Merry Christmas and wishing you all the best heading into the new year.

If you’re like most competitive players, you’re enjoying some downtime right now.

But somewhere in the back of your mind, you’re thinking about the kid on the other team who’s not taking time off.

And wondering what you could be doing right now to take your game to the next level.

The truth is, you don’t need to train like it’s peak season right now. But you also don’t want to spend two weeks doing nothing and show up to your first game feeling slow, heavy, and a step behind.

So here’s something I want you to try this week.

A Quick Acceleration & Power Session

This takes 20–25 minutes. No complicated setup. Just enough to keep your legs explosive and your nervous system firing.

Block 1 (3 sets):

• Sled Push – 10 yards (If no sled: short hill sprint OR heavy band-resisted acceleration for 6-10 powerful steps)
• Broad Jump to Single-Leg Stick/Landing – 5 reps
• Heavy Step-Up with Knee Drive – 5 reps/side (holding DBs or a backpack with weight)
• Banded Sprint in Place (put a band around your waist, and tie it to a rig) – 10 seconds

Block 2 (3 sets):

• Bulgarian Split Squat – 5 reps/side
• 3 Pogo Hops to Hurdle Hops – 5 reps (or just forward/back line hops)
• Front Lunge + Knee Drive – 5 reps/side
• Slider Hamstring Curls – 5 reps (or stability ball curls)

Rest 60–90 seconds between sets. Focus on quality over grinding through fatigue.

The reps stay at 5 for a reason—after that, you slow down. We’ve tested this with hundreds of athletes. The goal here is speed. If you’re not moving fast, you’re missing the point.

Train the way you play.

This workout keeps your first-step speed and lower-body power sharp without beating you up during the break.

If you want the full system…

This is one workout from the Power & Explosiveness Program we’re launching in a couple weeks.

If you’re getting beat to loose pucks, knocked off the puck in battles, or lifting heavy in the gym but it’s not showing up in games, this is what fixes it.

The full program takes you through core strength, acceleration, reactive work, lateral power, posterior chain, and upper body — in that order, and for a reason.

If you want first access when it drops, join the waitlist here.​

For now, try this workout. See how you feel. Hit reply and let me know what you think.

See you next week and Happy New Year,

Tony

P.S. Need a program you can follow during the season without killing your legs? Check out the In-Season Maintenance Program, built to keep you fast, strong, and fresh for game days.