Former Thayer Academy and Northeastern University star and current Vancouver Canuck Adam Gaudette has earned a reputation as one of the hardest workers outside the rink, a weight room monster with a seemingly endless appetite for pushing iron and jacking up his heart rate.
The Braintree, Mass., native treats the gym at Boothby Sports Performance in Hingham, Mass., as his laboratory, working closely with Thomas and Dan Boothby — Northeastern’s strength and conditioning coach — to improve his performance every offseason. When younger athletes train alongside Gaudette, “You notice some of those kids being awestruck,” said Thomas.
New England Hockey Journal spent an April morning tracking Gaudette, a former Boston Advantage/Lovell Hockey travel player, at Boothby Sports to see first-hand what he does to become the fittest skater in the rink.
New England Hockey Journal: You have much of an offseason? Back in the gym already (just weeks after the conclusion of the Canucks’ season)?
Adam Gaudette: Yeah. I want to focus on getting stronger and faster in the weight room. I pay a little more attention to that than most guys. I think getting in the weight room a little earlier in the summer gives me more of an advantage.
NEHJ: Is there a cardio component as well?
Gaudette: It’s a little bit of everything, actually. I’m focused on putting muscle on, filling out my body more, but I don’t want to lose my speed and my endurance, so we touch base on everything here, a lot of footwork, some running, stuff on the bike, a lot of heavy lifting and agility work. We touch on pretty much everything that gets you ready for the season.
NEHJ: Is Tom Boothby your partner on all this?
Gaudette: Yeah, him and his brother Dan. I’ll see them both. They push me. They’re here to help me. They’ve been great for the past five to six years.
NEHJ: Anything cutting edge you working on with the Boothby brothers?
Gaudette: They’ve introduced me to a lot of breathing exercises, different exercises that you do breath-specifically, get your heart rate down, control your heart rate. It’s something I never focused on until I got here. It helps in the long run on the ice. We do a lot of breathing control exercises while we’re lifting weights and squatting. It’s helped.
NEHJ: Does that translate to recovery time on the bench, between shifts?
Gaudette: Absolutely. We do a lot of focus on recovering after a set, or a quick sprint on the bike, getting the heart rate down as quick as possible. That’s one of the things that I picked up the most coming here throughout the years. It’s helped a lot. I notice every year it gets better and better. I’m able to control my heart rate and get it down so I’m ready to go next shift.
NEHJ: Some of our readers are music fans. Do you have any favorites on your workout play list?
Gaudette: We definitely have tunes on, but it’s not anything specific. We had some Queen going in the weight room a couple of minutes ago. I like to get the rock and roll going, something for the kids. They play anything from rock and roll to country music — “Country Fridays” — in here.
NEHJ: I read about how Larry Bird used the offseasons to develop a new move or two. Are you working on any offensive wrinkles this offseason?
Gaudette: Yeah. Aside from the skating and the edge work, I think the offensive game I need to work on is getting my shot off quicker and more efficiently. It took me a while to pick up on it, too slow or long a release in the NHL — got to work on snapping that puck off a little quicker, know where I am on the ice.
I’m always working on my one-timers, too. It’s fun to do as well, because it’s easy to work on stuff if you’re shooting pucks all day. It’s something anyone can work on anywhere, whether it’s in your backyard or on the ice.
NEHJ: Are you telling me that in the NHL you’re not allowed to dust off a puck before letting it go?
Gaudette: Ha ha — I don’t think you have that much time any more.
NEHJ: For our readers eager to make the next step up, whether it’s to the NHL or NCAA or even high school, is there one thing you can point out that will help them?
Gaudette: Yeah. You’ve just got to stay committed and put the work in. You can get there on talent, but it’s not going to take you as far as it will if you work it hard. I think everybody these days is in the weight room, and they’re doing the extra stuff. You’ve got to make sure you’re doing that as well, doing all you can to be the best player.
NEHJ: Can you outline a typical daily diet during the offseason?
Gaudette: Breakfast consists of four eggs scrambled, with spinach, bacon, fruit and orange juice. I’ll have a mid-morning snack of a protein smoothie, which is made of kale, spinach, turmeric, cocoa powder, banana, Greek yogurt, beet juice, milk and chocolate protein powder.
For lunch, I’ll have two grilled chicken breasts, brown rice, green beans and broccoli, with chocolate milk. For a midday snack I’ll have a peanut butter, banana and chocolate chip sandwich with a glass of milk.
Then for dinner, it’s a 16-ounce filet with mashed potatoes, asparagus, steamed spinach and yellow squash. For a bedtime snack, a chocolate protein shake and a Kind bar.
NEHJ: Do you allow any time off, time to allow your body to taper during the summer?
Gaudette: I’m actually heading to Florida for the week, for a little vacation, then it’s right back to the weight room.
As the summer goes on, I might take a week off in the middle of the summer, just to do some light workouts and let the body recover a bit, and then push hard again all the way until training camp.
NEHJ: Do you consult with the Boothby brothers on how you map out your summers?
Gaudette: Absolutely. It’s pretty easy for me to get in. It’s close to where I skate. They’re great with the times. I come in here in the mornings and Thomas is always here early morning. It’s great to get in here, especially when I’m one of the only ones here so I can spend a little time one-on-one with Thomas or Dan.
NEHJ: How about when you get the calendar out and map out each week, whether its training or tapering? Do the Boothbys participate in that long-term planning?
Gaudette: We’ll definitely talk if I won’t be here or if they won’t be here. They know I’m going to be here the whole summer, and that this is where I work out. The only time I won’t be here is if I go away for a week, or whatnot. But other than that, we both expect each other to be here every day, ready to work.
Gaudette Sample Workout
Corrective
Push-up - 10
Quad Plank - :30
Glute Bridge - 10
Lateral Miniband Walk - 10 ea
Side Plank - :30
3-Pt Plank - 5 ea
Split Squat Stand Up - 5 ea
TRX Inv Row - 10
Bicep Curl - 10
Tricep Rope Pulldown - 10
ESD: 8 Minute Gear 14
Bench 3x6
Pull-up 3x5
DB Incline Press 3x5
TRX In Row 2x10
Tall Seated Pulldowns 3x0
Push-ups 2x10
Trap Bar Squats 3x6
Walking Lunges 2x5
Lying 1 leg lower 2x8
A Gallery of Gaudette's Workout at Boothby Sports Performance
Adam Gaudette trains at Boothby Sports Performance in Hingham, Mass. Gaudette’s workouts are tailored by his employer, the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, as he aims to increase his role on the team for the 2019-20 season.
