40m Sprint Intervals
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Mark a 40m course. Stand at the start. On your signal, sprint the full 40m at 95-100% effort. Time every rep. Target: maintain within 5% of best time across all reps. Walk or jog back to start — approximately 60-90 seconds rest. Repeat 6-10 times. Stop the session if times drop more than 10% from your best.
Why It Works
40-metre sprint intervals train the full acceleration-to-near-top-speed spectrum — the distance range of most meaningful on-ice sequences. From a defensive zone start to the opposing blue line is approximately 30-40 metres. Training this distance repeatedly develops the neuromuscular patterns, glycolytic capacity, and acceleration endurance that sustain explosive play through multiple consecutive shifts.
Hockey Transfer
Conditions the anaerobic system for repeated high-speed shifts. Sprint posture stays tall the whole way. The second your shoulders round forward, decelerate and walk it in.
Coaching Cues
- "Max effort every rep"
- "Full recovery between reps"
- "Consistent mechanics"
Common Mistakes
Starting at 70-80% — every rep must be near-maximal. Rest too long — 60-90 second recovery is deliberately incomplete. Shorter than full recovery. Not recording times — the data tells you when to stop and how you're progressing. Running beyond 10 reps — quality degrades rapidly. Stop at 10 maximum.
Progression / Regression
Shorter rest (45s) once times stay consistent with 90s rest.
20m sprint intervals — shorter distance for athletes building sprint capacity.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Alactic/ATP-PC
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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