The deadlift is one of the most confusing exercises there is.

I know what you're thinking:

"It's the easiest fucking exercise on the planet. You bend down and pick the weight up, how could there possibly be any confusion?!"

Let me explain.

On one hand you have the camp that says you need to deadlift from the floor with a straight bar, lest you're a pussy.

And don't even think about pulling sumo style. That shit's reserved for women and weak manginas.

So conventional only. The heavier, the better.

On the other hand you have the camp that says you're gonna blow your spine right through your lower back, landing next to the leg press machine in the corner as soon as you go above two plates on the bar.

My take on that?

Disagree with both.

Yes, I believe everyone should deadlift.

But that doesn't mean performing them off the ground with a straight bar, powerlifting-style, is the optimal way for most athletes.

In fact, barring a few exceptions, I don't let my hockey players pull that way.

The injury risk to the lower back becomes too high for my liking once we enter heavy territory.

And they can beat you up pretty bad in-season.

Can't have guys complaining about their spinal erectors feeling so stiff they can barely bend down to tie their laces going into games.

Solution?

Keep the deadlift pattern in your program. Just pick exercises that carry less risk and are easier to recover from.

Trap bar deads, pulls off pins or blocks, single-leg and double-leg Romanians...

All great options for hockey players to go heavy on.

For a non-confusing training program designed to drive your strength up, visit:

NextLevelHockeyTraining.com

I'm pretty dang sure you're not doing one of the best strength exercises available.

What makes it a favorite in my books?

It doesn't beat you up like many standard barbell strength exercises do.

In fact, you can do this movement every day without it hampering your recovery.

And, best of all, no clunky or expensive equipment required. It can be done anywhere.

So what is this great muscle and strength building exercise I'm talking about?

Push-ups.

I know, I know...

It's easy to dismiss push-ups as "too easy".

They haven't challenged you since sixth grade PE class.

So let's see how we can make them tough again:

* Elevate feet on a box.

This increases range of motion. And, as we all know, moving resistance over a greater distance is an excellent way to add difficulty into your training.

* Use gymnastic rings.

The first time you move from push-ups on the floor to ring push-ups, the instability of the rings will challenge your entire core and upper body muscles to a degree you haven't experienced before, making you shake like Robert Downey Jr. during heroin withdrawal.

* Use parallettes.

Not only can you use a neutral grip (which most people find easier on their wrists) when doing push-ups on parallettes, the larger range of motion produces some amazing chest pumps.

* Add external resistance.

Self-explanatory. A weight vest or plate on your back will do the trick.

* Wrap a resistance band around your upper back.

The band offers a unique training effect in that the movement becomes harder the closer you get to the top. That means you have to keep pushing all the way up.

* Vary movement tempo.

Try slowing things down to a 3- to 5-second eccentric. Keep everything from your neck down drum tight and resist gravity on the descent.

10 push-ups done this way is a whole different animal than 10 regular push-ups.

You can also add a 3-second pause at the bottom as another way of varying tempo. Pausing limits the assistance you receive from something called the stretch reflex (elastic energy stored in the muscles).

And then there's the holy grail of push-ups training, planche variations. But at that point, you'd be breaking away from off-ice training and delving deep into gymnastics training territory.

That said, no longer can you insist how banging out push-up after push-up feels effortless.

Give these training techniques a shot and let me know what you think. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

For a training program involving hard push-up variations - and lots of other great muscle building exercises - visit:

NextLevelHockeyTraining.com

Few people know this but there's an old black-and-white photo of Bobby "the Golden Jet" Hull circulating the Internet, ripped out of his mind.

(For those uninitiated in old time hockey-lore, Bobby Hull was a HUGE star for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1960's.

Scored the most goals in a season seven times.

Won the Art Ross thrice.

Possessed one of the hardest slap shots in the game - ever.

He's also Brett Hull's dad.)

Bobby's got broad shoulders and a thick neck like a WWE wrestler, Popeye forearms, with veins running across his front delts and biceps.

It's been said that in his day he was one of the strongest men in hockey.

How'd the Jet get so damn strong and muscular back in the 60's?

He credits his build to working on the family farm. He'd pitch heavy bales of hay, on and off load calves from trucks, and engage in other physically demanding farm work that had to be done all day, every day.

As much as I respect the hellz out of my grandpa's generation...

(guys back then were TOUGH)

If you're anything like me, the thought of hard, physical labor round the clock to get in hockey shape doesn't sound too appealing in the 21st century.

Fortunately, there's a better way for hockey players to get super strong in 2017.

No forking hay involved.

And, no lifting calves required.

Check it out here:

NextLevelHockeyTraining.com

They say Olympic lifts are invaluable for athletic power development.

If you want to jump higher or sprint faster, you better do them.

And it's hard to disagree with the virtues of cleaning, jerking and snatching big weights rapidly.

After all, Olympic lifters are often cited to have impressive vertical jump and 20-30 meter sprint results.

Here's what nobody tells you, though...

Adults make for horrible Olympic lifters.

They simply don't have the requisite hip, shoulder, thoracic spine and ankle mobility to get into a deep squat with a bar over your head.

(Most adults can't get into a deep squat even without a bar)

Why?

Our Western lifestyle doesn't support this.

You can't spend a couple decades sitting on your ass in traffic while commuting to work, hunched over writing memos for eight hours a day, staring at a smart phone screen morning to midnight, then one day decide to pick up Olympic-style lifting because some "fitness coach" on the Internet said that'll help with your first step quickness on the ice.

Yes, it looks rad and manly when elite lifters hoist heavy weights overhead at the Olympics.

And you can't help but marvel at the athleticism those guys demonstrate.

But they've been practicing their lifting form every day since they were six. Same goes for their hip and shoulder mobility.

You can see this for yourself on Youtube videos where Chinese kids, fresh out of diapers, display perfect clean and snatch technique.

When you try to replicate their movements, however...

Smooth has left the building.

Your form looks messy and the timing just doesn't feel right.

So let's face the music... You won't be stepping on the platform any time soon.

But you keep plugging away at it. You're stubborn like that.

And the "coach" on the 'Net convinced you. Oly lifts and improved skating speed go hand in hand. So you can't just drop 'em from your program, right?

Soon you notice how your low back or shoulders start acting up.

Slight irritation at first.

Gets worse after each workout.

Until one day you wake up feeling like someone's twisting a knife between your spinal discs.

And your shoulder?

Like that Mexican family living down the street had all taken turns whacking it with sticks as if it were a piñata on Cinco de Mayo.

Maybe Olympic lifts aren't the answer, after all?

But how are you gonna gain more power without them?

Simple...

You sprint, jump and throw.

That's it.

For a complete training program that helps you gain first step quickness without beating yourself up, visit:

NextLevelHockeyTraining.com