Our pro team had just received a new addition to the roster. 

Strictly speaking, this forward wasn't really new since he played in 26 games for us back in 2013-2014.

But then he suffered a horrible lower body injury during a game that forced him to hang up his skates.

And now here he was, attempting a comeback nearly four years later.

After his first week of training with the team, this player told me he had really been enjoying the workouts I put him through.

It being our first in-season phase involving mainly lower intensity exercises like gymnastics ring work and single-leg movements to give the spine a break from heavy loading after the summer, he asked me if we would continue with this "functional" training style, or if he'd get a chance to move some big weights around on squats and other basic barbell lifts.

Anyone who knows me knows I appreciate the current functional movement craze about as much as a blue-haired feminist appreciates that smooth playa pulling moves on her hot female co-worker at happy hour.

But I managed to bite my tongue and forgive our new player his gaffe.

I told him not to worry. There'd be plenty of time for the heavy stuff since the way I design programs covers all aspects of progressive strength training.

And with that, the matter got done settled.

Later, on my way home from the gym, his remark still echoed through my brain, causing a moment of deep reflection...

Am I a max strength guy? Absolutely.

Am I a bodyweight training guy? You bet.

Am I a bodybuilding guy? At times, yes.

Am I an Olympic lifting guy? Yup.

Am I a "functional" training guy? Apparently.

You see, I blend together bits and pieces of different theories, systems and disciplines. I don't cling to one element, method or tool for athletic physical preparation.

That's why you'll never hear me label myself as a strength guy or bodyweight guy or whatever.

Yes, I do harp on the importance of driving up your strength for improving speed and explosiveness in these emails and my training articles.

But what if you already squat and deadlift 600 pounds?

How is getting stronger gonna make you skate faster at that point?

It won't.

If your speed is lacking despite moving big weights like that, chances are you're strong but slow. So you need power cleans, plyos, sprints and agility drills.

Or perhaps your body composition is the real issue. Lugging around an extra 10-20 pounds on your body slows you down more than you can imagine.

Thus, we'd need to dial in your diet. At which point, a "strength guy" won't help you. You need to talk to a "nutrition guy".

On the flip side, maybe you're being held back by knee, back or shoulder injuries.

So we're gonna stop chasing max strength for a while, and focus on unilateral movements, bodyweight exercises, and movement quality in general to get you back to health. In which case, you could call me a "mobility guy".

As should be obvious by now, my training philosophy borrows anything that works from powerlifting, gymnastics training, bodybuilding, strongman, rehab, Oly lifting, and track and field.

The trick, of course, is to know when to apply each tool or method to elicit a desired training response which you can only learn by coaching athletes for years.

At the end of the day, I'm a "performance" guy.

Or better yet, "whatever works" guy.

For an in-depth glimpse into how I take ideas and concepts from several different disciplines, and combine them all in a way that works for any hockey player from juniors to pros, take a look at:

http://www.NextLevelHockeyTraining.com

Yunus Barisik