10 “strength training” commandments for fighters!

In the first part of this series, I discussed some tips to maintain your strength and muscle, or even gain something during the wrestling season. In part two of this series, I’ll give you ten surefire tips to improve your “wrestling strength” and therefore your wrestling performance. These tips apply to both in-season and off-season training.

1. Train the “Posterior Chain”

The posterior chain muscles are made up of the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. This extremely powerful area of ​​the body is a key section for overall wrestling performance. By improving strength in this area, you will notice a marked improvement in speed and power in the neutral and bottom positions. Some exercises you might want to consider to work the posterior chain are good mornings, stiff-legged deadlifts, deadlifts, barbell squats (low bar on the shoulders). My two favorites are the reverse hyperextension and the Russian glute-ham-gastroc machine. They are the ultimate in working the muscles of the posterior chain.

2. Strength Train SLOW, fight FAST

You want to be fast and strong on the wrestling mat. However, don’t think you should pull weights when you strength train. When wrestlers try to move a bar quickly in their workouts, they are using momentum to help move the weight. You want to minimize momentum and maximize the amount of muscle being worked by slowing down. How fast (or slow) should you move a weight when strength training? When you are lifting a weight (or contracting the muscle) try to do it in 2 seconds. When you lower the weight, do it twice as slow. It should take about 4 seconds to lower a weight.

3. Short workouts

Your workouts should never exceed 35 minutes in length. If they do, YOU ARE NOT WORKING HARD ENOUGH! By completing your workout in no more than 35 minutes, your body’s hormone levels are optimal. Your ability to recover from workouts and therefore build more strength is increased. Long, drawn-out strength training sessions. Over time, they will reduce your body’s ability to recover and lead to overtraining.

4. 12 exercises gold less

When I develop sport-specific strength training routines for my athletes, I always adhere to this. This number of exercises will allow you to work the “fighting muscles” enough, but not too much. Anything more will almost guarantee that you will send your body into an overtraining syndrome.

5. 2 gold games less

Read it carefully and try to really absorb the content. You should not do more than two work sets (the sets that count. These do not include a warm-up set) for any given exercise. If you’re working hard enough, this is enough. You do a warm-up set for an exercise, then go to your maximum weight. After completing that maximum weight, reduce the total weight on the bar or machine by 20% and repeat. If you’re really training hard, you can only do one work set per exercise. This is the ideal. If you can hammer a muscle with a perfect set of one exercise, there will be no need for another set. I advocate a second set with a 20% weight reduction because a lot of people don’t get to hit that muscle with just one set.

6. Fails in the gym to dominate on the mat

In addition to your warm-up set for each strength-training exercise, you should train your sets to “failure.” This is the point where you can no longer complete another rep with perfect form. By training to momentary muscular failure, you are forcing the muscles to adapt and therefore become stronger. Let me clarify the training to “failure”. Training to failure is not “near muscle exhaustion.” It’s the point where you can’t push or pull another rep no matter what. Is it safe to train this way? Absolutely! The first few reps of a set are actually more dangerous. When an athlete is not using good form and slower speed, it is usually during these first few reps that the athlete gets hurt.

7. Use machines and free weights

There is a common misconception among athletes and coaches that you should use free weights when strength training. Free weights are great! That’s how machines are! Your muscles don’t know the difference. Intensity is the most important thing when it comes to improving your strength for wrestling. The tool you use to get there is not. I like certain exercises for certain muscles. It also depends on what injuries a fighter may already have. You can work “around” injuries and still give the body a full strength workout. If you have access to Hammer Strength machines, I highly recommend including them in your wrestling strength training.

8. Use a thick bar

If you don’t have access to a thick bar, get one. This is usually a hollow metal tube with free weights attached to the end. A thick bar forces you to hold on tight when performing exercises. Develop fantastic forearm and hand strength. It should be part of any serious strength training program for wrestlers. You can do curls, reverse curls, rows, and presses with it.

9. Keep the protein

Whether you’re trying to lose weight or move up in weight, you need a regular protein diet. Protein helps repair and rebuild muscle tissue. It’s vital to stick to a protein diet if you’re trying to lose weight…unless, of course, you don’t mind losing muscle and getting weaker. Try to get at least 5 protein feedings per day. The difference lies in the carbohydrate intake. If you need to lose weight, you need to start dropping carbs slowly, but never completely. You can’t fight if you don’t have energy. Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of energy. Contact me at [email protected] if you are interested in a custom wrestling meal plan.

10. The cheat bar

The trap bar is another amazing piece of equipment when it comes to gaining strength in wrestling. The trap bar is a hexagonal shaped bar. It allows you to deadlift with maximum stimulation of almost all vital muscles to improve wrestling performance. If you’ve never seen one, do a web search. This is an exercise that all my wrestling clients use. It will make your whole body stronger. If I limited myself to only one exercise to increase the strength of my fighters, this would be the exercise I would choose.