OK...here's the deal. Depending on which chart you look at, I'm anywhere from 75 to 100 lbs. over where I should be for my height. In reality, for my frame, I'm probably closer to
just 60 lbs. over where I want to be. I've been playing hockey for about 5 years now, and since I quit roller hockey to focus on ice only, I've decided that reducing my weight will help my on-ice movement and should now be more of a focus for me. Not that it shouldn't have been before...but...
I still play 4 times a week minimum (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday). All games (typical beer league), no practice to speak of. Monday & Wednesday I see A LOT of shots (some as they hit me, some as they go by) because I play for the worst teams in those respective leagues. Obviously, I can't hit the ice dead-dog tired, since my teams are depending on me to keep them in it more on those nights than on Sunday & Thursday. The Monday team has been put together from the learn-to-play program, and after last night's game, most of the team has played exactly 3 games of hockey in their lives (won last night in a shootout...took 7 skaters on each team to get 1 goal).
I have 2 focuses (focii??) for my workout program. Endurance and weight (body fat %) loss. My endurance is OK considering it's been 5 years since I've hit the gym. No issue hitting the bike pretty hard.
I've joined the local Y, and have been hitting the bike for 35 minutes (random difficulty, level 5) and keeping my heart rate at about 80% max for most of that time. I've gone through the indoctrination for all the machines (they have that computer program on the machines to keep track of your workouts) and have been set up with a basic workout program. I know, at least for me, that when I build muscle, the body fat burns off better. Obviously, body muscle building has to be a part of this program. My legs are muscular, chest isn't too bad...both build up fairly easily for me. Arms do OK, just not as good as the chest & legs.
All that leads me to one question. How do I incorporate a reasonable workout routine into my existing hockey schedule, building muscle at a decent pace and losing fat, without being too worn down or in too much "day after" pain/soreness??? When I started playing hockey, I quit going to the gym (I know, mistake) because my arms were sore after working out and it was TOUGH to make a glove save when I couldn't pick up my arms!!
As far as diet goes, I've been working on making some positive changes there...adding more lean meat & veggies to my meal plans, minimizing some of the bad stuff. Fries are my weakness!! When I make pasta, I've been adding more chicken & brocolli to it, so I can still get full but eat less pasta in the process. I'm a very picky eater, so most veggies are out. Nuts are out as well (allergic), and most seafood is out.
Ideally, if I can get down to my target weight, my game will improve dramatically, and that's my goal. I figure it will help my 40+ year old knees too!! I need to find a book on how to undo 21 years of bad eating in 90 days, or something like that.
For those who are going to push a very specific workout plan (P90X or something else), I'll get to one of those when I'm in a bit better shape!! All in good time
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