Wroclaw Times - Greg Eagles training regime

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Eagles let's us in on his Wolves training regime

 

 

 

 

 

The Vancouver Wolves are starting to heat up after a rough start and have been recently playing well. We took the time to speak with Backup, Greg Eagles, on his off-ice training routine and how he stays fresh for the full season while playing with the Wolves.

 

The rookie goalie has been part of the team for less than a season but he’s played the goalie position since he was just a little boy when he skated on frozen ponds in Wroclaw, Poland. As his next start is slowly approaching, Eagles explains his workout to us, which is different from his teammates as no other position requires the same level of stamina as the goalie position.

 

“As a goalie,” he explains “you almost play a different sport. I’m supposed to be more flexible and have more stamina then everyone else on the ice.” He said.

 

Learning yoga, he admits, while not very excited about it is on his summer agenda as this will help him be more flexible and agile, but right now, Eagles is trying to stay “light,” as he puts it so he is not burned out when he is called upon to play.

 

Greg gave us a sneak peek at his workout and this is what we saw
 

CARDIO
Since Eagles typically does not play every game as a backup, he needs to add high-intensity sprints to his morning skate. “We train a goaltender in short bursts,” says the Wolves goalie coach. “This helps him prepare for the fast paces action of the game, usually on the ice they are doing work for 15-20 seconds and then there is a break while the puck is on the other end of the ice”
 

STRENGTH TRAINING
“The best goalies are the most explosive,” says the goalie coach, and all of the force should come from the lower body. While holding a set of free weights, Greg Eagles will run through a sequence of ten to fifteen lunges, squats, and one-legged squats with no rest in between.

 

CORE
The coach believes that goalies should train in the same positions they use on the ice. So he fashions drills to mimic Eagle’s three stances: standing at the net, a “ hybrid butterfly” position on both knees with feet out to the sides, and a “kick save,” where Eagles leans on one knee with his other leg out to the side. “When I’m down in my hybrid butterfly or pushing some weights on the sides, I get my stomach, back, groin—the whole package in one drill,” says Eagles. “ It’s a great exercise”

 

Medicine-ball toss

Eagles also likes to add extra drills like this toss. As he moves through the three stances mentioned above, the goalie coach would hurl a weighted ball just out of the goalie’s reach. Greg is forced to rotate his torso to catch the ball, stabilize himself with his core, and then use his upper-body strength to toss it back.

MENTAL FOCUS
Greg has also hired a mental-skills coach who works with him on exercises like visualizing successful plays. But Eagles believes that simply not thinking about hockey helps him focus when he returns to the ice. So, before games, he plugs in his phone to listen to some EDM while he plays keep up with a soccer ball.

After the games, “when I try to relax, it’s more calming music,” he says. “And I go out and do fun stuff. I play video games, I will go out for a couple drinks, but it doesn’t matter really what it is—just something that keeps you away from hockey so that your mind stays fresh and not focused on the sport 24/7. Your mind needs a break sometimes aswell!”

 

SLEEP 
I like to sleep,” says Eagles “In order for me to be ready for games I need go get nine to ten hours of sleep a day, I think it is one of my favorite times of the day"

 

DIET
Carb-loading. A typical breakfast is oatmeal and a bagel; lunch is perogies or poutine. It’s a game-day tradition to gather for an all-you-can eat buffet of pasta, rice, potatoes, fish, and meat. Hydration is essential, which means liters of yellow Powerade during games. “Sometimes it just feels like the only thing you do is play hockey and eat,” Eagles says “ and that’s what I would call living life”

 

This regime seems like a lot of work but it seems to be paying off for Eagles, He is looking better in practice and it has been helping him in the games that he has played