While you are "riding pine" during a game barely able to catch your breath before the next line change do you ever wonder where your next breath will come from? Do you only rely on "energy bars" to fuel your muscles during play, instead of looking at improving your energy through proper pregame conditioning?

Hockey is a cardiovascular sport, so players can gain a lot by learning how to make the heart a more efficient pump and the lungs a better container of oxygen. Most of us have a pretty good intuitive sense of what our bodies do with the oxygen we breathe in (and sometimes gasp for). We breathe hoping that eventually our muscles will be fueled by the work our lungs and heart have done.

Cardiovascular exercise by definition is any exercise that uses large muscle groups, and which is rhythmical and continuous in nature. Hockey uses two of the largest muscle groups in your body both the hip flexor and quadriceps groups.

Because of their large size and placement in the body, your quadriceps and hip muscles are able to generate more power than any other muscle group in the body. They do this at a cost these larger, more powerful, muscles require more oxygen. During play, you rely on them to propel and maneuver your body in multiple directions around the arena. The cost if you rob them of oxygen, you will be robbed of your strength. A strong heart and a robust set of lungs provide insurance that enough oxygen will fuel your muscles.

If we view the system of the heart and lungs through a simplified looking glass, we will see it as a transportation network for oxygen. For elite athletes, this system operates ultra-efficiently.

The heart muscle itself is larger than normal because the consistent, regular exercise done daily by that person makes the heart muscle grow larger.

For example, if Wayne Gretzky had an identical twin who "rode the couch" all day long, Wayne No. 1's heart would be significantly larger because of the amount and level of exercise that he does daily. Wayne No. 1's lungs would also be more efficient, able to contain and use more oxygen in his lungs per breath, and his muscles would be able to generate more strength during play since, for one, they would be better fueled by oxygen.

A strong cardiovascular system succeeds in doing the following jobs:

1. It delivers oxygen to your active muscles, replenishing the supply being used up by exercise.
2. It clears out carbon dioxide from your active muscles at the same rate the muscles produce it.
3. It allows the body to give off the heat produced by exercise through increased blood flow to your skin, functioning like the radiator in your car.

What Does Your Heart Do During Hockey?

Through a series of electrical and mechanical events, your heart muscle pumps and circulates blood throughout your body. As you exercise, your heart's need for oxygen increases. At the same time there is a major redistribution of your blood; instead of sending so much blood to your vital organs, it re-routes that blood to your working muscles.

Your ability to reach a high level of athletic performance depends in part on the amount of oxygen that your working muscles get during play and while you are recovering on the bench. When you become out of breath during play, it is because this increased oxygen need isn't being met. If your body continues to work without enough oxygen, performance soon deteriorates, and you eventually have to stop playing. If you don't want to have to stop playing so soon or if you're just tired of having "chest pains" during play you'll need to get into better condition.

Conditioning For A Better Game

Improvement in your conditioning is the one thing most responsible for improving your performance in hockey. Athletes with superior training and conditioning are stronger, better coordinated and less subject to injury. Better-conditioned players also recover from injury faster because they started out stronger and are able to rebound sooner.

To condition themselves effectively, players must develop muscle strength, power and endurance, as well as flexibility and cardiovascular endurance. Complete development of these three areas of conditioning is important for safe athletic performance.

Engage in an appropriate conditioning program during "down time" (the off-season or between league games). A six-week preseason conditioning program is ideal if you play to play daily during the season.

Drinking Your Way To A Better Game

Drinking plenty of water makes your heart operate better, mostly because water increases the volume of blood in your system.

Dr. Adam Yoser, medical director of the Bud Light Pro Surf Tour, knows the effect that water has on athletes:

"Water intake is key," Yoser said. "With your body being composed of 85 percent water, this level needs to be replenished. Surprisingly, you are typically four glasses deficient by the time your body begins to register thirst."

Yoser said that water intake can have an overall effect on your energy level, digestion and on your body's ability to eliminate the toxins produced by a big workout or an injury. About 80 ounces of water a day are required for the average 150-pound person.

Drink plenty of water in the hours before play. The night before an event, hydrate with water and electrolyte fluids to reduce the risk of dehydration. With unrestricted amounts of fluids, you can avoid dehydration and other health-related illness.

Guidelines For Fluid Replacement

1. Drink small amounts of water frequently (e.g. 6-8 ounces every 15 minutes), rather than large volumes infrequently.
2. Drink cold beverages (refrigerator temperature) to reduce your body's core temperature.
3. Have fluids accessible at the bench. Your thirst mechanism begins to fail when you lose large volumes of water, and you will need to be reminded to drink.
4. After playing, replenish your system with at least one pint of water or electrolyte fluid for every pound you have lost during play.
5. Water is the ideal fluid replacement, but you can also use watered-down juice or commercial electrolyte fluids.

Note: This information is to be used as a guideline and must not substitute for any medical advice otherwise provided by your physician. Further, these guidelines are the expressed opinion of the author. They do not necessarily represent uniformly accepted medical standards or advice or the opinions of Roller Hockey Magazine.