Housebound Canadiens getting tailored workouts
MONTREAL Health officials recommend everyone get some exercise during the coronavirus crisis and, for most of us, that means a brisk walk around the block while social distancing.
But the shutdown of gyms, skating rinks and swimming pools has posed a greater challenge for elite athletes.
Pierre Allard, director of sports science for the Montreal Canadiens, said the players have been given a program similar to the one they receive for off-season training with one notable exception.
“With all the arenas closed, there’s no ice and that means they can’t skate,” Allard said.
He added Patrick Delisle-houde, the Canadiens’ strength coach, and Stefano Lanni, his counterpart with the Habs’ AHL farm team Laval Rocket, are in contact with the players and have formulated three workout programs for them.
“Some of the players have home gyms and we have one program for them,” Allard said. “There’s another group of players that might have a treadmill or a cross-trainer and maybe some weights. And there’s a third group which doesn’t have any equipment.”
The key is for players to maintain their cardiovascular conditioning until team facilities reopen.
The NHL, which ordered all players and team employees to self-quarantine until April 4, originally had hoped teams could reopen their facilities to small groups of players this weekend. During a conference call with general managers this week, that date was pushed back by 10 days, but Willem Meeuwisse, the NHL’S chief medical officer, suggested that might be optimistic.
“It’s difficult to predict where the pandemic is going and what the timeline will be, but we do expect this is going to get worse before it gets better,” Meeuwisse told nhl. com. Meeuwisse said the NHL is fortunate that only two players, both from the Ottawa Senators, have tested positive for the virus.
“We have a pretty good idea now — because we’re at almost the twoweek mark — that the likelihood of being infected prior to that period is pretty low,” Meeuwisse said. “That doesn’t mean that somebody can’t be exposed now, and I would expect that as this disease progresses and becomes more endemic that we’re going to see more tests in players.”
Most NHL players have returned to their off-season homes. That’s a direct contrast to Major League Soccer, which has asked its players to remain in their respective markets. The MLS has a moratorium on training through April 3 and hopes to resume league play on May 10.
Scott Livingston, a personal trainer who once worked as the strength coach for the New York Islanders and the Canadiens, has focused on Olympic athletes and educating trainers. He noted national training centres for elite athletes across Canada are shuttered.
“You might have access to a treadmill or some weights, but you’re not going to be able to do any heavy lifting,” Livingston said.
“You can get some coaching through the internet but, if you’re in a team sport or a sport which requires facilities, your options are limited.”
Mcgill University track coach Dennis Barrett, who has served as a personal trainer for numerous Olympic athletes, said it’s important for athletes to “keep the stimulus going until we get to a reset.”
“For runners, particularly distance runners, it’s relatively easy to find a place to run and stay out of populous areas,” Barrett said. “For any athlete, you can stay in shape with interval training, doing squats, jumping, sprint lunges. If you don’t have weights, you can do exercises like pushups.”