The Top 20 Training Tips and Techniques for Wrestlers!
Check out these 25 MUST-HAVE training tips and techniques for improved wrestling. Follow the tips in this report and you'll transform yourself into a 'force to be reckoned with.'
1. Rest Pause - Rest Pause is a strength conditioning technique that works to stimulate more muscle fibers during a strength training set. In return, you will be rewarded with improved strength gains at a faster rate. It is an especially good technique for wrestlers because it simulates similiar conditions to a wrestling match, and therefore contributes to your anaerobic conditioning.
To perform a rest-pause set you choose a weight that you can lift for anywhere between 6-10 repetitions. Perform your set to momentary muscular failure. When failure is reached, rest for 15 breaths, then repeat. The second set will only allow you to get a few repetitions. This second set is again taken to failure. Rest 15 more breaths. Finish by lifting the weight for a couple last repetitions.
I like rest pause style training because you go all-out for up to a minute, take short rest, then repeat... just as in an actual match.
2. Static Repetitions - Static repetitions are performed during your strength training workouts. You perform them on exercises such as leg extensions, leg curls, lateral raises, barbell curls, pullups, machine exercises etc. that force you to contract the muscle in the middle position. In other words, the exercise is at its hardest when you lift the weight.
You do static reps at the end of a regular set by first taking the exercise to momentary muscular failure. At this point, you have someone help you lift the weight to the top position and you hold it as long as you can. This forces you to tire out a muscle when it's fully-contracted. This technique goes well with the needs of a wrestling match where you frequently force the muscles to statically contract against the force of your opponent.
3. Uphill Running - If you need to get into wrestling condition fast you might want to add hill sprints to your training regimen. Hill sprints will get you into wrestling condition faster than anything. They require you to run up a hill, then walk down. You repeat this for a number of sprints. You progress by doing more hill sprints in the same amount of time, while cutting down the rest. You can also sprint up the hill faster than before for a progressive workout.
Another great benefit of hill sprints is that they will help strip off body fat like nothing else. There is a complete metabolic stimulation that is achieved when you start doing hill sprints. This increased metabolic activity serves to use more body fat as fuel... especially when you sprint immediately following strength training.
4. Sled Pulls - I like sled pulls for wrestlers because they help get you into great anaerobic condition. Sled pulls are also great for developing core and leg strength. When you pull a sled in a forward motion you get a fantastic quadriceps workout (the 4 muscles of the front thigh - rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius). When you pull a sled while walking backwards you get a fantastic hamstrings workout. The core muscles serve as stabilizers the whole time.
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Sidebar
Here's a great tip for sled pulls. Sled Pulls don't traditionally give you a great hip workout. I'd recommend that you do them in combination with a leg press, deadlift or squat. For an even better overall hip and thigh workout, do them immediately following the leg press, deadlift or squat.
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5. Use MCT's When Cutting Weight - Wrestlers traditionally cut weight by restricting food intake. Anyone who's read my stuff knows that I'm completely opposed to barbaric methods of cutting weight that only serve to make you weaker and inefficient as an athlete on the wrestling mat.
This is why I think it's a good idea to increase your fats when cutting weight. But not just any fats. You don't want to increase your saturated fats. These are the bad fats. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, and you find them in fatty meats, as well as dairy products (that aren't skim) and fried foods.
There is a fat that you can consume that will give you more energy while cutting weight. The fat is a medium-chain-triglyceride type. The MCT's are a unique chain of fats. They can be easily broken down and used for energy.
A great way to add some MCT's to your meal plan is to use skim milk with a protein powder as if you're making a protein shake, but add about 1/4 cup of coconut oil. This is a good source of MCT's and will be healthy when you're cutting weight and dropping carbs. It is a good idea to include a good amount of healthy fats in your diet all of the time as an athlete. It will keep you leaner, stronger and more energetic.
6. Start With Pre-Testing - Before you begin a strength and conditioning program to improve your wrestling performance, you should do pre-testing.
This means you will want to know you current strength levels on basic exercises. I like to use a compound/multi-joint movement such as the bench press for the upper body, and deadlift for lower body. Find out what your best set of 5 is and use that as your base.
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It's not always practical or safe to 'max-out' on strength exercises due to the possibility of injury. That's why I advise finding out your 5 rep max for each exercise. After that you can use the following formula to determine what your 1 repetition maximum would be based on the 5 rep set (or any number of repetitions for that matter):
- Take your weight lifted and multiply by .03335 (Ex. 315 x .03335)
- Take the product found above and multiply by the number of repetitions you performed. (Ex. 10.50 x 5 = 52.52)
- Add the original weight to the product above. (Ex. 315 + 52.52)
- This sum gives you the approximate 1-repetition max on this exercise (Ex. 367)
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You will also want to do pre-testing on your cardio level with timed runs, and your stretching.
7. Work on Your Weaknesses - After you've done pre-testing, you'll want to work on your weaknesses to bring them up, while continuing to enhance your strengths. In the case of wrestling strength and conditioning, you can accomplish this through unilateral training. Unilateral training is when you work one side of the body at a time.
The first phase of your strength training program might consist of exercises such as one-leg squats, one-arm rows, one-arm incline dumbbell press etc. The idea is to work one side of the body so that more muscle fibers can be stimulated during the set. This will help you bring up those weaknesses. Your first phase will therefore necessitate a lot of dumbbell work. This is exactly what we do in the 'Workouts for Warriors' 24 week training program at www.workoutsforwarriors.com
8. Include an Anterior Reach - Wrestlers need great hamstring strength in order to excel on the mat. The hamstrings are kind of like the rear wheel drive of a muscle-car.
Most guys get on a leg curl machine in order to work the hamstrings. However, if you ONLY use a hamstring curl machine you are limiting the strength development in the hamstrings. This is because the hamstrings must be stretched while supporting your body weight in order to fire off more muscle fibers.
Doing exercises that involve an anterior reach will get your hamstrings much stronger, especially when combined with a leg curl. You can do a Romanian Deadlift or a one-leg Romanian Deadlift to accomplish this.
9. Include a Strength/Hypertrophy Phase - After you've evened out your strengths and weaknesses with unilateral training, you'll want to build a base level of strength and muscular size.
This is when we start to include compound exercises that work a lot of muscle at one time. You've also heard these exercises referred to as full-body exercises. Basically, you are training each muscle group while forcing it to move the most amount of weight through its range of motion. For instance, if you've ever performed a triceps pushdown with a rope you know that you can get quite a burn in the triceps muscle. But if this were the only exercise you did for triceps they wouldn't develop a whole lot of strength. Now, if you replace them (or add to) with Weighted Dips, then you're working your triceps with considerably more resistance throughout their full range of motion. This in turn will make the triceps considerably stronger while strengthening the muscles of the chest, shoulders, back and core as well.
Good exercises for this phase might be: