"Yunus’ knowledge of improving hockey performance has helped me in ways I didn’t know existed when we first started working together.

In just one year of training with him, my strength and speed have improved dramatically!

As a direct result of this, I now have more time and space on the ice, which allow me to better showcase my hockey skills. 

Following Yunus' off-ice training programs, I achieved personal and team success I could only dream about before.

I won gold at the World Junior Championships, earned Most Valuable Player honors in the Finnish U20 Elite League, and was drafted into the NHL by the 2016 Stanley Cup champions."

Kasper Björkqvist 

Pittsburgh Penguins 

Finland Men's National Team

2016 U20 World Champion

2015-2016 MVP, Best Forward & First All-Star Team, Finnish U20 Elite League

"As someone who has wanted to play the game for as long as I could (10 years and counting), I had always been interested in training and nutrition.

My big problem was that I had always erred on the side of doing too much. I would spend hours going through grueling off-season workouts. Then I felt wiped out, both physically and mentally, from all that volume by the end of the summer. 

Another issue was my weight and how it affected my speed. In the past, when training to get bigger and stronger, my shot felt great… but I felt a bit too heavy on the ice. So I was hesitant to really push myself with heavy lifting because I thought it would take away from my agility and quickness.

Zach Redmond

EHC München, DEL

2022-2023 DEL Champion

2021-2022 DEL Defenseman of the Year

2018-2019 AHL Best Defenseman

133 NHL Games

The first two years in the juniors, we focused on getting stronger. Once my strength reached a certain level, we began emphasizing speed and power methods that better transfer to the pro game. 

Consequently, my playing style turned more physical. As a defensive defender, I learned how to use my body to remove opponents from the puck with efficiency. There’s no doubt in my mind that the strength and muscle I built in the weight room plays a big part in that.

I really like how Yunus’ training centers around the major barbell lifts like squats and power cleans. These exercises build the foundation for hockey performance. At the same time, there’s also enough variety so you don’t get bored doing the same stuff over and over. 

Would I recommend Yunus to other hockey players? Absolutely.

Too many guys obsess about aerobic conditioning (especially the VO2max bike test) and fail to reach their full potential as an athlete because their strength and power is not up to snuff. 

I believe any athlete who wants to get faster and more explosive will benefit from Yunus’ training program."

Nikolas Matinpalo

Ottawa Senators

Finland Men's National Team

"I followed a 3-day per week, full-body training program Yunus designed for me this off-season.

I really enjoyed all the variation in exercise selection and execution that he includes in his programs. It helps keep your training fresh and interesting over time. 

With other workout plans, you might end up doing the same three or four movements for months on end. That becomes boring real fast.

Another thing I noticed was how quickly my strength increased. Within just a few short weeks, I was lifting notably bigger weights compared to the beginning of the summer.

And at the end of the off-season I set multiple lifetime personal records, including new bests in 3RM front squats and power cleans. 

Based on pre-season games and practices so far, I'm also feeling faster on the ice. 

So you could say I'm very happy with my results since gaining strength and speed is exactly what I wanted to achieve with my off-season training."

Teemu Väyrynen

TPS Turku, Finnish Elite League

"Looking back, I wasn't living the athletic lifestyle in my junior years. 

My diet was bad, I ate too much and skated around with 20 extra pounds.

Things weren't much better in the gym, either. There was no system and no progression behind what I was doing. I pretty much repeated the same 4x12 workout over and over.

Training with Yunus got me on the right track. Straight away I noticed how fun proper lifting is and how it benefits hockey performance.

Now, after 4 years of working with him, I have leaned out, my strength has gone way up and there's some real power behind my skating stride.

Tom Grönblom

Jukurit Mikkeli, Finnish Elite League

2020-2021 First Team All-Star, Finnish U20 Elite League

"I used to believe that goalies don't need to lift weights.

In fact, some goalie coaches had told me gaining upper body strength and size would be detrimental for my game because it would slow me down when stopping the puck with my arms.

That's why I had focused mostly on goalie technique and speed drills when training on my own.

At the same time, I also realized that I wasn't physically strong enough to play the game at a high level. 

That soon changed when I started following Yunus' programs!

My body has matured physically a lot during the time I've been training with him.

I've gained muscle all over my body, my shoulders got broader, I got leaner, and my strength levels went through the roof. 

As a result of all that, my on-ice performance improved tremendously.

I'm now much more explosive on the ice.

More agile in the crease.

Faster and able to get into a better position on rebounds. 

Moving laterally and squaring up to the shooter feels effortless now thanks to all the lower body and core strength gains I've made.

