colintimberlake.comTell her it wasn’t you…

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
CHRIS NILAN

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who, in the 1980s, established himself as one of the greatest tough guys and scrappers in the history of hockey.

Chris Nilan was known as “Knuckles” and a nickname like that is not bestowed lightly in the NHL.

Nilan brought one of the most physical and fearless brands of hockey the league had ever seen. He twice led the league in penalty minutes (in 1983-84 and 1984-85) and crossed the 300-minute mark three times in his career (and recorded 200 or more minutes in seven more seasons).

Nilan played for 13 years and during this stretch, he accumulated 3,043 penalty minutes, placing him 9th on the all-time list.

And Nilan made an impact not only with his fists, but also with his skills. In his 688 games, he scored 110 goals, including 21 in the 1984-85 season.

He was a significant component of the 1986 Montreal Canadiens team that won the Stanley Cup, and appeared in 111 playoff games in his career, where he naturally recorded another 541 penalty minutes.

TODAY: CARDIO

2.0 MILE RUN
- 14:52

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Body): Zero

BACK TO Index of Inspirational Role Models for Training

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
KEITH ACTON

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who, despite being one of the league’s smallest players at 5’8” and 170 pounds, enjoyed a long NHL career during which he showed both scoring prowess and a strong physical game.

Keith Acton would play in 1,023 games over his 15 NHL seasons, accumulating 226 goals and 584 points. Just as importantly, he racked up 1,172 minutes in penalties with his physical and agitating play.

Acton was particularly effective in 1981-82 with the Montreal Canadiens, scoring 36 goals and 88 points, one of five straight seasons where he scored 50 points or more. He was also an impressive +48 for the year.

He would also go on to lengthy and effective stints with the Minnesota North Stars and Philadelphia Flyers, and also play a role in the Edmonton Oilers’ Stanley Cup victory in 1988.

His effective play would also earn him a berth in the 1982 All-Star Game. He has since converted his knowledge of the game into a successful NHL coaching career.

TODAY: BICEPS (Fast Tempo, 60 Second Rests)

UNDERHAND DUMBBELL CURLS (5 sets)
35 x 10
35 x 10
35 x 10
35 x 10
35 x 10

HAMMER DUMBBELL CURLS (5 sets)
35 x 10
35 x 10
35 x 10
35 x 8
35 x 8

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (TBD): TBD

BACK TO Index of Inspirational Role Models for Training

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
HOWIE MORENZ

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who stands as one of the few hockey players from before the modern NHL era to emerge with his name unscathed as one of the undisputed all-time greats of the sport.

Howie Morenz played 14 seasons between 1923 and 1937, twice leading the league in points and once in both goals and assists.

In the 1929-30 season, he had one of the truly phenomenal performances in league history, scoring 40 goals (and 50 points) in a season that was only 44 games long.

In 550 career games, he would retired with 271 goals and 472 points, while winning three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens.

Prior to his time in the NHL, he was quite possibly the greatest player ever to grace the OHA. In 31 games over five seasons in the league, Morenz scored an unbelievable 75 goals and 113 points.

TODAY: CHEST (Fast Tempo, 60 Second Rests)

MACHINE CHEST PRESS (5 sets)
160 x 10
200 x 8
220 x 5
220 x 4
220 x 3

MACHINE FLYES (5 sets)
130 x 10
170 x 8
210 x 5
210 x 4
210 x 4

DOWNWARD CABLE FLYES (per arm) (5 sets)
22.5 kg x 10
27.5 kg x 10
32.5 kg x 6
32.5 kg x 6
32.5 kg x 5

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Chest): 15

BACK TO Index of Inspirational Role Models for Training

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
GUY LAFLEUR

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who was arguably the greatest hockey player of his generation.

Guy Lafleur was drafted 1st overall in the 1971 NHL entry draft and lived up to every bit of his youthful promise.

He played an entire 14-year career with the Montreal Canadiens before retiring and coming back for a three-year stint with the New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques.

Lafleur led the NHL in scoring for three straight years between 1975 and 1978, during a stretch where he scored 119 or more points for six straight seasons.

He led the league in game winning goals four times, goals once, assists once, and plus / minus once. During the 1977-78 season, he led the league with +73 (on the ice for 73 more even strength goals scored by his team than against) and that phenomenal number wasn’t even his best total. The year before, he was +89, part of a five year stretch where he was +50 or better in each and every season.

He retired with a career +453, the 8th best total of all-time. He also would be among the league’s career leaders in points (1,353), goals (560), assist (793) and games played (1,126).

He was equally impressive in the playoffs, with 58 goals and 134 points in 128 games, playing a pivotal role in leading the Montreal Canadiens to five Stanley Cups.

