WILD WORKOUTS - RECOVERY, REFUEL AND MAINTAIN

Dec 18, 2014

By Tom Witosky

www.iowawild.com

Follow Tom @toskyAHLWild

WILD WORKOUTS - RECOVERY, REFUEL AND MAINTAIN

Fit and healthy.

Those are Dr. Gary Bowman’s orders for the 2014-15 season as it applies to the men who make up the Iowa Wild roster.

“The goal is to keep the team as healthy as possible,” the 33-year old strength and conditioning coach for the Wild said last week relating  a conversation with Jim Mill, the Iowa Wild’s general manager, at the time Bowman was hired. “When I met with Jim my marching orders were to keep them fit, keep them healthy and ready to play every night.”

Bowman is one of several key figures on the Wild’s staff whose job is to not only help each player maintain his ability to perform at the highest level, but to do so amid the cumulative physical and mental toll that characterizes a 76-game American Hockey League season.

Bowman, a chiropractor and a partner of Wellness Chiropractic and Active Rehabilitation in Johnston, is in his first year directing strength and conditioning of the Wild and works in collaboration with Jody Green, the team trainer as well as Coach John Torchetti and his staff.

“It is very helpful to have someone like Gary, who is able to supplement player workouts and conditioning particularly when he has the background in sports specific rehabilitation,” Green said. “Gary can complement the treatments I am doing or he can help me with a little more knowledge in testing someone before we send him back onto the ice.”

Bowman, who played college hockey at SUNY Oswego, said that his major duties revolve around helping athletes to avoid injury through various weight training and cardio workouts designed mostly to help players avoid fatigue, weight loss or weight gain during the season.

 

“I work with the coaching staff to figure out what we need to do on a day-to-day basis so the guys stay in shape. Sometimes it is something like stretching, sometimes it is about working out, sometimes I try to drop some nutritional advice to make sure that everyone is on the same page with that,” Bowman said.

Those workouts generally take place after the club has practiced on the ice for up to 90 minutes depending upon the team’s game schedule. Bowman said that he attempts to individualize his advice, but also emphasizes a team approach during the workouts to help out in the efforts to build a closer team.

“It is not the traditional strength and conditioning that most people would think of because these guys are already strong and in condition,” Bowman said. “They show up here like that. The job is to maintain them through the grind of a professional hockey season.”

To do so, both Bowman and Green said that fatigue and weight loss are the villains they must deal with the most.

“Fatigue is what we hit on a lot. It is the overuse. My job is to keep them balanced,” Bowman said.

To combat fatigue, Green said that Torchetti is more than willing to give players the opportunity to rest.

“If we have three or four days of practice before a game, Torch will break it up with a day off,” Green said. “He understands that rest can be a weapon during the season.”

Both Green and Bowman also provide substantial information on nutrition, as well as making sure that the players heed their advice.  That’s not easy when players, who may have to consume anywhere from 2,500 to 4,000 calories just to maintain their weight, are living alone or with other team members and don’t have someone to cook for them regularly.

“Before they leave the rink or really close to practice is a very important time to make sure they aren’t becoming nutrient deficient,” Bowman said. “If they make sure of that, they don’t have to worry so much about carbing up or adding protein because they have enough gas in the tank at all times.”

 

Green said that players are provided with a breakfast bar in the morning prior to practice, but also are expected to eat a balanced breakfast before going to practice. After practice, protein and calorie shakes are provided immediately and players are expected to eat a substantial lunch within two hours of practice.

“You just can’t eat three meals to four meals a day. You have to eat five six times per day.  It is a cumbersome all day thing,” Green said.

To help players with cooking, players attending the Minnesota Wild development camp in July are provided with cooking lessons and nutritional advice. Green said those lessons provide players with enough information “they lean they don’t have to be a four star chef to prepare meals well.”

Joel Rechlicz, a veteran defenseman, is one player who does cook for himself and, after eight seasons in minor league hockey, understands the need to maintain his physical conditioning.

“I do a cardio workout of about 20 minutes five or six times a week right before I go to bed,” Rechlicz said. “It helps me sleep and actually helps to get me going in the morning.”

Of the advice provided by Bowman and Green on conditioning and nutrition, Rechlicz said that it is vital for the team, if it is to have success.

“It is very important especially with our season,” he said. “It is such a long season so it is important that we take care of our bodies not just on the ice or at the rink. We need to make sure we are putting the right things into our bodies because the season is such a huge grind.”

For Bowman, it isn’t a grind, but an interesting challenge.

“A lot of these guys have been doing this for a long time so really sometimes all they need is someone to be there to keep them going to keep them focused,” Bowman said.

Rechlicz said that Bowman has helped everyone on the team with his counsel and help.

“Guys love working with Gary,” Rechlicz said. “He knows his stuff and is always there to bounce ideas of off. If something isn’t working, you can bounce ideas and adjust. We are lucky to have him.”