GTA West

Athlete Training Centre is good in Mississauga.

BTNL in Oakville is good.

Also, the SST franchises often have pretty good programs.

Google on any of the above. Recommend a tour, discussion with principal on goals, pricing, program, etc.

Good luck.

If your kid is serious about training, get him a membership at any local gym - he can go when he wants, as often as he wants, and will work harder than he will at any of the "hockey centric" training centers.

My son went to a hockey training place two years ago - $500 + a month, you can only go 3 - 4 times a week at a set time, and they spend more time socializing than working.

Goodlife is $35 a month for a student, he goes 5 - 6 times a week WHEN HE WANTS and works his ass off - plus there are girls there and that makes him work even harder.

Don't fall for the pitches from Mind to Muscle or these other training centers - if your kid is serious, he will train anywhere and will work hard.

No one mentioned Mind to Muscle as a good place to workout.

ATC in Mississauga has been growing dramatically over the last couple of years with more and more athletes working out and getting results.

Results are what everyone is looking for. Not in getting drafted to the OHL or NHL but are the kids getting stronger, understanding why they are doing the work. 10 or 20 boys may get to the next level and 2 or 3 may get to the NHL

To each his own. Every kid is different.

The flip side of kids going on their own is that they will often do the routines incorrectly, either hurting themselves or not getting max benefit from the drill.

I personally like the hockey training specific facilities as a bunch of my son's buddies fro mthe team are there, they push themselves hard to get better together, build a team bond going into next season, and the instructor is always on them in terms of working harder and improving.

My kid went to more of a country club atmosphere last year, not bad for his first time through it but he notices a huge difference and is responding.

Again, each kid is different and will respond differently to the various options out there.

Good luck!

I've had a couple good chats with RC of ATC. He will send your kid home if the effort is not there.....in his own words, he is not there to babysit.

I know 2 kids on my son's team that went to ATC last year. One gained 15lbs of muscle over last off-season, and the other dropped 20lbs. to get much leaner, improving his agility and speed.

unless your kid is 16 + years save your money.

A hockey player should get training specific to his sport. Once he has the program and he knows how to do it properly he can go anywhere to do the workout. One thing to consider is that the program should constantly change to work on various parts of the body.

look up the hockey workouts online - for FREE!!

sometimes you get what you pay for ....

My kid has worked out at ATC and has put on muscle. Rich is a no BS kind of guy. Have to work hard or don't waste his time. The gym is full and all the kids work hard. No slacking no country club.

3:24pm You ever do serious training of this sort?

You can cheap out for your kid if you want, but I know from personal experience there is no better motivation that a good instructor and a couple of motivated buddies that get you through the especially tough days, and you them.

I played college football, and no amount of flipping through muscle mags for new drills and exercises beat working out at school with the fitness trainer in-house, and your teamates sweating alongside you.

Sorry, but at all of these "hockey centers" the "trainers" are kids - junior players, in most cases, who work there and train for free. They aren't professional trainers, they don't understand physiology, kineseology, nutrition, etc.

If your kid is 14 - 19, join a regular gym. Hire a good personal trainer for 5 - 6 sessions. Get your kid to learn how to properly train from the trainer. It will cost you $250 - $300 for the trainer for a few sessions, then the $30 a month for the gym membership after that, and your kid will be able to go whenever he wants, as often as he wants, and he will get MUCH more out of it than at any of the raining "factories".

You keep doing that for your kid, think what you want. I am sure your kid will make it on his own,since the kids that make it to the NHL or OHL or NCAA are exceptional athletes anyways!They don't need trainers or instructors or good coaches.

Last post you are an idiot they need training specific for there sport you tard

At the higher levels the kid needs hockey specific training.

Varsity has a good program, it is specific for hockey. My son was there 3 years in a row and there are many players that have been drafted from there program.

My son went to Varsity last summer; it was good for a first-timer, but in seeing what he is doing this year, Varsity looks like kindergarten. Too many kids with one instructor, most instructors look bored and disinterested....there are much better options for serious athletes.

My son is a 95. Last August he joined a local gym - $35 per month. He was 6', 155lbs in August.

We hired a personal trainer to work with him every third Monday for 90 minutes. The trainer makes sure he is doing his exercises properly, he adds new exercises to his routine, and he evaluates his progress every three weeks.

The personal trainer costs $125 for each 90 minute session.

In the 8 + months my son has been working with the trainer he has seen the following results:

Weight - now 183lbs
Body fat - 9% (14% when he started)
Flexibility has increased 23%
Bench - 125lbs at start, 195lbs now
Squats - 125lbs at start, 245lbs now (you should do 1.5x your body weight so he still has some work to do)
All other weight used increased from 25% to 45%
Endurance - was doing a 2 mile run in 17 mins, now doing it in under 13 mins.

With the trainer it costs me around $200 a month, on average, for him to train. He goes 5 - 6 days a week, when he wants to go, some days right after school, others later in the night, or whenever he wants to on weekends.

It costs me about $200/month also to send my kid to go to a hockey-specific training centre in the west end.....gets individual instruction and program from 2 instructors, specific to hockey. He is 15 years old, and very focused. I'll let you know results at end of summer.

911

Nice results, but you also have to consider the fact that your son would have gotten bigger and stronger had he not worked out. Kids grow like weeds and become a lot stronger between 15 and 18 years old on their own. Not disputing working out helps build strenth, but people should consider all factors.

The lower body fat and increased flexibility is impressive - both are important.