TODAY: LEGS (Fast Tempo, 60 Second Rests)

- BALANCE BOARD SQUATS (3 sets)
- QUAD EXTENSIONS (4 sets)
- DONKEY KICKS (4 sets)
- STEP-UPS (4 sets)
- SINGLE LEG HAMSTRING CURL (3 sets)

DOUBLE CRUNCHES (3 sets)
x 15
x 15
x 15

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Legs): 18

BACK TO Index of Inspirational Role Models for Training

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
CRAIG LUDWIG

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who played one of the least glamorous and most demanding roles in professional hockey – the physical, stay-at-home, defensively sound defenseman.

Craig Ludwig’s specialty wasn’t end to end rushes, blistering slapshots or even crowd-pleasing heavyweight fights.

He played a physical brand of hockey but what sets him aside to this day is the painful and self-sacrificial technique he practiced in becoming the universally regarded best shot-blocker in NHL history.

Over 17 seasons and 1,256 games, Ludwig put his body in front of pucks better than any player before or since, and showed remarkable durability for a man who was constantly being struck by frozen vulcanized rubber traveling at up to 100 mph.

Ludwig’s contributions led to a great deal of team success as well, as he played a major role in winning two Stanley Cups in 1986 and 1999. The playoff success his teams enjoyed is attested to by his 177 career playoff appearances.

To this day, he is recognized as one of the best American-born players to ever skate in the NHL, and one of the few men to earn this status by a means other than prolific scoring.

TODAY: DAY OFF

The day was spent in transit with little opportunity for a quality workout. This shall be made up for in the days to come.

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Body): Zero

BACK TO Index of Inspirational Role Models for Training

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
BOBBY SMITH

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who was drafted first overall in the 1978 NHL entry draft, then went on to fulfill that promise by winning the 1979 Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year), playing in four All-Star Games and scoring over 1,000 points in an illustrious career.

Bobby Smith had generated a great deal of hype as a teenager in the late 1970s, and rightfully so. In his final year of junior hockey, he scored 69 goals and 192 points in only 61 games.

The Minnesota North Stars took him with their top pick and the rest is history. He was a very consistent performer, scoring 70 or more points in ten of his fifteen seasons in the NHL, while peaking with 43 goals and 114 points in 1981-82.

He would help lead the Montreal Canadiens to the 1986 Stanley Cup, and upon his return to Minnesota, play a strong role in that team’s 1991 run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

In his 1,077 career games, he scored 357 goals and 1,036 points, and performed equally well when the chips were down in the postseason, scoring 160 points in 184 career playoff games.

TODAY: DAY OFF

No disrespect to Bobby Smith, but I just have nothing in the tank today to do right by his inspirational career.

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Body): Zero

BACK TO Index of Inspirational Role Models for Training

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
ROGATIEN VACHON

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who is considered by most to be the best goaltender from the classic era of hockey to be on the outside of the Hall of Fame looking in.

Rogatien Vachon was a star goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, postinga 31-18-12 record in 1969-70, but he was ushered out to make room for Ken Dryden and spent most of his playing years (1966-1982) minding the goal for mediocre teams.

That didn’t stop him from accumulating some of the best totals in the game and raising the quality of his teams substantially.

He was a workhorse, playing in 70 games for the Los Angeles Kings in 1977-78, one of ten seasons where he would play more than 50. He would appear in 795 contests in all, earning 355 wins against 291 losses and 127 ties, while posting 51 shutouts in a career that saw him rise among the all-time leaders in virtually every notable goaltending category.

Vachon did win two Stanley Cups (back-to-back) with the Canadiens in the late 1960s, and posted a very respectable 23-23 playoff record, given that his teams were almost always overmatched. He would appear in three All-Star Games, be a post-season 2nd All-Star Team selection twice, and win the 1968 Vezina Trophy.

TODAY: SHOULDERS (5-5-5 Tempo, 90 Second Rests)
and CARDIO

ARNOLD DUMBBELL PRESS (5 sets)
35 x 4
35 x 3
35 x 3
35 x 3
35 x 3

DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS (5 sets)
35 x 3
35 x 3
35 x 3
35 x 3
35 x 3

DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE (5 sets)
12 x 5
12 x 5
12 x 4
12 x 4
12 x 4

DUMBBELL FORWARD RAISE (3 sets)
12 x 5
12 x 4
12 x 4

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Shoulders): 18

Shoulders is one body part where you will definitely feel the limitations in weight and number of reps you can do when you slow the reps down dramatically. Just gotta endure this slow painful stuff for a little while and then I can have a little fun and speed up the tempo again.

BACK TO Index of Inspirational Role Models for Training

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
MAURICE RICHARD

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who would crash the internet if I were to attempt to list all of his accomplishments in this one post.

Providing a strong example of focus and dedication, Maurice “Rocket” Richard was known as unquestionably the most intense hockey player of his era, approaching the game with a steadfast refusal to quit or cut any corners.

This refusal to compromise on the ice earned him an incredible 8 Stanley Cups as a player, including five in a row from 1956 to 1960.

Richard led the league in goals five times during his 18-year career. A testament to his fiery style of play and willingness to mix skill with physicality, he also led the league in penalty minutes in 1953. He was among the league’s top eight players in penalty minutes in nine different seasons.

