The Output · 2-Week Block · Rev. A

Goalie Protocol

A recurring 14-day block built to keep a veteran goaltender mobile, explosive, and hard to beat — protecting the hips while sharpening the reads. One ice day a week; every other day earns its place.

2 week rotation 1 ice day / wk (Thu) BFR · Kineon · Sense Arena Mobility · Strength · Power
The Thinking

Why it's built this way

The position is explosive, lateral, and brutal on the hips. As physical peaks flatten with age, the neural game is where a veteran keeps winning — so this trains both, and guards the groin above all.

What the position demands

  • Deep hip internal/external rotation + adductor length — the butterfly lives here
  • Bulletproof adductors/groin — the #1 goalie injury, and the risk rises with age
  • Lateral and rotational power, not just strength — T-pushes, slides, post-to-post
  • Eccentric/deceleration strength — absorbing pushes, controlled recovery
  • Ankle, knee, and thoracic mobility for tracking and reaching
  • An aerobic base for repeatability and recovery

How the week flows

Heavy lower body sits Monday, fully recovered by Thursday. Wednesday is deliberately light so the legs are fresh for ice-day skill quality. Ice is Thursday. Friday flushes and recovers. Saturday is the end-range capacity day — your current limiting quality, given its own session with fresh legs. Sunday is fully protected rest.

Heavy lower-body stress lands Mon and Thu, with Saturday carrying connective-tissue and mobility work rather than more force output. Power is maintained in a small Monday primer rather than a full session — enough to hold a quality you already own, without spending a day on it.

Daily minimum, every day: Kineon on 1–2 priority joints + 5–10 min of mobility. The quiet, consistent work is what keeps you on the ice.

The Toolkit

Five tools, five jobs

Each one earns its slot. Nothing here is a gadget for its own sake — they're chosen for high stimulus at low joint cost.

Suji · BFR

Blood-flow restriction

Joint-friendly strength & hypertrophy on strength days; passive flush on recovery days. High muscle stimulus, low joint cost — ideal for holding muscle in your mid-30s.

Legs ~7/10, arms ~5–6/10 · 20–30% 1RM · 30/15/15/15 · <15–20 min per limb
Kineon · Move+ Pro

Red / laser therapy

Daily joint priming and recovery. 660nm red LED + 808nm laser drives circulation and tissue repair at the knees, hips, and groin.

10–15 min per area, skin contact, up to 2×/day · Priority: knees · hips · groin · low back
NHL · Sense Arena

VR neural training

The longevity multiplier: tracking, reaction time, angles, and reads. Trainable skills that outlast raw athleticism — and extra "read" reps to offset skating once a week.

~20–30 min, quality reps · fresh CNS only (Wed/Sat) · log your reaction-time trend
NordicTrack · Bike

Zone 2 aerobic base

Easy, conversational aerobic work that builds recovery capacity and repeatability. Doubles as warm-up and active recovery.

Conversational pace · warm-ups · Wednesday base · post-ice flush
NordicTrack · Rower

Full-body conditioning

Posterior-chain-friendly Zone 2 and light intervals. Keeps the engine running without pounding the joints.

Steady or light intervals · Friday conditioning · low joint load
Every Day

Mobility & flexibility

Active control through range plus passive length work — the deep butterfly ranges that keep the hips healthy and the groin long.

Daily flow · long holds Fridays · see the library below

Sense Arena — quick reference

A skill/CNS tool, not a conditioning grind.
  • ~20–30 min of quality reps. Stop when reads get sloppy, not when you're tired.
  • Freshness rule: lives on lighter days (Wed / Sat), stays off Sunday. Don't bury it under fatigue.
  • Rotate focus: tracking · reaction/reflex · screens & traffic · angles & depth · game-sim decisions.
  • Use the analytics. A rising reaction-time trend is proof it's working; a dip is a fatigue flag.
  • Off ice day. Complement real skating — don't compete with it.

