So I took my girl to this upscale steak restaurant last weekend.

They've got the best steaks in town and it reflects ​in their prices.

I never look forward to receiving the bill at this place, but I do enjoy wearing a fine suit with a sexy chica on my arm in public, so I don't mind splurging on a fancy meal every once in a while.

Anyway, while we were looking at the menu trying to decide which of the many mouth-watering meats to try, I remembered a great analogy I heard from football strength coach Joe DeFranco.

It compares going out to dinner to training for athletic performance.

Here's the gist of it...

When you go out to dinner, you've got a structured sequence that you follow:

Appetizer.

Main course.

Dessert.

With the appetizers, you're gonna try them but you don't wanna get too crazy because you want to save room for the main dish. Which is usually the reason you go to a restaurant in the first place - they've got some great steak, sushi, burgers, or whatever it is that tickles your belly that night.

Then you move on to the main course and that's usually when you stuff yourself a bit.

Finally, after polishing off the entrée and craving something sweet to finish the night on a high note, you order dessert.

How does this all relate to performance training?

Patience, babycakes. It will all make sense in a moment.

With an athlete, you've got this huge menu of physical attributes that you could potentially chow down.

Strength. Speed. Mobility. Agility. Hypertrophy. Conditioning. And the list goes on...

But, some of those attributes are more important than others.

And you gotta know which ones to take a nibbling bite or two out of, and which ones to attack like a rabid alligator attacks a hapless swimmer crossing the Everglades with a pound of prime rib tied around his waist.

Here's a quick rundown of common qualities hockey players need in their sport and how I view them in a dinner setting:

* Appetizer:

Mobility = bread

Aerobic conditioning = salad

* Main course

Maximal strength = mashed potatoes

Speed and agility = steak

* Dessert

Hypertrophy = chocolate ice cream

Am I saying mobility, conditioning or muscle size are not important for a hockey player?

Never claimed that.

But if all you ever did was yoga push-ups, run mile after mile on the track, or blast your muscles from every possible angle with 25 sets per body part per workout, you'd wolf down the bread, salad and chocolate ice cream, leaving zero room for the entrée (steak and mashed potatoes).

Thus, you'd never maximize the most important physical qualities needed on the ice - strength and speed.

Luckily though, my Next Level Hockey Training System was designed to improve your strength and speed, first and foremost.

It's all steak, no sizzle.

And super tasty, too.

So don't go crazy on the finger foods and sweets.

Leave some room for the main course.

Come treat yourself to a savory bite at:

http://www.NextLevelHockeyTraining.com

Yunus Barisik