He trained all summer. Then lost it all.

On Wednesday, we ran a performance evaluation with a young hockey player from out of town to train with us this summer.

His mom pulled me aside and said something I’ve heard way too many times:

It’s like the entire summer never happened.

This is the trap.

Most athletes train hard…for 8–12 weeks.

Then life takes over:

• A new team with a generic program
• A busy season with no structure
• Caring more about volume than development

And they lose everything they built.

This isn’t a one-off story.

Athletes work their tail off for 8–12 weeks. Then go back to team environments, school programs, or inconsistent schedules that erase months of development.

It’s not laziness.

It’s not effort.

It’s a lack of strategy — across the whole year.

The real problem?

Most athletes don’t understand how to train across a full year.

They either…

• Train hard, then stop.
• Follow a plan, then switch to chaos.
• Or think “in-season” means “take your foot off the gas.”

So they keep starting over.

Progress Doesn’t Come From One Program

Training isn’t a 12-week thing. It’s a 12-month thing.

And if you’re not stacking consistent, smart training phases one after the other — with clear goals and built-in recovery — you’ll spin your wheels.

One bad phase can undo months of good work.

Here’s how to break that cycle.

1. Anchor Every Training Phase To A Purpose

The most common mistake is training with no long-term plan.

You need to ask: what is this phase building toward?

A good system builds in layers:

• First durability and tissue quality
• Then strength
• Then power and speed
• Then performance maintenance

Miss one phase? The next one’s weaker.

Stack them properly? Gains compound month after month, and year after year.

2. Time Your Off-Season Training

The off-season is where the difference is made.

Hockey players have some of the most demanding schedules of any sport.

Outside of the off-season, there’s no time to develop off-ice without seriously risking overtraining.

But you need to be strategic about it.

Start with a 4-8 week prep phase to:

• Rebuild muscle mass lost during the season
• Re-establish movement patterns
• Build work capacity back up

Then transition into an 8-week intensive training block that:

• Maximizes strength gains through two-week blocks focused on eccentric, isometric, and concentric training (Read more about Triphasic training here.)
• Peaks with French Contrast training to build explosive power.
• Maximizes your speed and power just before the season begins

This 4-phase approach ensures you’re not just throwing weights around—you’re building a solid foundation, then maximizing it for direct transfer to on-ice performance.

The key is progression.

You can’t jump straight into French Contrast training because it’s fun.

You need to earn it with a proper foundation.

3. In-Season Training Is Your Secret Weapon

Athletes who lose their edge mid-season?

They treat the year like off/on switches: “train” vs. “play.”

But here’s the truth:

In-season training is crucial for maintaining peak performance.

Your in-season strategy should focus on:

• Less volume, not zero volume
• Prioritize key movement patterns
• Protect against overuse and fatigue

This phase isn’t about making gains — it’s about maintaining what you built during summer training so you can perform at your highest level throughout the entire season.

This isn’t optional. It’s how you keep what you built.

4. Taking Responsibility for Your Development

Don’t outsource your progress to someone else. While coaches and trainers are valuable resources, your development ultimately comes down to you.

Success requires personal ownership. That means:

• Understanding your training, not just following it
• Taking initiative when circumstances change
• Being accountable for your own progress

Athletes who standout don’t just follow programs - they take charge of their development and make informed decisions about their training journey.

If all of this sounds good, but you’re not sure where to start — that’s exactly why we rebuilt the Pro Hockey Academy.

It’s one complete training system — the same one we use with our athletes — broken into 4 stacked phases you can follow all year:

• Prep & Build to rebuild strength and muscle mass after the season
• Off-Season to build real strength, speed, and power
• French Contrast to develop explosive strength
• In-Season to stay sharp without burning out

You’ll also get lifetime updates — and we’ve got some awesome new additions dropping soon.

​Check out the Pro Hockey Academy here.​

Success Isn’t Seasonal: It’s Systematic

You can’t treat development like a summer project. You need to treat it like a system.

One that adapts, evolves, and moves with you.

The athletes who rise through the ranks, they don’t “restart” every off-season. They build momentum year over year.

Their training isn’t random — it’s aligned with their goals.