Glute activation sequence

~5 min · pre-ice, power days, and before heavy lower body. Priority: glute medius — your lateral push engine.
  1. Glute bridge (or single-leg) — 2×10–12, hard squeeze + pause. Wakes up glute max.
  2. Banded clamshell / side-lying abduction — 2×12/side. Isolates glute med before you load it.
  3. Banded lateral + monster walk — 2×10 steps each way. Stay low, drive knees out, keep tension.
  4. Sub-max skater push-offs — 2×4–5/side, easy. Takes it into the on-ice pattern.
Three cues: continuous band tension · knees driving out (protects the groin) · keep effort low — wake it up, don't fatigue it.
The Skeleton

The week as a mountain range

Both weeks share this shape. The meter under each day is its training load — two peaks (Mon · Thu), a moderate connective-tissue day Saturday, and real valleys between.

TodayMon
Power primer + lower-body strength · BFR legs
Load
TodayTue
Upper body + core · BFR arms
Load
TodayWed
Mobility + Zone 2 + Sense Arena — legs fresh for ice
Load
TodayThu
ICE — pre-activation + post recovery
Load
TodayFri
Recovery + conditioning · passive BFR
Load
TodaySat
End-range capacity · adductor + Sense Arena
Load
TodaySun
Full rest · passive BFR + Kineon only
Load
High load — peak day Low load — valley / recovery Your day highlights automatically
The Sessions

Day by day

Volume & tissue capacity. Build the base; earn the right to be explosive.

