Several readers have emailed me after getting their hands on Next Level Hockey Training 2.0.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive and I graciously thank everyone who picked up a copy. I'm really looking forward to hearing how you guys progress on the program.

That said, my inbox has also seen its fair share of questions, so let's get down and dirty with it...

Question: Hey, I've been thinking about buying your program. Can you post a sample workout?

Answer: Here's a lower body workout from week #3 in Phase 3 of the off-season Pro program:

1) Power clean from hang 5x5

2) Squat off pins 4x5 (4-1-1 tempo)

3a) Toes elevated Romanian deadlift 4x8 (5-0-1 tempo)

3b) Lateral DB step-up 4x6

3c) 3-way ab wheel 4x AMAP

Question: Yunus, thanks for the program. The workouts look really intense and I can't wait to run through them.

I notice you don't really touch on how to warm up before lifting. What's your take on this? 10-15 minutes on the bike or maybe some dynamic warm-ups?

Answer: Unlike many trainers busy inventing yet another cool new warm-up sequence to impress their clients and colleagues, I prefer warming up with the same main strength exercises that you're gonna do in your workout anyway.

That said, depending on how tight/sore you're feeling today, spending a few minutes working on your hip, shoulder and ankle mobility is fine. You can also use a foam roller or lacrosse ball to get rid of some kinks and what not before stepping inside the power rack.

With that out of the way, let's say your first exercise for the day is the trap bar deadlift for 3 sets of 5 and you're going with 315 on the first set.

Ideally, I'd like to see you perform several warm-up sets with ascending weight and descending reps. This primes up the nervous system without causing a drop-off in performance on your work sets. Here's one way to do it:

* 60 kg / 135 pounds for 5 reps

* 80 kg / 175 pounds for 4 reps

* 100 kg / 220 pounds for 3 reps

* 120 kg / 265 pounds for 2 reps

* 130 kg / 290 pounds for 1 rep

After this, go up to 140 kg / 315 pounds for your first set of 5. Depending on how heavy that feels, adjust the weight up or down for your next sets.

Which brings us right to the next Q...

Question: Hi, coach! When you write something like "bench press 4x5", do you want us to stick to the same weight for all sets? Or work up to a heavy set of 5, then do three back-off sets?

Answer: This depends on how advanced you are as a lifter.

With a beginner, I'd have him start with a light weight for five reps, closely observing his technique and bar speed. After making sure his form is where I want it to be, we'd add 10-20 pounds to the bar and keep repeating this until we hit a weight the athlete no longer can coast through on the last couple reps.

So you're basically doing a bunch of fives as warm-up sets until you hit a moderately heavy weight. That counts as your first work set. Keeping the weight constant for the remaining sets works well in this scenario. Here's what this could look like with real numbers:

* Bar x5 (warm-up)

* 40 kg / 90 pounds x5 (warm-up)

* 50 kg / 110 pounds x5 (warm-up)

* 60 kg / 135 pounds x5 (warm-up)

* 70 kg / 155 pounds x5 (set #1)

* 70 kg / 155 pounds x5 (set #2)

* 70 kg / 155 pounds x5 (set #3)

* 70 kg / 155 pounds x5 (set #4)

With someone who has been training with me for a while and whose true 5RM I already know or can estimate based on his past lifts, we'd go directly to a heavy set after the warm-up, as explained above in the previous answer.

If the athlete crushes their set, we're gonna add another 5-10 pounds. Assuming he hits his limit for the day on that second set, we'll then dial things back a bit on the remaining two sets. If not, you can always go heavier until you hit your true 5RM for the day. But generally speaking, we'll be lifting our heaviest set within the first two sets of the exercise because that's when you're at your freshest.

Example below:

* Bar x5 (warm-up)

* 40 kg / 90 pounds x5 (warm-up)

* 60 kg / 135 pounds x4 (warm-up)

* 70 kg / 155 pounds x3 (warm-up)

* 80 kg / 175 pounds x2 (warm-up)

* 90 kg / 195 pounds x1 (warm-up)

* 100 kg / 220 pounds x5 (set #1, fairly easy)

* 105 kg / 230 pounds x5 (set #2, 5RM for the day)

* 100 kg / 220 pounds x5 (set #3, slightly lighter)

* 100 kg / 220 pounds x5 (set #4)

For the latest, most cutting-edge strength and conditioning information for hockey players, and to learn in just a few hours what has taken me several years and tens of thousands of dollars over the last decade, check out Next Level Hockey Training by clicking here now:

NextLevelHockeyTraining.com

​Yunus Barisik