Richard scored a remarkable 544 goals in 978 career games, and achieved the rarest of feats when he scored 50 goals in 50 games in the 1944-45 season.

He had 82 goals in 133 playoff games, played in 13 consecutive All-Star Games, and was a post-season All-Star 13 times (and the league MVP in 1947).

To commemorate his virtually unparalleled contributions to the game, the NHL now awards the Rocket Richard Trophy to the league’s leader in goals scored every year.

TODAY: TRICEPS (Fast Tempo, 60 Second Rests)

DUMBBELL HAMMER SKULL CRUSHERS (5 sets)
35 x 5
35 x 5
35 x 4
35 x 4
35 x 3

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Triceps): 5

BACK TO Index of Inspirational Role Models for Training

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
BOB GAINEY

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who was the greatest player of all time at one of the most unglamorous and team-oriented jobs in hockey…defensive forward.

For 16 seasons between 1973 and 1989, Bob Gainey wore #23 for the Montreal Canadiens, and he was the best in the league at preventing the other team’s top talent from scoring.

This role never padded Gainey’s stats. There were no million dollar bonuses for broken up offensive rushes, a statistic that was never even recorded. The backs of his hockey cards showed only the moderate offensive numbers he was able to put up by having a decent measure of scoring ability in addition to his phenomenal defensive play.

Bob Gainey won four Frank J. Selke Trophies, the award given each year to the league’s best defensive forward. In addition, he won the 1979 Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, for his performance in winning one of his five Stanley Cups.

Gainey was one of the legendary team captains of the Montreal Canadiens, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame shortly after his retirement. Notably, during the Cold War era in which Soviet teams would periodically square off against the Canadians in diplomatic tournaments, many Russians considered Gainey to be the best hockey player in the world for his attention to all aspects of the game.

Gainey played 1,160 games in the NHL, scoring 501 points. He would add 73 points in 182 playoff games.

He would later go on to successful runs as an NHL coach and general manager, a natural transition for a man who had so carefully studied the game. In 1991, he coached the Minnesota North Stars to the Stanley Cup Final.

TODAY: SHOULDERS (Fast Tempo, 60 Second Rests)
and CARDIO

ARNOLD DUMBBELL PRESS (5 sets)
30 x 10
50 x 8
60 x 4
60 x 4
50 x 6

DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE (3 sets)
25 x 8
25 x 7
25 x 7

DUMBBELL FORWARD RAISE (3 sets)
25 x 8
25 x 8
25 x 8

DUMBBELL BENT OVER REAR DELT FLYES (3 sets)
25 x 10
25 x 8
25 x 8

STATIONARY BIKE
- Resistance 15/25
30 Minutes / 10.59 Miles / 417 Cal
- 5.37 Miles at 15 Minute Mark

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Shoulders): 14

Pretty slow on the bike today but the legs are worn down and I’m not surprised in the least.

BACK TO Index of Inspirational Role Models for Training

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
KEN DRYDEN

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who proved himself to be one of the NHL’s most effective goaltenders when the stakes were at their highest.

Furthermore, he also demonstrated himself to be one of the most intelligent professional athletes of all time.

Ken Dryden first rose to prominence in hockey as he was attending Cornell University, where backstopped the university to an NCAA Championship and three ECAC Tournament Championships. One season, Dryden had a record of 26 victories, no losses and one tie. Two other years with Cornell, he was 25-2.

He then followed his college career with one of the greatest NHL careers the game has ever seen.

In only eight seasons, he led the league in wins four times and goals against average four times. He won six Stanley Cups in his eight years and five Vezina Trophies as the NHL’s best goaltender. To this he added a Calder Trophy as rookie of the year and a Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Following his retirement at a young age, the Hockey Hall of Fame wasted no time inducting him.

Notably, Dryden took a year away from the game in the midst of his prime and Stanley Cup playoff runs to finish his law degree, a choice that would serve him well in his later careers as a celebrated author, NHL team president and national politician.

It was, of course, Ken Dryden who stood in the Canadian net in the on-ice embodiment of the Cold War – the 1972 Summit Series. Dryden squared off against legendary Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak…and emerged victorious.

TODAY: CARDIO

STATIONARY BIKE
- High Resistance, Medium Effort
30 Minutes / 12.9 Miles

TRAINING NOTES

The beginning of this training period is called the Tree of Woe after a point in Conan the Barbarian where Arnold Schwarzenegger gets tied to a giant oak and must remain immobile as he is trapped in a mental prison.

I am in a period of inactivity as I let my back and other nagging injuries heal, so in my case, the challenge for the moment is to not be a physical entity…

Today marked a no-impact gradual re-immersion into my normal ways…

INSPIRATIONAL CLIP

The following clip features some highlights from the Game 6 of the legendary eight-game 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, a sporting event that took the Cold War and placed it on ice.

BACK TO Index of Inspirational Role Models for Training