Mon
Lower-Body Strength
Prime: 5 min easy bike + Kineon on hips/groin (10 min) while you spin, then Mobility Block M1 — Prep & Articulate (soft tissue → CARs → rock backs), then the glute activation sequence, then the power primer below.
  • Power primer — box jumps + med-ball rotational throwmaintenance dose only — reactive strength is use-it-or-lose-it, and it also potentiates the lifts below2×3 · 2×4/side
  • Lateral bounds / skater jumpsdirect T-push transfer — stick every landing2 × 4/side
  • Trap-bar deadlift or goblet squat4 × 6
  • Rear-foot-elevated split squat3 × 8/leg
  • Adductor squeeze testbefore you start — ball between knees, 45°, 5s max, rate 0–10 and log it. Your weekly progress marker.1 × 5s
  • Copenhagen plank — short lever (knee on bench)3s down / 1s pause / 2s up. Move to long lever when 3×10 is clean and pain-free.3 × 8–10/side
  • Banded standing adductionslow tempo, full range — loaded adduction through the arc3 × 12/side
  • Tibialis raisesankle stiffness for recoveries + RVH pushes2 × 15
  • BFR finisher (legs) — bodyweight squats / leg ext30/15/15/15
Recover: Kineon on knees + groin, 10–15 min.
Tue
Upper Body + Core
Optional: 10 min Zone 2 rower to finish. Kineon on any nagging shoulder/low back.
  • Push — DB bench or push-ups4 × 8
  • Pull — chin-ups or rows4 × 8
  • Overhead — half-kneeling landmine/DB pressshoulder health for reaching3 × 10
  • Rotational power — med-ball throw4 × 4/side
  • Anti-rotation — Pallof press3 × 10/side
  • Core — dead bugs + side plank3 each
  • Neck — 4-way isometric holds + chin tuckshand-resisted, 2×10s each direction — concussion-risk insurance5 min
  • End-range micro-dose — one position, loaded holdrotate weekly: frog → half-kneeling groin → hamstring → 90/90. Flexibility responds to frequency, not just long sessions — this is the cheap extra exposure your limiter needs.5–8 min
  • BFR finisher (arms) — optionallowest-value item in the plan for you — arm hypertrophy isn't a limiter. Cut it first when time is short.optional
Wed
Mobility · Zone 2 · Sense Arena
Legs stay fresh for ice — no physical loading. This is a deposit, not a withdrawal.
  • Bike, Zone 2 — conversational25–30 min
  • Mobility Block M3 — Rotate & Loadsoft tissue → frog PAILs/RAILs → good mornings → banded IR/ER — keep pushes ~60%20–25 min
  • Sense Arena — tracking + angles/depthprime your reads the day before you skate20–30 min
  • Kineon — hips + groin (prime for tomorrow)10–15 min
Thu
Ice
  • Pre-ice — glute activation sequence → dynamic warm-up: leg swings, lateral shuffles, crease movements. Optional Kineon on knees.
  • On-ice — your skill work
  • Post-ice — 5–10 min easy spin, static groin/hip stretch, Kineon knees + groin + low back, then Suji passive-BFR on legs to flush.
Fri
Recovery + Conditioning
Post-ice recovery day — you'll be sore. Gentle active range only. The demanding end-range work lives on Saturday, not here.
  • Rower, Zone 2 — steady flush20–30 min
  • Mobility Block M4 — Restorative Flowgentle active range on your sorest day — pancake hinge · 90/90 · Jefferson curl · hip flexor lifts · straddle reach20–25 min
  • Adductor isometrics — ball squeeze, knees bent 45°~70% effort, 60s rest. Isometrics are analgesic — this is the light day and it should feel good, not hard.5 × 30–45s
  • Side-lying hip adductionslow tempo, bodyweight or light ankle weight3 × 12/side
  • Suji passive-BFR — legs
  • Kineon + foam roll — whatever's nagging
Sat
End-Range Capacity
Your limiting quality gets its own day. Prime with 5 min bike + glute activation. Nothing explosive here — power maintenance moved to Monday so this session stays clean.
  • Mobility Block M2 — End-Range Capacitysoft tissue → 90/90 → groin + hamstring PAILs/RAILs → 90s static finishers. Fresh legs — push these properly.25–30 min
  • Slider adduction4s eccentric — control the slide OUT, that's the whole point. Closest thing to a rehearsal of the injury mechanism.3 × 8/side
  • Cossack squat — pause at the bottomloaded adductor length + strength in one; bodyweight until full depth is symmetrical3 × 5/side
  • Sense Arena — reaction/reflex + rebound scrambleneural work, no conflict with the tissue work20 min
Push the PAILs/RAILs properly today. This is the one day nothing else competes for them. Kineon post on hips + groin.
Sun
Restorative
Sleep + nutrition are the actual workout today. No mobility block, no flow — this day is protected.
  • Optional easy bike or walk20 min
  • Suji passive-BFR recovery
  • Kineon — hips + knees + groin
Mon
Lower Body — Unilateral + Eccentric
Prime: 5 min bike + Kineon hips/groin, then Mobility Block M1 — Prep & Articulate, then the glute activation sequence, then the power primer below.
  • Power primer — short depth drops + med-ball shot-putmaintenance dose only — keep it crisp, nowhere near fatigue2×3 · 2×4/side
  • Reactive skater hopsstretch-shortening speed — quality over distance2 × 4/side
  • Front / safety-bar squat — 3s eccentric4 × 4
  • Reverse lunge or step-up3 × 6/leg
  • Nordic hamstring curl — slow lowereccentric hamstring = knee/deceleration insurance3 × 5
  • Adductor squeeze testbefore you start — log the 0–10 score. Trending down is the goal; trending up means back off.1 × 5s
  • Copenhagen plank — mid to long lever (foot on bench)the harder variation this week — drop to short lever if form breaks3 × 6–8/side
  • Banded standing adductionadd band tension over Week A3 × 12/side
  • Tibialis raisesankle stiffness for recoveries + RVH pushes2 × 15
  • BFR finisher (legs) — walking lunges / step-ups30/15/15/15
Recover: Kineon knees + groin.
Tue
Upper Body + Core — Variations
Optional: 10 min rower Zone 2. Kineon as needed.
  • Push — incline DB press4 × 8
  • Pull — single-arm row4 × 8/side
  • Overhead — standing DB press3 × 10
  • Rotational power — med-ball scoop/side toss4 × 4/side
  • Anti-rotation — tall-kneeling chop3 × 10/side
  • Core — hollow hold + suitcase carry3 each
  • Neck — 4-way isometrics + chin tucks2×10s each direction5 min
  • End-range micro-dose — next position in the rotationpush a little harder than Week A5–8 min
  • BFR finisher (arms) — optionalcut first when time is shortoptional
Wed
Mobility · Zone 2 · Sense Arena
Legs fresh for ice.
  • Bike Zone 2 (or split 15 bike / 10 rower)25–30 min
  • Mobility Block M3 — Rotate & Loadsame block as Week A — pushes ~60% to protect Thursday20–25 min
  • Sense Arena — screens/traffic + game-simharder reads than Week A — find the puck through bodies20–30 min
  • Kineon — hips + groin
Thu
Ice
  • Same structure as Week A: glute activation sequence → dynamic warm-up pre-ice; Kineon + Suji passive recovery after.
Fri
Recovery + Light Intervals
  • Rower — easy intervals, 1 min moderate / 1 min easynothing near max8–10 rds
  • Mobility Block M4 — Restorative Flowsame as Week A — nothing here should feel like training20–25 min
  • Adductor isometrics — ball squeeze, legs straightlonger-lever position this week — still ~70%, still should feel good5 × 30s
  • Side-lying hip adductionslow tempo, add light ankle weight3 × 12/side
  • Suji passive-BFR — legs
  • Kineon + soft tissue
Sat
End-Range Capacity
Same structure as Week A — go deeper on the pushes this week. Prime with 5 min bike + glute activation.
  • Mobility Block M2 — End-Range Capacitylonger holds, harder RAILs contractions than Week A30 min
  • Slider adductionslower eccentric and/or wider range than Week A3 × 8/side
  • Cossack squat — loaded if availablepause at the bottom; add load only when full depth is clean both sides3 × 5/side
  • Sense Arena — quick-release reaction + Be A Pro reps20 min
Kineon post on hips + groin.
Sun
Restorative
Same as Week A — full rest. Passive BFR, Kineon, sleep.
  • Optional easy bike or walk20 min
  • Suji passive-BFR + Kineon
Mobility Blocks

