Chris Chelios' hour of power

Lisa Altobelli Sports Illustrated

Sep 11, 2007, 4:45 PM EDT

(Editor's note: Below is an article on Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios, which appears in this week's SI Players section of Sports Illustrated. The issue hits newsstands on September 12.)

Forty-five-year-old Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios came to training camp this week as the NHL’s oldest player, but, says his trainer T.R. Goodman, “he has the body of a 30-year-old.” This summer, six days a week, Chelios hit Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, Calif., where Goodman, a former college hockey player, trains more than 20 NHL players. Goodman’s hour-long workouts include no rest between sets and emphasize correct form. On his strength-building day, Chelios does seven exercises — those here as well as lateral raises and lunges (go to si.com/chelios) — repeated continuously in sequence until the hour is up.

JUMP ROPE: 50 revolutions. Builds endurance.

CLOSE-GRIP PRESS: Hands shoulder width apart, grip 20-pound bar, with 35-pound plates on each end. Press bar until arms are extended. Lower to upper chest. Eight reps. For: primarily triceps.

ONE-ARMED ROW: With right leg back, bend left leg, lower chest to knee. Grip 45-pound dumbbell in right hand and raise until elbow is at back level. Eight reps each arm. For: primarily lats.

DUMBBELL PRESS: Lie on bench, grip 45-pound dumbbells in each hand. Begin with arms bent at either side of chest. Extend arms, then lower to sides of chest. Eight reps. For: chest, shoulders.

DUMBBELL DEADLIFT: Bend at waist, head up, knees slightly bent. Grip 35-pound dumbbells with palms facing in. Straighten completely. Repeat. Eight reps. For: lower back, hamstrings, calves, glutes.

WATER WARRIOR: Chelios’s training days don’t end when he returns to his beachfront Malibu home. He’ll often take 40-mile bike rides along the Pacific Coast Highway, then spend the afternoon paddle-surfing for as much as 16 miles in the Pacific. Usually he’ll be joined by his neighbor and big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton—or by his 18-year-old son, Dean. “Paddling is underrated as an exercise,” says the 5'?11", 191-pound Chelios of the ancient Hawaiian technique of standing on a 12-foot-long board while paddling with a seven-foot oar. “It’s a real workout when you’re dealing with waves or going against the wind. The paddle is like a hockey stick used for balance and steering. Paddling works everything: legs, stomach, shoulders, back.”