Hockey is getting faster and each season continues to evolve – demanding that players are quicker, more agile, and bring more speed to the ice than ever before.
The big players who relied on their size and strength are getting left behind against faster players.
They need to adapt, to get lean and drop unproductive weight, and to develop the speed that will let them play their game.
Strong, dominant, and now – fast.
“You gotta get lighter on your feet – the game’s getting so much faster.”
Since Bantam, Micheal was the pinnacle of power forwards. Dominating the dump & chase game, outmuscling defencemen in front of the net, and dominating players on a net drive.
Despite his big frame and aggressive style, he was never just the tough guy. He had developed the skills alongside his game that would let him combine skill and strength.
He had found a lot of success in the game. 3 years in the QMJHL as a second line forward, before turning down a handful of ECHL offers to play Canadian university. After 4 years, 1.5 points per game, and an NHL development camp – he signed a tryout offer in the AHL. Now, at 26, he had just finished his second season in one of Europe’s top pro leagues.
“We’re going to try to play faster next season and need to make some changes upfront. We appreciate your efforts this year – but we’re not going to be resigning you.”
It was harsh. As an assistant captain, with just under a point per game, he felt he had a significant impact on the team’s success.
With the bigger ice, it’s no secret that hockey in Europe is a skating game. Everyone can skate, and can skate fast. But the truth is, it’s not just a European trait anymore – each season the game has been getting faster and more skilled.
The power forwards who could rely on their size have been slowly replaced with faster and more agile players.
He had just seen it first hand.
“There’s just no room over there for guys who can’t skate. I’m still a top tier player there, but I definitely found the pace overwhelming at times. When you don’t have the feet it’s tougher to create more space and one bobble of the puck and it’s already down ice the other way.”
While this was especially true in Europe, we had this conversation with players make the leap from junior to college dozens of times before. Each time you move up a level, the game gets that much faster. A good skater at your current level is just average at the next level.
“I just felt too heavy. Too slow. I felt some shifts like I was skating with a weight vest on.”
It’s a tough conversation to have, but he was right. He wasn’t fat, but he was definitely rocking the “spare tire” or “dad bod” body style. The truth is, that players that carried extra “unproductive” weight could get away with it before by playing strong and using size to their advantage.
But today, that weight acts like an anchor in a high speed game.
He knew that his game had to evolve if he wanted to keep playing at the highest level he could, and that meant getting leaner, faster, and more agile.
So he reached out to us for help. He didn’t want to follow some “fat shred” bodybuilding program like his buddies did ahead of summer. We had seen teammates use our online programs to get faster, but he wanted the exact game plan he could follow to get him leaner and agile.
So we created him a completely different program than he had seen in the past.
The process produced.
Each week he reported dropping weight, but more importantly, he reported feeling better on the ice. In the gym his lifts had improved and he reported moving better, but on the ice was where the real results showed.
His turns were tighter, his change of direction was sharper, his first steps got faster, and felt like not only could he keep up, but he could rely more on his skill than just size. a dual threat
“Honestly, I’m playing way more confidently. It’s not just that I feel way lighter out there, but I’m also more confident keeping the puck myself rather than looking for a dump or pass when space gets tight.”
He was back in Europe, now 22lbs lighter, and thriving.
Working with Matt, we realized that there was a whole group of hockey players who had the skill, size, and strength that were losing their advantage in the new high-speed era of hockey.
That’s when we realized we need to release this program for players everywhere to retool their body for today’s game by getting leaner, faster, and agile.
That’s why the Relentless Lean & Agile Program was created.
And since then have had players from high school to pro use it to drop underproductive weight and develop a body that can both dominate and thrive in today’s game.
Get leaner, get quicker, get faster.
From puck protection to corner battles, bigger players naturally have an advantage in this game.
But at each level the game gets faster – and it’s increasing each season. The game has shifted to quick, light, and mobile. And unless players are improving their speed, they’re losing advantage.
The Relentless Lean & Agile Program is the Strength & Conditioning program specifically designed for hockey players to shed unproductive weight and enhance their on-ice speed. This 12 week training system isn’t just a quick feet or fat loss program.
It’s been designed to develop the complete hockey player that will thrive in the modern game by combining strength with speed and agility.
At Relentless, we build off-ice workouts for on-ice performance. Delivering the exact Strength & Conditioning hockey players need to start moving, performing, and playing better where it counts. We deliver the training that translates.
Create a mobile body with exercises that address structural imbalances & restrictions so that you feel & move better.
Develop truly elite strength, with an intense focus on creating the functional strength that translates on the ice.
Unlock the power that translates to explosive first steps, breakaway strides, to become more dynamic on ice.
Enhance the athleticism to thrive on-ice. With plyo, agility, and footwork drills we develop next-level speed.
The exact workout structure that elite hockey players are using to build their body.
No more fluff, randomness, or bodybuilding style workouts. This is training 2.0 - with full-body and integrative workouts designed to challenge every facet of your body with each workout including:
3 strategically designed phase to get you dialled in for progressive & consistent growth.
