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Weight Training for Wrestling
There are many factors one must consider when designing an adequate workout plan for wrestling. If one trains like they are in "off season" while they are in "in season" they can potentially hurt themselves due to the strain put on them during in seasons wear and tear. Things to consider when designing a workout plan:
- current medical condition(injuries/past injuriess, illness or medical problems like asthma)
- If you have back problems or torn acl you dont start squating 315lbs anytime soon
- when you have a serious illment its best to recieve medical advice or professional advice before using ANY movements that you feel any discomfort
- Current abilities/limitations
- Whenever someone is recoverying from a serious injury - they should again take the advise given to them by professionals
- If you are currently benching 135lbs or never performed a power clean in your life you dont plan on benching 235 lbs next week or power clean 135lbs next week
- Healthy progession- Meaning you want to advance your weight just not to the point it is dangerous for yourself. I have trained many people and the one thing I have stresed to them is safety first so what if you put up 250lbs or reped 135lbs 10 times if you hurt yourself in the process... now you have to recovery and you lost a couple few months due to recklessness
- Realistic goals, have a workout regimine that will make it possible to get there and again safe progessions. dont peak too fast
- resources available
- Using your resources to obtain your goals/desires. Many times you dont realize what tools are infront of you. One of the best things to do is sign up for an affordable gym near you, go to yoga sessions, run 5k/10k's or join a running group and if you can afford a healhy source of vitamins and nutrients supplements. Many times we live with out the recommended nutrients and vitamins and wander why we have deficiencies and sickness- because we are not eating porperly. Nutritional supplements because in order to eat everything you need we be on a strict diet dealing with time tables and a pad to ensure you eat properly while with supplements you are ensured you will receive the given vit C and protien recommended for you.
- areas that need improvement
- When dealing with weak ankles and strong quad muscles or big chest with a weak back- you should impliment certian execrises that help build up your weakness more then you do your strengths to make your weakness your strength with proper preogession in mind.
- You should go to a gym and test yourself- write down in your composition book your numbers see what are your strengths and your weakness and think about the correlation with the muscle groups. The chest and back were mentioned because those muscles will cause physical deformity if one is grossly larger then the other. So its good to work them out to ensure that your chest is not huge with a weak back which will eventually cause back problems.
- Goals and desired time line
- making your workout plan
- Self-explantory- Set realistic goals with realistic time to get there in mind. The goals of someone who has been lifting for 3 years are not the same as someone who has been liftin for 3 months.
Making the workout plan for wrestling
One of the biggest things about weight lifting is fuel - not eating will actually make you gain more weight, its about weight management and the ideal to lose weight is not stravation. Consider first is it in season or out of season or post season. In season you should look to maintain and out of season you should look to build up. Lifting as if you are out of season in season can actually do more harm then good considering the wear and tear on the body. You only have one body so consider taking it alittle easier in season in the weight room and go hard in the wrestling room.
Common mistakes in weight training
There are many mistakes people make when working out. 1 not recording progress, 2 focusing on the same muscles every workout, 3 not mixing up the workouts, 4 focusing on mirror muscles and 5 using too many machines. If you are interested in learning more about common mistakes in weight training refer to Common mistakes in weight training.
The most important thing about creating a workout plan is to focus on the biggest muscles first and then smaller muscles in each workout session.
important muscles to focus on
When designing a workout look for ways to increase strength in your neck, back, chest, hamstrings, quads and calfs.
Could go through multiple types of workouts and execrises that will help increase your strength but there is no reason to do things without knowing the reasoning behind the workout.
Squat Squat Squat and Squat some more
Squats are one of the most neglected execrises due to the discomfort that can be felt by them, many aviod squats because they do not like the way it feels or they place the bar directly on their neck and not their traps - please ask someone who has been squating the place to place the bar its on your traps which may not be at proper size now but when it does grow bigger its meant to be on your traps - If your traps are not at a proper size yet you can use things like a towel or a padding for the bar to ensure you are not doing damage to your spinal cord.
When squating for wrestling purposes it is good to point your toes vertically to help with your take downs. For more information on squat form go to squat form.
Creating a workout plan
- Record your workouts- by doing so gives you something to measure and allows you to see where improvements have come from and if you are decreasing. If you are never resording your numbers you will not really have a accurate account of improvements and will be hard to design future workout plans
- Bigger muscles and then smaller muscles or the more muscle groups invovled then the lest muscles groups involved for the movement.
- Full body weight lifting workouts touches all parts of the body and allows for your body to work as one, doing so enables your body perform moves with more cordination then using just machines and by doing so helps the transition from weight lifting to your performance in wrestling.
- Focus on atleast 2 different muscle groups or at most 4 in 1 workout session, by doing more then 4 you may not have the energy output needed to perform the execrises due to fatigue. Also, no more then 3 different execrises per muscle group.
- When working out try never to workout upper body or lower body 2 days in a row. In doing so it allows your body adequate recovery time and for your body to be ready for the next session.
- A big part of working out is the nutrients and vitamins put into your body... more is not necessarily better, its what and how much that counts. A body builder and a marathon runner both need fuel but the amount and what difers. This is the same for wrestling--> Without fuel you can not perform to your true level.
When cutting weight you still have to consume food to live, to perform and to be healthy. There is no wrestler in world who had to cut weight would say they never skipped a full course meal- atleast eat a few snacks and mini meals throughout the day to have some kind of energy level when its time to perform at work, school, competition or at play. Often time when one wishes to cut weight by not eating often does the opposite due to over indulging when they do have the oppurtunity to eat.
- Take a few execrises from the list available from design your workout and remember work on your weaknesses so they become your strengths, fuel your body with good nutrients, record your results, test yourself and begin working with no limits but yourself(safe progessions). Also, inseason weight training should not be so intense you do not have the strength to train in the wrestling room, out of season should be intense in your major advancement should take place here.
Resources for wrestlers for weight training
- Contact a Trainer
- Books, videos, and equipment:
- websites, programs and camps:
