (tempo / “rolling hills”)

• steady work with small changes in speed
• trains control + resilience without crushing recovery

Gear 3: Hard (but dosed)

• higher effort intervals
• strong stimulus, but you pay for it if you overdo it

Gear 4: Very hard (use sparingly)

• near-max efforts
• huge recovery cost
• powerful tool, not a daily habit

You can’t live in one gear and expect the best results.  The key for your fitness programming is to blend the gears, and you’ll improve faster and stay healthier.

A practical weekly template you can actually use

Here’s a simple structure inspired by the VO₂-focused approach Dr. Andy Galpin shared (built around a plan from conditioning coach Joel Jamieson):

5 days/week (foundation block)

• Day 1: Easy base (15–25 min steady) + short strength
• Day 2: Moderate tempo (rolling pace, continuous) + core
• Day 3: Easy base (20–30 min steady) + lower-body strength
• Day 4: Moderate tempo (rolling pace) + core
• Day 5: Easy base (15–25 min steady) + short strength

Then later (after a few weeks), you add one hard day—not three.

The “secret sauce” most people skip: tissue tolerance

Before the workout, add 2–3 minutes of low-level hops or jump rope (easy, not crazy).  This is not for cardio but to train your ankles/achilles/feet durability.

This matters a ton for younger players, you have a lot of practices and growth spurts but it’s also very relevant for adult athletes because as you age, your tissues are less forgiving.

So get out there and build your engine, but not fast - take it step by step.