Four blocks, four jobs

Referenced by day from the program above. Soft tissue opens the door, CARs and PAILs/RAILs teach you to own the range, and the loaded work makes it yours. Same blocks both weeks — the training around them changes, these don't.

M1

Prep & Articulate

Monday — before lower body
A · Soft tissue — 30s each
B · CARs — 3 sets, slow
  • Hip CARssmall honest circle beats a large cheated one3 each way
  • Knee CARs3 each way
  • Ankle CARsdorsiflexion for recoveries & RVH3 each way
C · Hip opening — 3 sets
M2

End-Range Capacity

Saturday — its own dedicated day
A · Soft tissue — 30s each
B · 2 sets — FRC protocol
C · Finish
M3

Rotate & Load

Wednesday — legs stay fresh for ice
A · Soft tissue — 30s each
B · 2 sets
  • Frog PAILs / RAILs2 min hold · 10s push · 10s lift · 30s hold — keep pushes ~60% today so Thursday's ice stays sharp2 sets
  • Seated good mornings8 reps
  • Banded hip IR / ERown the rotation the butterfly demands, under load10/side
  • Thoracic rotation — open-books or quadruped reach-throughtracking and reaching across your body — the range that got dropped in the rebuild5/side
Copenhagen note: the original version of this block included short-lever Copenhagens. Those now live on Monday with the rest of the loaded adductor work — don't double up here.
M4

Restorative Flow

Friday — post-ice, gentle only
  • Standing pancake hinge5s hold at the hinge3 × 10
  • 90/90 hip switchessuper slow, both directions3 × 8/dir
  • Jefferson curlslow, 2s pause at the bottom — light load, spinal articulation3 × 6
  • Seated hip flexor lifts3s hold per side — active end-range hip flexion3 × 8/side
  • Straddle active reach3s hold — active adductor length3 × 8
Friday rule: nothing here should feel like training. You're sore from Thursday — this is gentle active range to move blood, not a session. If you're straining, back off.
Video links: the YouTube references open publicly. The three Drive links (groin slider, groin PAILs/RAILs, hamstring PAILs/RAILs) are your own files — they'll only load for accounts with access, so if this page is public you'll want to re-host those clips or set them to "anyone with the link."
Reference

Library, progression & guardrails

Mobility & flexibility library

Rotate through these on Wed / Fri / Sun and in warm-ups. Mobility = active control through range; flexibility = passive length, longer holds (Fridays especially).