Filip Lindberg

Pittsburgh Penguins
2021 NCAA Champion

2021 NCAA Hockey East Champion
2019 U20 World Champion
2017-2018 Second Team All-Star, Finnish U20 Elite League
2016-2017 Best Goaltender & First Team All-Star, Finnish U18 Elite League

"I used to think I knew a little bit about training.

But already the first workout with Yunus revealed some major gaps in my knowledge about lifting weights for hockey performance. Exercise technique, squat depth, the importance of tempo, and doing quality work were just a few of the many things he taught me. 

I really liked how Yunus adjusts training loads based on bar speed and how an athlete feels during a session. On days when the weights moved fast, he pushed me past my previous limits.

It’s a special feeling taking a weight you’re unsure you can handle and lifting it without problem. If I caught a bad day, we’d go lighter and work on technique. This made sure we never wasted a workout. 

Gaining quality mass had always been a big problem for me. Looking back, I was eating pretty healthy but not nearly enough to pack on muscle. Yunus put me on a diet where I was slamming down 4,000+ calories per day and I gained 5 kilograms over the summer. 

Even though I’m now 5 kg heavier, my legs feel a lot more powerful. I notice a big difference in my speed when I do sprints on the field or on the ice.

I would definitely recommend Yunus to other hockey players simply because of the results he delivered. In the past, if I managed to add 5-10 kg to my main lifts in the off-season, I would consider it a big win. This summer some of my lifts went up by 25 kg which has never happened before."

Bastien Maia

IPK, Mestis
France National Team

• Squat: 100 kg / 220 pounds -> 135 kg / 297 pounds (+35 kg / +77 pounds) 
• Bench Press: 80 kg / 176 pounds -> 110 kg / 242 pounds (+30 kg / +66 pounds) 
• Chin-Up: 25 kg / 55 pounds -> 45 kg / 99 pounds (+20 kg / +44 pounds) 
• Hang Power Clean: 75 kg / 165 pounds -> 100 kg / 220 pounds (+25 kg / +55 pounds) 

Once I got back on the ice after the summer break, I immediately noticed how much more explosive my first steps felt. 

I'm an elastic athlete by nature but have always lacked the strength to take advantage of it. Now I feel like there's some real power behind my skating stride. It's also a confidence booster to know I can hold my own in board battles.

Another big issue I had in the past was my diet. I wasn't eating enough food to grow and I wasn't paying too much attention to food quality.

After Yunus took me to the grocery store and taught me what, when and how much to eat, and made me track my calories and macros, I understood how to eat for continued strength and muscle gains. 

I believe it's a major reason my lifts shot up this summer. I was finally fueling my body with the right types and amounts of food.

I also learned that brief gym sessions can lead to excellent progress. Whereas in the past I would pummel through workouts that lasted up to 3.5 hours, this summer some sessions took under an hour to complete. Yet my results were way better than before.

Needless to say, I would recommend Yunus' training methods to other hockey players. Any athlete who trains under him will learn how to lift properly and make great strides in their physical performance.

One last thing I want to point out: You can speed up your overall development as an athlete and get to the next level in your career a year or two earlier if you start quality off-ice training at a young age and take it seriously. 

Looking back, I should have reached out to Yunus already a couple of years ago. I believe it would have gotten me to where I am today a lot faster."

Julius Janhonen

American International College, NCAA D1

2020-2021 NCAA Atlantic Hockey Association Champion

2021-2022 NCAA Atlantic Hockey Association Champion

Jasper Nordemann

Heerenveen Flyers

Dutch Men's National Team

2021-2022 Dutch Champion

"Before I started training with Yunus, I was focusing on too many things off the ice and had hit a plateau.

I was training too often and for too long (up to 9x per week in the summer for 2-3 hours per session) but didn’t feel like I was making any noticeable progress. 

I had built a solid aerobic base over the years, so playing big minutes was never the problem.

Strength and explosiveness were lacking, though, which limited my game.

Tuukka Totro

St. Olaf College, NCAA D3

"In the past, my training was very cardio-based. Yes, I was in pretty good shape, but had trouble gaining muscle or strength.

I also had underdeveloped muscles in my body – especially my lower back and obliques. Fixing these muscular imbalances helped me build a solid base and improve my overall strength. 

I feel like every part of my body got better after I started working with Yunus.

Most importantly, these gains translated to better performance on the ice. Here's how Yunus' off-ice training benefited my hockey skills: 

– I got more powerful, which is very important for a smaller player like me. 

All the strength and muscle I gained off the ice helped with stability when battling for loose pucks in the corners. Even against bigger guys, I felt like I could physically compete head-to-head with them.

