Nobody skips squats. Nobody skips their skates.

Everybody skips mobility.

And I get why. It’s boring, you’re probably not good at it, and it doesn’t feel like training. There’s no number to beat. You don’t walk out feeling like you did something.

So it’s the first thing to go the week you’re busy.

Here’s what that’s costing you.

What you’re carrying by mid-season

Most players are managing two or three small injuries by then. A hip that’s cranky. A groin that grabs on a hard push. A shoulder that only bothers you on one side.

None of it puts you on the bench. You play through all of it. That’s exactly why it never gets fixed.

Here’s the part you don't realize

When something hurts, you hold back. You don’t decide to. Your body does it for you.

You don’t push quite as hard off that leg. You don’t reach quite as far on that side. You’re a little more careful in the corner where you got hit last month.

That’s your body guarding, and it’s automatic.

So the speed and power you already built doesn’t fully show up. Not because you didn’t train hard enough. Because your body won’t hand it over while it’s busy protecting something.

That’s why mobility isn’t the optional one. Strength builds the engine. Speed teaches you to use it. Mobility takes the brakes off.

How to fix it

Most people think mobility means stretching. It doesn’t. Your brain won’t let you use a position it doesn’t think you’re strong in.

So when you build strength at the very end of your range, your brain learns you’re safe there and stops locking you out.

Two days a week and about forty minutes. That’s all you need to improve your mobility.

The 3 biggest wins you can start this week

1. Copenhagen Side Plank. 3 sets of 30 seconds each side. Top leg up on a bench, body in a straight line. This builds the groin strength for the pull-back part of your stride. The groin is one of the most common spots to pull, and this is the drill that makes it strong.

2. Ankle Rocking Over Toe. 10 reps each side. Knee travels forward over the toe, heel stays down. Skates are stiff and they lock your ankles up. This gives that movement back so you can get low in your stance.

3. Hip Clocks. 2 sets of 3 each side. On all fours, walk your hip through every position on a clock face, slow and controlled. Teaches your hips to move in every direction instead of only the one they’re used to.

If you want the whole thing built for you

That’s the Mobility Program. Four days covering the whole body, run two sessions a week, cycled all year so it never stops working.

It’s live right now and it’s only $37 with code MOBILITY20. That closes Monday at midnight.

​Get The Mobility Program Here →​

We built it for hockey players, but every athlete should be doing it. You don't know how much performance you're leaving on the table without it.

See you next Saturday.

Tony

P.S. If you only do one thing off this email, make it the Copenhagen.