Off-Ice: Maria Mountain on upper body training for goaltenders
- Strong scapular (shoulder blade) positioning directly improves glove hand placement and helps goaltenders stay tall in their chest.
- Train the Bungee W exercise for only 8-12 reps until fatigue — stopping before compensating muscles kick in is key to building true shoulder stamina.
- Wear your blocker or glove during hand-eye drills to reinforce catching in the pocket rather than the palm.
- The half groin reach and row targets a full muscle chain using heavier resistance (6-8 reps) to build functional strength, not just stability.
- Adding bungee resistance to agility drills trains correct glove position under movement stress, simulating real in-game demands.
In the second installment of our exclusive series for InGoal Premium members only on off ice training for goaltenders with Maria Mountain of Goalie Training Pro, we look at upper body training for goaltenders.
Why would we bother with upper body training in a legs-dominant position? Maria touches on a few in the video including:
- Shoulder stamina and stability
- Strong scapular (shoulder blade) positioning impacts our ability to position our glove and stay tall in our chest
- Our entire body works in chains of muscles and connective tissues – we can’t have a weak link in the chain. Your upper body has an impact on your core, your back, your hips and more. We need strength in those chains for both performance and injury prevention.
Maria presents a few exercises that focus on some smaller muscles with a lighter resistance (exercise bands) – they look simple but they are fatiguing – before going into some more strengthening exercises to support your muscular and connective tissue chains.
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