– My skating improved as well. Faster on the first few steps, my ability to push off and glide, on-ice stamina... Everything jumped up a notch or two.

– Thanks to the upper body, lower back and core strength gained in the gym, I became more dangerous on the ice as a forward with more speed and a harder shot.

Another thing worth mentioning is that I finally had a completely injury-free season.

For example, in previous years, I used to feel minor groin pain as the hockey season drew on. When I followed Yunus' training programs, that pain vanished. I believe a big part of that are all the adductor and core strengthening exercises he had me perform.

Not only are Yunus' training methods extremely effective, his attention to all the small but important details set him apart from other coaches.

In all my years of playing hockey, Yunus is the best trainer I ever had. Every day I spent with him at the gym, I learned something new. 

Lifting weights, conditioning, speed, recovery... it's all there. Every single detail in Yunus' off-ice program is made to best serve hockey players. It truly is a complete training program for hockey.

Victor Ranger

Anglet Hormadi Élite, French Division 1

France U18 National Team

"Because we didn't have a professional strength and conditioning coach at the club I play for, my off-ice training used to be far from effective.

Sure, I was lifting weights but there wasn't much rhyme or reason to it. I didn't have the knowledge to optimize my workouts on my own and didn't realize how much more I could improve under the right guidance. 

So, when I got the opportunity to train with Yunus in the gym, it had an instant impact on my game. 

For the first time, I grasped the importance of systematic off-ice training for hockey performance. The difference proper physical preparation can make is truly eye-opening.

From a lifting standpoint, my technique got a lot better on the main barbell movements and I made solid progress from the get-go. Since our training was much more versatile and better planned than in the past, my strength went up steadily and I got in much better shape. 

Very few female players understand the untapped potential they've got inside and how much further they can push themselves in training. With Yunus, I learned my limits as an athlete are well beyond what I previously thought. I now know how to train for steady progress and can demand a lot more out of myself than before. 

Most importantly, everything we did in the weight room prepared me for the game. The gains I made over the last two years have carried over to the ice big time. I'm not a tall goalie but I compensate for it with my explosiveness. Speed and agility in the crease has now become one of my biggest strengths. 

My game really took off this past season. Because I was in such great shape, everything just felt so much easier.

I enjoyed continued success on a personal and team level. Our club won the National Championship, I was named First All-Star, and took home a silver medal with Team Finland at the Women's World Championship. 

I recommend Yunus' training programs without hesitation. His training knowledge and ability to get the most out of athletes are second to none."

Jenna Silvonen

Mercyhurst University, NCAA D1

Finland Women's National Team 

2019 IIHF World Championship Silver Medalist

2018-2019 Finnish Champion

2018-2019 Best Goaltender & First Team All-Star, Finnish Women's Elite League

"I've known Yunus for a few years now, and what struck me from the beginning was his knowledge of and passion for hockey strength and conditioning.

I remember being a bit skeptical about him at first since he never had a career as a hockey player. But I quickly realized he knows what he's talking about when it comes to making players stronger, faster and healthier. 

His dedication to developing his athletes, ability to explain any drill or exercise in a training program, and tremendous coaching skills all set him apart from others and make him one of the best hockey strength coaches in the business.

I've implemented things that he has taught me with my hockey players competing for championships, and I can't thank him enough for that. 

To any athlete who wants to become stronger and faster than their competition – and remain injury-free while doing so – I highly recommend Yunus' training methods."

Mikko Tolvanen

Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Sport Vaasa, Finnish Elite League
Ex-Pro Hockey Goalie, Finnish Elite League

"The biggest change on Yunus’ 1-on-1 coaching program involved tracking calories and gym progress, which I had never done before.

Thanks to fixing my lifting technique and diet, and following his well-designed workouts, I got a lot stronger, lost excess belly fat, and took several steps forward as an athlete. 

In hindsight, my nutrition habits weren’t suitable for a high-performing hockey player.

I thought I was eating quality food but in reality, my meals contained a ton of starchy carbs and were missing vegetables, berries and fruits. 

During the process, I learned that you can train and play just fine eating proteins and salad. You don’t need a ton of carbs to make progress. 

In the gym, I now understand the importance of tempo and how quality beats quantity of work. 

The only concern I had before working with Yunus was financial. But his coaching provided excellent value for the money I invested. 

The entire process ran smoothly from beginning to end and I would recommend him to other hockey players, no question. 

I learned a ton and improved by leaps, so thank you for that!"

Karri Forsblom

FPS, Mestis

"My training used to be completely unsuitable for hockey – think long-distance runner, not hockey player. 

Also had major issues with lifting techniques. My diet was alright, but sometimes I would just whip up something quick because “I didn’t have time” to cook from scratch.

