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Mass Gainers, Hockey Books and Goalie Training

That time of the month again.

Got some hot and steamy Q&A action in store for ya.

Hit it, maestro…

QUESTION: I need to gain weight to compete against bigger, stronger guys. What do you think of mass gainers after training?

YUNUS: Overpriced and overhyped stuff.

I’d rather mix whey protein powder with chocolate milk. Cheaper, tastier and you get all the proteins + carbs you need in a post-workout shake.

QUESTION: Favorite non-training related hockey books?

YUNUS: I have got a few:

Playing With Fire by Theoren Fleury

The Best Seat in the House by Jamie McLennan

Crossing the Line by Derek Sanderson and

This is Russia: Life in the KHL by Bernd Brückler

QUESTION: Do you have any goalie training programs?

YUNUS: All my stuff works for goalies and none of my goalies train differently off the ice compared to forwards or defenders.

Strength is strength. Speed is speed.

The principles and methods for packing muscle on a guy or making him faster apply regardless of the position you play on the ice.

Goalie or not, if you want to enter this hockey season stronger than you’ve ever been, check out:

NextLevelHockeyTraining.com

Best,

YB

5 Deadlift Variations for Replacing the Conventional Deadlift

Many athletes (and non-athletes) struggle with the conventional deadlift.

They don't know how to stay tight.

They can't maintain a neutral spine.

And they often don't realize how bad their lifting form gets under heavy, and sometimes not-so-heavy, loads.

Here's the kicker, though..

Unless you're a powerlifter or Olympic lifter, you don't HAVE TO pull from the floor with a straight bar.

There are other alternatives for getting bigger and stronger that pose less of an injury risk - like the sumo deadlift off pins in a power rack.

I talk about five great deadlift alternatives in my new article on STACK.com. Check it out here:

Struggling With Deadlifts? Try These Alternative Exercises

Garage Gym Equipment Guide – Build a Kick-Ass Strength Gym on a Budget

Note: This garage gym equipment guide lists the best and most affordable training gear for improving strength and performance. I update it regularly.

Last update: April 20, 2018

A lot of people view having their own training facility or home gym as a dream come true scenario.

For a long time, that was my goal as well.

In my role as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the junior hockey organization I work for, I've gotten a taste of that as I've been involved in outfitting our weight room with plenty of training equipment over the past year.

We wanted to build a bare-bones strength gym without the typical fluff you see at 98% of public gyms these days.

I'm talking about all the cool stuff like...

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Prevent Hockey Hip Injuries With These 3 Movements

Did you know that 9 out of 10 hip injuries in hockey occur when there's no contact with an opponent, and that these types of injuries are steadily on the rise?

It's interesting to note that during the past two seasons that I have worked with 120+ junior, college and pro hockey players, we have had very few non-contact injuries to the groin and abdominal area.

A couple of guys have complained about tightness and/or something not "feeling right" down there only now and then, and these minor incidents can be counted with the fingers of my left hand.

More importantly, man-games lost to these issues are a whopping 0 over the course of two years.

So even if I say so myself, our off-ice training program has been extremely effective in keeping guys healthy and on the ice - in addition to getting them strong.

Read more about how to minimize the risk of non-contact hip injuries in my new article on STACK: ​

3 Off-Ice Exercises to Prevent Hockey Hip Injuries

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