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CALGARY - Core strength is a sledge hockey players money maker. When Canadas players go into the gym, they expect to leave with their stomach muscles aching.If you go to where your muscles literally cant go any more, youll make real big gains, says forward Greg Westlake. You want to fail every time. Part of being an elite athlete versus a weekend warrior is pushing yourself to failure.Back and arm strength matters in a sport where hockey players propel themselves on sledges using two picks, but the hard, about-face turn when the puck changes possession requires a powerful trunk to re-direct the sledge.So those battle-rope drills so popular on sports drink commercials now are part of the sledge teams dryland training routine. From their wheelchairs or on their prosthetic legs, they whip the ropes above their heads and yank them down.Another drill is using one arm to pull a rope attached to a heavy chain while in a push-up position, and then switching to the other arm.One of the best things right now is theres a big trend for the battle ropes, Westlake says. We have real heavy ones.The most important muscle groups in terms of just power would be your back, triceps and your core. Your whole upper body is important because you need the balance and you dont want to get injured.The Canadian sledge team has two titles to defend in 2015. Canada will compete Feb. 1-7 in the World Sledge Hockey Challenge in Leduc, Alta., followed by the world championship April 24 to May 2 in Buffalo, N.Y.The Canadians won bronze at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.At a training camp in Calgary this week, strength and conditioning coach Chris Osmond put the 19 players from Summerside, P.E.I., to Quesnel, B.C., team through circuit training at Canada Olympic Park.It was Osmonds first time working with the national team. He wanted to send each athlete home knowing exactly what muscle groups require attention.The big thing is core, upper-body strength, upper-body power, Osmond said.But before the athletes even got to the power part of their workout, they spent a lot of time stretching out their upper bodies. The wheelchair athletes put strain on their shoulders just wheeling around in daily life.So the first piece of equipment forward Billy Bridges grabs at the gym is a foam roller to roll out his shoulder and back muscles. The second item hell pick up is an elastic rope to loosen up his rotator cuffs.It seems like every day is a battle for posture and getting your back realigned, Bridges says. Theres so much strain on your shoulders that if you dont keep those strong, were not going to have much longevity in this sport.As in able-bodied hockey, the sledge player needs the aerobic fitness to quickly recover from one shift to the next. Westlake, a 28-year-old from Oakville, Ont., is an advocate of lean muscle mass.Its a cardio-based sport. Youve got to be in shape to play, he says. Weve had guys who have made this team who are muscle-bound ... and maybe their cardio isnt up to par. Maybe theyre too heavy and its hard to pull yourself.Youve got to find the weight that works for you and then youve got to build off that. Get as strong as you can at the lightest weight you can be.Adds Osmond: Sledge hockey is no different from able-bodied hockey. Sure youre using your anaerobic system, but thats all driven by your aerobic system. You need a big engine. If you cant keep it going, then youre not going to be an impact player for your team.Bridges is bulkier than Westlake, which the 30-year-old from Summerside says fits his power forward game.When I was first on the team, I was 14 and 95 pounds and that was fine, he said. There was hitting, but we werent moving that fast. Now people are joining this sport at a younger age and training hard at a young age, so we have guys like Ben Delaney pushing the boundaries of whats possible.With me, I like being big. I play a big game and I feel the stronger I can be, the harder it is to knock me off the puck.Bridges plays wheelchair tennis and Westlake kayaks as cross-training for sledge hockey.Both are veterans of the national sledge team having won Paralympic gold in 2006. They say competing at that level requires three to five sessions a week in the gym in addition to almost daily on-ice practices.The athletes are getting better, the technology is improving and the sport is becoming more competitive, Westlake says.Just because its team sport, its hard to quantify how good everybody is. Its so much faster and so much better than it was 10 years ago. Im finally at that point where young guys are coming in and pushing me. Theyre fast and fit and its a really fun thing to be a part of. Eli Manning Jersey . LOUIS -- Julius Randle had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Aaron Harrison finished with 18 points and No. Carl Banks Womens Jersey . You can watch the game live on TSN2 and TSN Mobile TV at 9pm et/6pm pt. Jonathan Huberdeau and Quinton Howden are expected to make their debuts for Team Canada. http://www.nygiantsfanaticshop.com/Black-Daniel-Jones-Giants-Jersey.html?cat=962 . Malone will become an unrestricted free-agent and as per the collective bargaining agreement, the Lightning will be responsible for two-thirds of the remainder of his contract over twice the length of the rest of the deal. Harry Carson Womens Jersey .com) - Sixth-seeded Feliciano Lopez was a first-round winner on Monday at the Delray Beach Open tennis event. Saquon Barkley Womens Jersey . Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions. Veteran Canadian lightweight Mark Bocek, who used to school the UFCs ownership in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has retired from mixed martial arts fighting. The 32-year-old from Woodbrige, Ont., made his UFC debut in June 2007 when he lost to Frankie (The Answer) Edgar. Bocek (12-5) went to compile an 8-5 record in the UFC. He exits on a win, beating Mike De La Torre via split decision in Quebec City in April in his first fight since November 2012 due to injury. He announced his retirement via Twitter. "Im retiring from pro mma. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me and supported me throughout this journey. Onto the next chapter," he wrote. Boceks career included fights against two future champions in Edgar and Benson Henderson, who won a decision over the Canadian at UFC 129. Bocek won three of his last four UFC fights, never lost two in a row and finished with a 7-3 record on Canadian soil. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and karate, Bocek started training in BJJ after seeing UFC 2 in 1994. He became involved with UFC president Dana White and co-owners Lorennzo and Frank Fertitta, who took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu after buying the UFC in 2001.dddddddddddd Bocek was in Las Vegas training with their instructor John Lewis and was brought along to help out with the lessons. "He used to come in and smack us around, submit us every 13 seconds," White recalled in a 2008 interview with The Canadian Press. Boceks modus operandi was to use his fists or a takedown to get the fight on the ground, where he would use his world-class grappling skills. At UFC 124 in Montreal, he tied up Dustin Hazelett -- a talented black belt of his own -- like a pretzel. He tripped the lanky American 15 seconds in, then countered Hazeletts rubber guard before passing guard and improving position until he got into the mount position. Seeing an opening, he moved up Hazelett and wrapped his legs around his head, rolling him over and locking in a triangle choke. Bocek administered a few elbows to the head for good measure and then tightened the choke until Hazelett had to tap. Bocek wont stop moving in retirement. He is a motorcycle devotee. ' ' '