  • 90/90 hip switches — internal/external rotation, the butterfly's foundation
  • Deep frog / butterfly rock-backs — adductor + hip flexion length
  • Cossack squats — loaded adductor length and strength in one
  • Couch stretch / half-kneeling hip-flexor — psoas + rectus femoris
  • Pigeon — glute + deep external rotators
  • Spiderman lunge + rotation — hip + thoracic in one
  • Hip CARs — controlled articular rotations for capsule health
  • Ankle dorsiflexion mobilization — knee-over-toe wall drill
  • Thoracic open-books / rotations — tracking and reaching range
  • Banded hip distraction — capsular decompression for pinchy end-range

Progressing across repeats

  • Strength: add a rep or small load every 1–2 blocks — never at the cost of hip position.
  • Power: maintenance dose only right now (Monday primer). Quality over volume — sloppy jumps mean stop. Re-expand it when end-range capacity is no longer your limiter.
  • Adductor: progress by the squeeze test, not the calendar. Trending down → advance the lever/load. Trending up, or next-morning stiffness → hold or regress one step.
  • Low-recovery periods (e.g. hormonal transition): keep intensity, cut volume — hold top sets, drop back-off volume ~⅓, deload sooner.
  • Morning readiness check: resting HR or HRV + the adductor squeeze test. Two bad mornings in a row = auto-regulate down.
  • BFR: 2–3 strength uses/week is plenty; add reps before load.
  • Kineon: daily — consistency beats occasional long sessions.
  • Sense Arena: progress by difficulty, not duration. Watch the reaction-time trend.
  • Deload: every 4th week, cut sets ~⅓, halve power volume. Keep mobility + Kineon.

Safety & coordination

  • Expert-informed programming, not medical advice — run it past your strength & medical staff.
  • Stop BFR immediately on numbness, tingling, sharp pain, or discoloration.
  • Keep the Kineon off the eyes; skin contact beats over-clothing.
  • Acute joint pain (not just stiff): pull the loading, keep Kineon/mobility, get it looked at.
  • Adductor loading rule: 3–4/10 during the work is fine and expected. It must settle within 24h with no added morning stiffness — if it doesn't, drop back one step rather than skipping the session.
As pre-season nears: add a second lighter on-ice/movement session and shift the balance toward more power and on-ice-specific conditioning, scaling Sense Arena up as real ice time increases. For now, one weekly skate plus this block is right for the off-season.
The Input · Fuel & Recovery · Rev. A

Fuel Protocol

The other half of the equation. Training is the output; this is the input — a streamlined, timed nutrition and supplement plan built to feed the work, sharpen the reads, and keep a veteran goaltender recovering faster than the calendar says he should.

Timed to a fasted AM session Protein · Omega-3 · Creatine 5 daily blocks + game day Recover · Sharpen · Repeat
The Timeline

The day, block by block

Everything is timed around your fasted morning session. Items marked "in water" are mixed and sipped; the rest are capsules with the meal. Hit "Now" up top to jump to the block you're in.

