July 5th, 2007
Workout Article with Rod Brind’Amour
I came across this article a while back and wanted to share it. Its an interview with one of my favorite hockey players Rod Brind’Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes. His work ethic and workouts are pretty legendary in the NHL. There’s one story of his college coach at Michigan State locking him out of the gym because he though he was training too much. Rod proceeded to break the lock off the door by pulling it off and then working out.
Heres an excerpt:
“He’s a Lance Armstrong type,” Friesen says. “He’s an enigma who comes around only once in a while.”
Fortunately, Brind’Amour is a bit more accessible than the seven-time Tour de France champion. When asked what advice he might offer to amateur athletes who want to push themselves a little harder, Brind’Amour is quick to extol commitment and intensity.
“I think that’s the key,” he says. “People often ask me, ‘What can I do [to improve my conditioning]?’ So I ask, ‘How many days a week do you come in here?’ Do it daily. Make it a habit. Even if it’s just a half-hour, you’d be surprised at what you can get done. If you’ve got a stationary bike at home, and you usually have to get up at 6 to get ready for work, get up at 5:30 and just ride.”
At the heart of Brind’Amour’s training regimen is, well, his heart.
“For me, cardio is the most important thing; it sustains you, and your recovery is faster,” he says. “I used to run a lot, do a lot of track work, but that took its toll on my body, so I’m a big stationary-bike guy now.”
But don’t think for a minute that just because you’re pedaling in place and not on the open road, you can be doing anything but focusing—intensely—on the task at foot. The way Brind’Amour sees it, “If you’re reading the newspaper while you’re riding, you’re not working hard enough. Bust it for that 30 minutes. It’s just a matter of sticking with it.”
The full article can be found here:
http://www.delta-sky.com/2007_03/Training/index.html