Maximizing your training demands strategic structure. The 12 Week Size & Strength Program is strategically designed with three distinct phases and weekly progressive workouts built to be continuously pushing you towards your training goals.
Build a body wired for higher output. Address imbalances. Rewire movements. Develop foundational strength. Move, feel, & perform better than ever before.
Develop game-changing the power & speed. Build functional strength & power. Increase speed, athleticism & agility work. Start moving faster, lighter, and more powerful on the ice.
From the gym to the ice. Add a layer of specificity with strength & power that translates to on-ice performance. Build elite conditioning levels. Unlock even further speed & agility on the ice
The Lean & Agile Program was created by Coach Kyle, Strength Coach & founder of Relentless Hockey.
Kyle has become one of the go-to authorities on hockey training and performance optimization for hockey players.
Kyle combined his education, playing experience, experience as a skills coach, and thousands of hours working with hockey players in the gym to refine relentless programs to be the ultimate training for on-ice performance. Since starting Relentless Hockey, Kyle and the team have worked with players in nearly every professional hockey league in the world from the NHL and KHL to across Europe – along with thousands of players from across the world.
Coach Kyle continues to improve and refine all of the Relentless Hockey programs while supporting players to maximize their training and start thriving on the ice.
If you’re serious about taking your game to the next level, it’s time to get dialed in with your training. The Relentless Lean & Agile Program is the complete training system that delivers everything you need to eliminate guesswork from your training and get the exact game plan to develop elite speed.
Becoming an elite hockey player goes beyond just workouts, it's becoming relentless with getting better. That's why we've created all the resources you need to truly take your training, lifestyle, and performance to the next level.
Go beyond just a workout plan. Get the complete training system for hockey players to get dialled in to peak performance in all areas of their life from training and conditioning to mobility and nutrition - the Lean & Agile Program is designed for hockey players who are ready to commit to chasing their potential.
Along with this, Coach Kyle and the Relentless team offers on-going support for players to make sure that you're maximizing your training and getting the most out of training relentless.
Commit to chasing the next level & start training relentless today!
SEPTEMBER "BACK TO ICE" SPECIAL [SAVE $30]
Have you felt that those heavy feet on the ice have been holding you back from making the plays you actually know you're capable of? Then it's time to invest in getting leaner, lighter, and quicker on the ice.
The Relentless Lean & Agile Program was built as the completely integrative training program for Hockey Players to make sure the work they're spending in the gym is actually paying off on the ice.
You bring the hustle. We'll bring the structure to make it count. Let's go all in on your hockey goals today. Let's start training relentless!
It's time to start training relentless!
SEPTEMBER "BACK TO ICE" SPECIAL [SAVE $30]
You’ll have instant access to:
- Your 12 week program (36 workouts) with both a digital version and printable tracking version.
+ The Elite Speed for Hockey guide with 20+ speed workouts.
+ The Relentless Anywhere guide with 20+ at home workouts.
+ The Complete Conditioning for Hockey Players guide with 25+ conditioning workouts.
+ The Relentless Mobility & Maintenance Manual with foam rolling, mobility, and active recovery protocols.
+ The Peak Performance Nutrition for Hockey guide with 50+ pages of nutritional guidelines including hydration, game day, body composition (losing/gaining weight), and supplements.
You’ll also get access to the support of our team and Coach Kyle along with any new upgrades or additions to the programs. We’re constantly looking to create new resources to help our players thrive, and once you’re in the Relentless community we truly want to fuel your success.
Many players can train on their own, but the truth is that random training creates random results. Success demands structure.
Relentless Hockey was built to take the guesswork out of hockey player’s training and give them the exact structure that’s been refined by thousands of players to be proven to translate to the ice.
Working with a Strength Coach that understands the specific needs of hockey players can cost upwards of $120 dollars per session or joining a 12 week group training program can easily cost over $3000.
With Relentless Hockey, you have access to the exact workouts that pros are paying thousands of dollars for.
Admittedly, a lot of these exercises will be new for a lot of athletes.
This isn’t just a classic bodybuilding style workout where you’ll see 3 sets of squats and lunges. Relentless programs are loaded with integrative exercises that challenge you with unconventional movements.
You’ll have a Youtube Playlist with demonstrations of each exercise in that days workout so that you’ll always know exactly what to do.
This program was designed to be performed with a super basic gym setup. We don't believe in big fancy gym setups or the latest equipment. This program includes: dumbbells, cables/bands, barbells, kettlebells, and mini-bands. For any exercise that may require a specialized piece of equipment (trapbar/landmine/etc.) we've included alternative exercises guide, but 95% of gyms will have exactly what you need.
Immediately after purchase you’ll have access to our members-only platform that contains all of your training programs and bonus resources. You’ll have lifetime access to this platform and will be able to come back any time to download your programs or get updated versions/new resources.
We stand by our programs 100%. That’s why we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Having seen thousands of players train with Relentless, we know hockey players who truly invest in this program and their training get results. But if you start this program and it’s not for you, just contact our team within 30 days and we’ll send you a full refund.
.webp){kind=icon}
