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Training 101

  1. Introduction:

    • The development of a wrestler, like that of any other athlete, depends upon physical preparation, technical preparation, tactical preparation, and psychological preparation.  Physical preparation must come first. Why?  Because winning in wrestling comes down to generating more force at the point of attack than an opponent can resist.  It’s that simple.  Wrestlers need to understand that their physical development ultimately determines their level of success.  Physical development is necessary.

  2. What is Wrestling?

    • First, wrestling is an acyclic sport, meaning that it is a contest characterized by great fluctuations in physical activity and rapidly changing body position.  Its demands are quite opposite those of the cyclic sports, such as swimming or running.

    • In training for strength the need for power (speed-strength) and for muscular endurance (strength-endurance) are paramount.  The ratio of these physical traits to the others depends largely upon the technicotactical system that the wrestler employs, his genetic potential related to it (natural build), and his weight class.  A “direct” wrestler who comes right at an opponent generally requires a much greater level of strength than an “indirect” wrestler who depends much more of finesse for his success.

    • For elite wrestlers, however, the role of explosive strength becomes more and more important as very high levels of force must be generated in a short period of time to overcome higher levels of resistance.

  3. Type of strength:

    • Absolute strength – the highest level of strength that can be measured.

    • Maximum strength – the greatest amount of weight that can be lifted in a single attempt.

    • Speed-strength also referred to as explosive strength or power – the ability to generate great force quickly. It is expressed by multiplying the speed of movement times the force of contraction.

    • Strength-endurance, also known as muscular endurance – the ability of a muscle to continue to work at a high level for a prolonged period of time.

    • Of these, wrestling is heavily dependent upon speed-strength and strength-endurance. Keep in mind that a wrestler with a higher level of absolute strength will experience less fatigue when performing a few repetitions of a given movement that a wrestler with a lower level of strength.

  4. Training Variables:

    • Volume – The total amount of work done.  Includes the intensity of the workout and the number of workouts in a given time period - a week for example.

    • Intensity – Expression of the percent of maximum effort capable by the athlete.  The stronger and more fit the athlete, the harder the workout must be compared to a lesser-fit athlete.

    • Density - The frequency or number of training secessions.  Such as, a hard 2-minute period, 15 seconds of rest, and 2 more hard minutes would be high density.  Training twice per day for 5 days would also be an example of high density.

    • Note:  Increases in the intensity of training are a very important part of the progression that ultimately leads to peak performance.  HOWEVER, raising the intensity too high and too soon for the athlete to adapt can bring about rapid decreases in performance and a state of over-training.  Over-training must be monitored throughout the year.  Many athletes approach the final competitions of the year drained- physically at their weakest and psychologically most vulnerable just when the opposite outcome is desired.

  5. Wrestling Training 101:

    • First a caveat.  Your coach and trainer know best.  This is only a paraphrased summary of an extensive article written specifically for training wrestlers.  A significant amount of detailed content has been omitted from this summary that is critical.  This is an outline of key training elements.  Combining these elements for maximum benefit is a science and requires personal supervision and a PLAN.  Work on a personal plan with your coach and trainer.  See your coach for a complete printout of this article.

    • Second, it is very important to begin the training year with a build-up in general strength, because it leads to fewer training injuries as time wears on.

  6. Training Sequence:

    1. Warm-up before you train hard. The warm-up should include large muscle activities i.e. jogging, skipping rope, or variants of these to the point where the athlete is lightly perspiring and the deep muscle temperature is raised significantly.  This should be followed by stretching (a good procedure for match warm-ups too).

    2. Speed exercises should be done next, for example, short sprints.

    3. Next Speed-Strength exercises (more on this later)

    4. Followed by exercises for Maximum Strength starting with the largest muscle groups.

    5. Stretching and loosening exercises should be done including hanging from a bar and bending your knees to reverse the pressure on the spine caused by heavy lifting.

    6. And last or all, work for cardiovascular endurance should be done (running/hard wrestling/calisthenics)

    7. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO FOLLOW THIS TRAINING ORDER TO ACHIEVE MAXIMUM RESULTS ( and minimize the risk of injury).
    8. Your personal training program must vary to achieve maximum results, i.e., exercises to build muscle (the first step) are different than building Speed-Strength. Remember your personal PLAN.
  7. Making a PLAN
    • First, this should be a personal plan. Set goals for your development.  Write it down.  Make a chart so that you can see your progress. Even during the season there is some flexibility in how you train and the extra effort that you do will make a big difference in your success.
    • How to start depends on a variety of factors.  Perhaps most importantly it depends on your present overall physical condition. You may need to concentrate on increasing your strength, or, you may need to work on your cardiovascular endurance, or both.  As you already know, the conditioning for these two types of fitness are quite different.
    • You must establish a starting point.
      •  For strength a reference could be the 1 time maximum weight you can lift for a given exercise, i.e., bench press or military press.  You should establish you maximums for a variety of weight exercises.  This will be what is referred to as you 1RM (1 repetition maximum).
      • For your cardiovascular endurance, a measure could be your time to run a mile.  It is also measured by how quickly your heartbeat returns to normal after exercise.
  8. Strength Training -The volume of training should be between 10 and 35 total repetitions per exercise.  Fewer reps will not cause the maximum benefit, while more than 35 reps will tend to improve your strength-endurance, not strength.
    • Young athletes should train at 50% to 60% of your 1RM
    • More seasoned and conditioned athletes should train at 70 to 85% of 1RM.
    • Any weight training program must be done within the maximum intervals of 72 hours, although 48 hour intervals is strongly preferred for a more rapid improvement.  No more than 5 and no less than 3 workouts per week is a general rule of thumb.
    • The principle of variety is paramount.  It is known that varying intensities within a training program create greater strength gains over a longer period of time than attempting to use the same intensities (and exercises).  A constant does of heavy workouts is NOT as effective as a training program made up of variation. You  MUST  include adequate REST into your training schedule.
    • Plan to work the entire body in each strength session.  It is a mistake to only work on one section of your body development.
  9. Speed-Strength Training
  10. Maximum-Strength Training