marty, Author at MartyStrength

Don’t get me wrong, what you do in the gym is important and will have an impact on your overall health and performance BUT what you do outside of your training is probably even more important.

When I meet with an athlete and or their parents I start with questions that have nothing to do with training. They always want to tell me how much training is being done and how great it is and that’s great. The things I want to know are, how many hours of sleep they get each night, what time they go to bed, how much water they drink a day, do they eat breakfast and what do they have, and how much time do they spend on their phone and do they keep their phones in their room at night.

It’s what you do outside of your training and the daily habits that will help you get the most from your time in the gym. It can be easy to make excuses and blame your circumstances but at the end of the day, it is the decisions you make daily and consistently that will keep you where you are or move you in the right direction towards your goals.

It can be alluring to fall into the hype of “no days off” and “no pain, no gain”. Most well-educated coaches see these types of sayings and laugh out loud, I know I do. They are comical at best.

The unfortunate thing is that athletes and even parents can quickly be convinced of their validity.

Yes, you need to push yourself and put in the work but that is only a part of the process. Other pieces of the puzzle include scheduled rest, including active and passive rest, and of course one of the most important is proper SLEEP.

Here is the truth which I take for granted that most people know. The magic happens after you put in the work. Physical growth happens not when you are getting after it in the gym or on the ice. That is the stimulus. Growth comes from the RESPONSE.

The RESPONSE happens when rest, get high-quality sleep and fuel yourself with nutrients.

Both stimulus and response are needed for you to be successful. Training all the time without rest will result in overtraining and burnout. Resting all the time will result in, well, nothing.

I hope next time you hear or read “no days off” you can crack a smile and get a good laugh.

– Coach Marty

It’s What you do

No days Off

PRACTICE. TRACK. REPEAT

"I would highly recommend training with Marty both on and off the ice if you are seriously considering playing at a high level of hockey, for a long time."