At first, I had some financial concerns about joining Yunus’ 1-on-1 coaching.

But then I realized if you truly want something, you have to invest time and money to get it. 

I decided I would follow my dream of playing pro hockey and I will do everything in my power to make it happen.

My results so far: I’ve gained muscle, strength and confidence have increased, and my knowledge about training for athletic performance has gone up as well.

Viktor Heinonen

Titaanit Kotka, Suomi-Sarja

"I had always been interested in off-ice training but it’s not easy as a 16-year-old to read up on things and figure it out on your own.

Add to that you have a different coach at your club every year telling something different; it gets so confusing you don't know what to believe.

While I thought I was pretty strong and in decent shape, I couldn’t figure out how it is possible that I’m not able to lift very heavy and I’m not that explosive when I train so hard and give it my best. 

I suffered a lot of injuries playing junior hockey. Something I can now track back to not training correctly off the ice.

When your hockey season isn’t going well despite working your ass off, and then you get injured on top of it, it not only takes a toll on your body but also gets hard to handle mentally.

You’re working so hard but not getting anywhere. It feels like your competition is getting further ahead no matter what you do.

The results never matched my effort in the gym. It used to frustrate the hell out of me. 

Once I joined Yunus' off-season training group, I learned what lifting and eating to improve sports performance is really about. It made me realize I had been doing everything wrong before.

Right away, I could tell I'm dealing with a professional based on how Yunus talks and explains the details of his program. And the results his athletes get speak for themselves. 

He won't just give you a bunch of exercises, then turn around which is what a lot of coaches do; he's always watching and correcting everyone’s technique to make sure they lift right. Unless technique is spotless, you're not allowed to go up in weight.

Yunus fixed all my weaknesses and muscular imbalances that had been causing a lot of minor injuries over the years. 

My first summer in the group, we focused on learning perfect lifting technique. I got stronger than I ever thought possible.

To be honest, I would have never thought I would gain any muscle on the low-carb diet plan Yunus designed for me.

I was scared I would feel tired all the time and wouldn’t have any energy to train but you can't argue with the results:

I lost 4-5% body fat, gained 5 kg of muscle, and I was the strongest and leanest I had ever been in my life. 

The second summer, my explosiveness and speed took off like never before. I noticed it in the sprints where I felt so much faster, and my first steps also improved a ton.

Of course it’s fun when your hard work in the gym pays off. I enjoy the workouts so much more now that I’m getting stronger and gaining muscle. 

I have already recommended Yunus to a bunch of my friends.

I know a lot of guys who would benefit from his coaching. What often holds them back is not their work ethic but money – what they are willing to invest in their development as an athlete.

I have had a lot of coaches and seen many strength coaches train their pro or NHL guys and compared to Yunus' workouts it's a joke, it doesn’t make any sense.

All that fancy or “special” stuff you see other trainers pushing on the internet is bullshit. Yunus showed me that if you just do the basics well and get strong, then that's all you need. 

Yunus is the only trainer I have found who gets results and when you find someone like that, you shouldn’t worry about paying real money for their coaching. It’s well worth the investment."

Adam Daadou

Kiruna AIF, J20 Elit

"Through my own experiences, I know that off-ice training usually includes little more than bike + stretching and perhaps 3 x 8 reps of light squats during a hockey season here in Norway.

I’ve always wondered what attitudes other major hockey nations have regarding in-season training off the ice. 

Are there any similarities?

Do they train harder than we do?

What are they doing differently?

Could this be part of the reason why Norway is a "little brother" in the sport of ice hockey?

To figure this out, I contacted the great Finnish club Espoo Blues and their strength coach Yunus Barisik and I got the opportunity to join them for training over 4 days. A wonderful experience that made a big impression on me.

Yunus has a philosophy that although it is hockey season, it is important to have progression in strength training and that one should not be afraid to lift big weights for low repetitions. 

He justifies this by saying that if we are to stop the progression through the season, how then do we become stronger? And that it is not next week’s games that they train for, but the playoffs held in March.

During my time observing Yunus and his athletes, I witnessed 17-year-old Aarne Talvitie, captain of Finland U18 national team and 2017 NHL draft prospect, perform split squats with 140 kg (!).

You’re probably thinking now that he is one in a million, but the fascinating thing is that the rest of the team was approximately at 100-120 kg. Damn strong guys all of them with tremendous lifting form. 

During one of the other sessions they deadlifted 3-5 reps with several players between 180-240 kg and this they did again with very good technique."

Oskar Thorsen

Strength and Conditioning Coach, IHK Comet Halden
Ex-Pro Hockey Player, Norway