01 · Fasted AMPre-workout
Prime & Protect
The window for blood flow, power, and connective tissue — deliberately no heavy antioxidants here, so the training signal lands clean.
  • Collagen + Vitamin C30–60 min before the session that loads connective tissue most — on Saturday that's M2 + sliders/Cossacks, not a lift (Baar protocol)15 g + 300 mg
  • TMG (betaine)power output + methylation support2 g
  • Sea salt in waterhydration for a heavy-sweating goalie — scale up on skate days, the bottle carries the rest¼ tsp
  • Tadalafil (Rx)blood flow / endothelial — physician-managed3 mg
  • Methylene blue (USP grade)cognition — 1st of 2 split doses; pharmaceutical grade only5 mg
02 · MorningBreakfast
Build
Food: hit 40–50 g protein — 3 eggs is only ~18 g, so add whey, Greek yogurt, or extra eggs. Seed bread + spirulina butter stay.
  • Protein — whey or Greek yogurt to top up the meal3 eggs is only ~18 g. This is the highest-leverage item in the whole stack — it is not optional and it outranks every capsule below it.to 40–50 g total
  • Creatinestrength + reaction/cognition — your best single supplement5 g
  • Omega-3 (fish oil, TG form)recovery, inflammation, reaction time / brain — split with lunch2–3 g/day
  • Green-lipped mussel oiljoint / anti-inflammatory (ETA) — split dose alongside the fish oil1 serving
  • Vitamin D3 / K2dose to labs — aim 25(OH)D 40–60 ng/mL2–5k IU
  • Animal FLEXyour single, comprehensive joint product1 serving
  • Cissus quadrangularistendon/joint support — 1st of 2 split doses½ serving
  • Quercetin + bromelain complexseasonal allergies — 1st of 2 split doses½ daily
  • Optional: Hyaluronic acidextra joint support if you want it, once dailyoptional
03 · MiddayLunch
Sustain
A whole-food meal, 40–50 g protein. The old midday pile of duplicate blends is gone — this block is mostly food.
  • Whole-food mealalways healthy & nutritious, protein-led40–50 g
  • Raw milk + organ blendlocal raw milk with your organ blend1 glass
  • Omega-3 + mussel oilthe second half of the daily split2nd dose
  • Methylene blue (USP)2nd of 2 split doses — midday, not later; it has a long half-life and evening dosing can touch sleep5 mg
  • Cissus quadrangularis2nd of 2 split doses½ serving
04 · EveningDinner
Recover
Food: whole-food meal, 40–50 g protein. This is where the recovery antioxidants now live — well clear of your morning session.
  • Glutathioneantioxidant / recovery — moved here off the training window1 serving
  • Turmeric / Resveratrolanti-inflammatory — also off the training window1 serving
  • Quercetin + bromelain complexseasonal allergies — 2nd of 2 split doses½ daily
  • Optional: NAD+ (liposomal)lowest priority in the stack — encapsulation gets it past the gut, but cells import NR/NMN rather than intact NAD+. Finish what you have; NR or NMN is the better-evidenced reorder.optional
05 · NightPre-bed
Rest & Repair
A genuinely strong sleep stack — kept intact. Sleep is where the training and the hormones actually turn into recovery.
  • Casein or slow proteinovernight amino availability while you remodel tendon — directly relevant to the adductor work30–40 g
  • Magnesium glycinateelemental dose — glycinate specifically; the form matters for sleep and it stacks with the glycine below200–400 mg
  • Glycinesleep quality + connective tissue + glutathione substrate6 g
  • Apigeninsleep — monitor estradiol (mild aromatase effect)1 serving
  • Sea salt in waterovernight hydration¼ tsp
06 · On the iceIntra-skate
The Bottle
Intra-skate mix — all in one bottle with water. Built for steady fuel and a calm, collected head: no caffeine, no jitters. Keep it cold; you'll drink more of it.
  • Cluster dextrin (HBCD)fast gastric emptying, no sloshing under gear — blood glucose protects 3rd-period reads25–30 g
  • Baja Gold sea salt~800–1200 mg sodium — goalies in full gear are among the heaviest sweaters in sport½–¾ tsp
  • L-Taurinemuscle + cardiac calcium handling, mildly calming — the anti-caffeine2–3 g
  • Watersip at whistles and between drills — don't chug500–750 ml/hr
  • Separately: L-Tyrosine30–60 min pre-skate, NOT in the bottle — other aminos compete for brain transport1–2 g
Calibrate it: weigh yourself before and after a skate — every 1 kg lost ≈ 1 L of sweat. That tells you how far off your fluid and sodium are better than any guideline. Skating over 75 min? Scale the carbs up.
The Ritual · Game Day · Rev. A

Compete Protocol

A timed countdown from three hours out to puck drop. Built to arrive physically primed and mentally quiet — then to protect that state through the dead time nobody else defends.

T-3:00 → puck drop Body up · nervous system down Same order, every game No caffeine · no jitters
The Thinking

Two principles

Everything in the countdown follows from these. Get them right and the details take care of themselves.

01 — Activation is not arousal

Most warm-ups crank both and call it intensity. You play best collected, not jittery — so this ramps the body hard while deliberately steering the nervous system down toward calm-alert.

Primed body, quiet mind. That's the target state, and it's trainable. It's the same reason taurine is in the bottle and caffeine isn't.

