The Patrick Sharp Workout | Men's Health News

Sharp trades a step box for a park bench.

It?d be fair to accuse Patrick Sharp of taking the NHL?s lockout too literally. With the league still on hiatus and no labor resolution on the horizon, the Chicago Blackhawks??star forward recently started taking his workouts outside the rink?and even the gym.

As a spokesman for Gillette?s ?My City is My Gym? campaign, he?s now advocating untraditional methods of working up a sweat?say, using scaffolding to do pull-ups, or turning newspaper bins into dip stations. So, Chicagoans, know this: Should you find your stroll to get the morning paper obstructed by the 6?1, 200-pound frame of a professional hockey player working his triceps, maybe let him finish the set before dropping in your quarters.

Here?s what Sharp had to say about his new routine, and when we might (finally) see him on the ice again. (For more success secrets and workout tips from professional athletes, check out Men?s Health Celebrity Fitness!)

Men?s Health:?First things first, please tell us the lockout will end soon.

Patrick Sharp: I hope so. Both sides have spoken a lot recently and I?m up to date on what the union is doing on our side. It?s frustrating to everybody. As a hockey player, that?s obviously what I look forward to doing?and I know my wife wants me out of the house. I?m optimistic that we can get something done, and at the same time, if it doesn?t I have to be ready to find a place to play and stay active.

Men?s Health:?Fans were expecting big things from you this year. You?ve jumped from nine goals to 20 goals to 36 goals in the span of three seasons. That?s remarkable progress. Was that due to your conditioning or your playing time?

Patrick Sharp: Absolutely, my conditioning. I think a lot of it also goes to the mental side, the experience, getting comfortable at that level. More than anything, though, what I did was focus hard on training. That?s something that my generation of hockey players kind of got into a little bit later. Kids now are training when they?re 12 or 13 years old. There?s definitely a correlation between my success on the ice and what I was doing outside in the gym.

Men?s Health:?Where in Chicago do you like to work out?

Patrick Sharp: Take your pick. Whether you?re walking, running, biking, rollerblading, you can go down Lakeshore Drive, for example, and get all the beautiful scenery. ["My City, My Gym"] is to help teach men alternative methods to training. Whether you?re in a local park, or a bus stop, there?s always an opportunity to bust out a quick exercise, which could save you time going to the gym and gives you another option to stay healthy. (Break a sweat outside the gym with The Outdoor Workout.)

Men?s Health:?Have your trainers taught you any secrets to recover quickly between games?

Patrick Sharp: Our trainers emphasize flexibility, core strength, and maintaining an everyday fitness level to keep a jump in your step. The few times I?ve been hurt, I?ve been tired and going through the motions, which is easy to do occasionally over an 82-game season. And in our sport, there?s definitely going to be freak injuries. With pucks flying around, you?re going to get hit and get hurt. (Build a rock-solid foundation with these simple strategies to Get More From Your Core).

Men?s Health:?What?s a simple exercise you can do outdoors to work your legs and core?

Patrick Sharp: Simple plyometrics. You don?t always need to go to a gym with professionals. Something like a basic box jump or squat can be done anywhere?on a park bench, for example. Same for lunges and iso holds.

Men?s Health:?Who?s the fittest guy you?ve ever played with?

Patrick Sharp: Duncan Keith, my current teammate. Not only does he train as hard as anybody, but he?s got a body that just seems to be more efficient and powerful than anyone. He plays lots of minutes, doesn?t weigh a ton, but the weight he does have is built for hockey, which is the main key to his success.

Men?s Health:?What?s he doing differently that other people aren?t?

Patrick Sharp: That?s what I?m trying to figure out. (Laughs) Since he was 16 or 17, I was reading that he had a VO2 max that was equal to Lance Armstrong?s. I don?t know how accurate those facts are, but I know every year in fitness testing he?s right up there with the best. (See which hockey players made the cut in our roundup of the 100 Fittest Men of All-Time!)

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Source: http://news.menshealth.com/patrick-sharp-workout/2012/11/14/

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