Most wrestlers desire to either gain more muscle mass in their weight class to become stronger and more solid, or to bulk up so that they can move up to the next class. To be a successful wrestler, technique, speed, flexibility and conditioning are at the top of every coach’s list of the most important attributes to develop. All things being equal, being stronger than your opponent can also be a definite advantage. The positions and maneuvers of wrestlers during a match are where strength will be the deciding factor. Every wrestler has been defeated at least once in their career by a bigger, stronger opponent. Many coaches for some of the best wrestling teams incorporate strength training both in and out of season to help their athletes dominate in all areas of the mat. Most successful wrestlers do minimal strength training during the season so they can focus on improving their sport. Body-weight exercises and lifting light weights in short sessions once or twice a week is about all that’s needed during the season.
Conversely, when the season is over, the schedule should be reversed for at least 12 weeks, in order to gain the strongest and most muscle mass. The off season wrestler should lift weights 3-4 days/week while continuing to wrestle 1-2 days/week. If you’re competing in a spring tournament, you may want to wait before devoting that much time to weightlifting. For the best muscle gains, you’ll need to prioritize lifting weights and proper nutrition designed to help you gain weight and shape your body. If you’re still trying to lose weight to compete in a spring tournament, lifting weights to gain weight will be difficult and somewhat counterproductive, but you won’t be able to eat the calories needed to accomplish this. Rather than trying to combine the two, it is better to start your lifting/weight gain regimen after the tournament season is over.
When setting up your wrestling strength training program, be very specific with the set and rep plans to ensure that the results of your program achieve your desired goals. For wrestling, prioritize strength over muscle size, although a properly written training program will accomplish both. It is important to recognize this difference and to know that exercise selection and set/rep plans are what will make the difference. Most bodybuilding programs will bulk up the muscles and make athletes gain weight, but do nothing for strength. The last thing you want is to be big/bully enough to wrestle in the next weight class but not have the strength to compete with bigger opponents! A common example of this is seen when bodybuilders are compared to competitive weightlifters. There are many extremely large bodybuilders who are not strong at all. In contrast, various methods of training produce many powerlifters who are extremely strong but not very large. The combination of these training methods with an emphasis on strength will produce a wrestler who will be much stronger and larger.
When it comes to weight lifting, the best training programs to gain weight are done 3 or 4 days/week. The three-day split works best for wrestlers so they can still wrestle two days/week; For example, weights on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with wrestling on Tuesday and Thursday. Such programs also allow for a complete rest without any training on the weekend, leaving time to recover so you can be fresh to lift harder again on Monday. Train the whole body only once in a 3-day split, but a 4-day will allow you to body train twice a week. The four-day workout routine is often Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday off and then picking up again on Thursday, Friday with a weekend off. However this program is more difficult to fit into regular wrestling practices. Our wrestling team thrives on a 4-day weight training split done on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Wrestling practice is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays; This schedule only allows for one day/week off, however our team makes great profits this way.
For a three day/week weight training program, make day 1 a lower body day, day 2 an upper body day, and day 3 a posterior chain/core day. For a four day/week training schedule, make day 1 a heavy upper body day, day 2 a heavy lower body day, day 3 a light upper body day, and day 4 a posterior chain/core day. For upper and lower body training days, do some type of bench press or squat as the first exercises and make sure these are performed with correct technique and as intensely as possible. Follow with accessory exercises that will target the muscles and motions that will support and build on the larger movement you just performed. For example, after benching, do dumbbell presses, floor presses, dips or triceps extensions to further exhaust the triceps (the main muscle group used in a properly executed bench press). Next, add exercises to target secondary muscle groups, such as the lats and delts. After squatting, add accessory exercises to target the hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, glutes, lower back and/or abdominals.
Posterior chain day is also extremely important for the competitive wrestler who not only wants to get stronger but also prevent neck and lower back injuries. This muscle group includes the hamstrings, glutes, lumbar erectors, middle and upper back, traps and posterior neck. Again start with a compound movement that is multi-extension to tax the nervous system and challenge several posterior chain muscles at once. Dead lifts, Romanian deadlifts, stiff leg dead lifts, rack pulls (partial dead lifts), power cleans and good mornings are all great options. As with all compound movements, novice lifters should start light and gradually increase the weight, with their technique being thoroughly researched and continually improved. After the main lift, choose accessory exercises for repetitive work that will target the smaller posterior chain muscles or weak spots you’ve determined your athlete may have. These can include shrugs, more hamstring work, kettle bell swings (for glutes), more upper back work (lat pulls, rows and rear delts), and heavy abdominal work.
For core compound exercises, cycle repetitions on a wave of three weeks, performing 3–5 sets of 5 reps a week, 3–5 sets of 3 reps a week, and sets of 1 or two reps a week with three weeks max. Week four would again start the wave at 5 reps. For auxiliary exercises, repetitions should not exceed 8-12. For best results, high intensity should always be employed, but avoid complete muscle failure for compound exercises other than max. Muscle failure should be met on assisted lifts for most if not all sets. Even on 5 and 3 rep weeks, tension is essential and intensity should be up to at least 75% of max tension. Add grip training at the end of upper body day or posterior chain day with 1-2 exercises to fatigue. Aside from consistency and intensity during sessions, the next most important aspect of a successful program is keeping careful records of an athlete’s strength gains. At the very least, record all the maximums so you know which numbers need to be beaten the next time they are performed.
Source by Dan Levesque