02 — The ritual is the trigger

Same order, same timing, every single game. After 15–20 repetitions the sequence itself becomes a conditioned cue that drops you into competitive state automatically.

The consistency matters more than any individual item in it. Don't improvise on game day.

Timings assume puck drop = T-0:00, with the on-ice warm-up roughly T-0:38 to T-0:20. If your rink runs differently, shift the whole block — but keep the intervals intact.
The Countdown

Three hours to puck drop

T-3:00
Fuel
Pre-game meal per the Fuel protocol: high carb, moderate protein, low fat, low fiber. Nothing new, nothing experimental.
  • Start sipping waterbe hydrated by T-1:00 — don't chug late and skate heavysteady
T-2:00
Arrive · Quiet Phase
Get there early enough that nothing is rushed. Rushing is the enemy of the state you want. This is not the hype phase.
  • Gear laid out in the same orderpart of the ritual, not admin — same stall setup every timesame, always
  • Kineon — hips + groin, seateduse your ink-free windows: medial groin, inner thigh10–15 min
  • Low-stimulus environmentmusic, if any, should settle you — the arousal curve peaks later, and only physicallycalm
T-1:30
Carb Top-Up
  • Banana / rice cake + honey / white toast + jamminimal fat, fiber, and stomach volume30–50 g
  • Prep the bottle, coldcluster dextrin 25–30 g · sea salt ½–¾ tsp · taurine 2–3 gready
T-1:10
L-Tyrosine
On its own — not with food or other aminos. They compete for transport across the blood-brain barrier.
  • L-Tyrosinelands ~30 min before you step on the ice — reaction time and working memory under stress, zero stimulant edge1–2 g
T-1:05
Off-Ice Movement Prep — RAMP
~20 min, progressive. No hard static stretching here — long passive holds cause transient power loss. Save those for post-game.
Raise · 3–4 min
  • Easy bike or brisk movementwarm and slightly sweaty, nothing more3–4 min
Activate · 6–7 min
  • Isometric adductor squeeze @ ~70%analgesic AND activating — your insurance policy3 × 20–30s
  • Glute activation sequence — all four stepsbridges → clamshells → banded walks → sub-max skater push-offsfull
  • Dead bug + side plankdeep core and pelvic control8/side · 20s
Mobilize · 5 min — active, not passive
  • 90/90 hip switches8/side
  • Leg swings — front/back + lateral10 each
  • Spiderman lunge + rotation5/side
  • Ankle dorsiflexion rocks10/side
  • Butterfly drops — half depth, then fullnever let your first full-width butterfly be a live shot5 + 5
Potentiate · 4–5 min — sharp, short, nowhere near fatigue
  • Lateral shuffles / quick feet3 × 10s
  • Sub-max skater bounds4/side
  • Explosive T-push simulations off the wall3–4
  • Short accelerations2–3
Finish warm, springy, and not tired. If you're breathing hard, you overcooked it.
T-0:50
Vision & Reaction Priming
The most goalie-specific block here, and the one most players skip. Your eyes need a warm-up as much as your hips do.
  • Tennis ball off the walleach hand — progress to two balls or off-angle rebounds2–3 min
  • Near-far focus shiftsglove → across the room → back; wakes up accommodation30s
  • Saccadessnap between two fixed points without moving your head30s
  • Peripheral catchtoss from the edge of vision while holding a central focal point1–2 min
  • Sense Arena — if a headset is at the rinktracking only, light and sharp — priming, not training5–8 min
T-0:45
Gear Up · Mental Script
Gear on in the same order every time. Somewhere in there, the mental block.
Breathing · 2 min — the direct antidote to jittery
  • Physiological sighdouble inhale through the nose, long slow exhale through the mouth5 rounds
  • or Extended exhale — in 4, out 8long exhales pull you parasympathetic8–10 rounds
Visualization · 3 min — specific, not vague
  • Script the first shot of the gamesee yourself track it clean and swallow itfirst
  • Rehearse 3–4 real situationspoint shot through traffic · backdoor pass · scramble recovery · breakaway3–4
  • First-person, real speed, always ending in successalways
Cue words
  • Two or three words, process-focusede.g. "track it, quiet hands" — never outcome-focusedpick once
  • Keep them for the seasonthey only work through repetition — your return point after a goal, in a scramble, at every whistleall year
T-0:38
On-Ice Warm-Up
Structure it. Don't just flail at whatever the guys shoot.
  • 1 · Skate first — no pucksedges, C-cuts, crease movement. Feel the ice.2 min
  • 2 · Movement patternsT-pushes, butterfly slides, post-to-post, recoveries — full range, controlled2 min
  • 3 · Easy handsstraightforward shots, glove and blocker. Build touch.build
  • 4 · Progressive difficultymid-range → traffic → in-tight and lateral playsramp
  • 5 · Finish on successlast few shots from where you know you'll stop themalways
Leave the ice having just made a save. The last rep is what your brain carries into the gap. Sip the bottle — don't chug.
T-0:20
The Gap
You come off warm and sharp, then sit for 18 minutes while your hips stiffen and your heart rate drops — and the first shot of the game arrives on a body that quit being warm ten minutes ago. This window is the difference between a sharp first period and chasing the game. Almost nobody defends it.
  • T-0:20 → T-0:12 — stay upright and movinglight dynamic movement in the hallway. Hips open. Keep pads on if you can.don't sit
  • T-0:12 — re-fuela few sips of the bottle; Kineon on the groin if there's a quiet cornersips
  • T-0:08 — RE-PRIME the non-negotiable 90 seconds:
    isometric adductor squeeze 2×20s · 10 banded lateral steps each way · 5 half-depth butterfly drops · 4–5 quick lateral shuffles    90s
  • T-0:04 — Breathing5 rounds extended exhale. Drop the heart rate, keep the alertness.5 rounds
  • T-0:02 — Cue wordsnarrow focus to the crease and the puck. Nothing beyond that.say them
If you defend one block from a chaotic room or a talkative teammate, defend T-0:08.
T-0:00
Puck Drop
Primed body. Quiet mind. Go.
Inside the Game

Reset & intermission

The ritual doesn't stop at puck drop. These are the two moments that decide whether one bad sequence becomes two.

After a goal — ~10 seconds

You need a rehearsed reset, or the last one plays a role in the next one. Same sequence every time.

  1. One deliberate long exhale
  2. A physical reset — scrape the crease, tap the posts, drink
  3. Your cue words
  4. Eyes up, next puck
Why the physical action matters: it's the anchor. It gives your brain something concrete to attach the reset to, instead of trying to think your way calm.

Between periods — a mini-gap

The intermission is the same problem as T-0:20, in miniature. Same rules apply: don't seize up.

  • Sips of the bottle — steady, not a flood
  • 5 half-depth butterfly drops before you go back out
  • 10 banded lateral steps each direction
  • One round of extended-exhale breathing

Second and third period starts are where cold goalies get beaten. Ninety seconds fixes it.

Non-Negotiables

Rules & adaptations

The rules

  • Never anything new on game day. Not a supplement, not a food, not a drill, not gear.
  • Same order, every time. Consistency is the active ingredient.
  • Finish warm-ups on a success. Always.
  • Nothing to fatigue. No BFR, no heavy lifting, no long static stretching pre-game.
  • Protect the gap. Defend T-0:08 above everything else.

Adapting it

  • Morning games — everything compresses and you're stiffer. Add 5 min to Mobilize, get up earlier than feels necessary, don't skip the meal.
  • Back-to-backs — cut Potentiate roughly in half. You're already activated; you need warmth and mobility, not more output.
  • Travel days — the vision block and the breathing block matter more, not less. Tyrosine is most valuable exactly here.
Track it: note your first-period save percentage against how faithfully you ran the ritual. After a dozen games you'll have your own evidence for which pieces matter most to you.
Northern Goaltending
Off-season protocol · Output (train) + Input (fuel) · one recurring system.
General training and nutrition reference, not medical advice. Clear any loading, supplement, or hormone decisions — especially prescription or anti-doping-relevant substances — with a qualified physician and your team's performance staff. You are strictly liable for what is in your system.