Are you getting the most out of your strength training program?
Strength training for wrestlers is absolutely essential for maximizing your performance on the mat.
In fact, I don’t think it can be argued at this point.
Every college and university, regardless of the division has some kind of strength training for wrestler program in place.
No I don’t mean say no to getting fired up during your wrestling strength workouts before you attempt a heavy lift. Getting focused and excited at an opportunity to set a record is what it’s all about.
What I meant by the title of this post was that you should avoid the bodybuilding technique known as H.I.T. (High Intensity Training) in your wrestling strength workouts.
In fact, if you’re looking for a Cornell Wrestling Strength Training Workout program Click Here.
The scientific definition of intensity is simply the percentage of your max. The greater the percentage of your max the lift you’re performing is, the greater the intensity.
Generally speaking, H.I.T. proponents suggest performing one set of usually about 10 reps to failure on a machine.
While this has been shown to be effective at putting on significant amounts of muscle (although a lot of the bodybuilders who use this regularly also take ridiculous amounts of steroids to the point where pretty much anything they do will put on muscle), it is not an effective way for athletes, especially wrestlers to exclusively train in their wrestling strength workouts.
Do I throw some all out sets on machines in every now and again during the wrestling strength workouts I put my clients through?
Yes, it’s a great way to change up their workout and build mental toughness. However, your training should not be limited to H.I.T. To give you a better idea of what H.I.T. is, here’s a quick video of some bodybuilders performing a workout.
Does something like this get me fired up and ready to train? Hell yea!
But I’m not here to introduce some pre-training videos, I’m here to tell you why H.I.T. shouldn’t be the focus of your wrestling strength workouts and the best way for me to do so is to introduce the man himself- Louie Simmons.
Here are some excerpts from a Louie Simmons article entitled “HIT…or Miss?” Louie is regarded by many, including myself, to be the top powerlifting coach in the country (maybe the world) and one of the top overall strength coaches in the country and world. Anyway, check out what he has to say on H.I.T. and think of how it applies to your wrestling strength workouts.
H.I.T. proponents use a lot of machines. This is truly a mistake. No stability can be developed. Most machines work on the peak contraction theory. Let’s look at the pec machine. If you load a pec machine to the max, starting the movement requires a max effort, which is very difficult and dangerous. Yet at the finish, where the most weight can be lifted because of accommodating resistance, machines show their downfall.
Louie Simmons
More importantly, let’s consider the strength curve. Take the case of two 700-pound deadlifters. One may blast the weight off the floor to near lockout and then fight the last 3 to 4 inches. The second may have difficulty starting the bar off the floor, pick up speed, and lockout easily. What does this illustrate? In the real world of strength these two lifters have quite different strength curves. If these same two lifters were to use a machine, only one would receive any benefit from that machine, because the machine has a predetermined strength curve. That’s a 50% chance the machine won’t work for you. Also, a machine will not build stability. The only good thing about a facility full of machines is that the instructor could be a moron and it won’t make any difference.
H.I.T. proponents also think that if you exercise slowly, you won’t become slow. Have they heard of exercise specificity? A sprinter must practice sprinting to be successful. A long-distance runner must learn to conserve himself to run a long distance; if a marathon runner was to start sprinting from the beginning, he or she would run out of gas long before the end of the race. If you work slowly, you will become slow, and you will be watching the fast kids play while you develop splinters in your butt. Remember that external force is directly responsible for speed. A boxer may appear very fast with 8-ounce boxing gloves, but hand him a pair of 100-pound dumbbells and he can hardly move his hands at all.
Obviously, this is a somewhat scientific excerpt, but nonetheless the ideas are very valuable when considering wrestling strength workouts and their implementation into an overall performance training program.
Below are a few sample wrestling strength workouts I’ve used with clients at a standard commercial gym.
Day 1
Superset 1: Plyo Pushup 4×5 + Single Leg Bench Jump 4×5
Superset 2: Hang Clean 5×4 + Spread Eagle Situp 5×10
Triset 1: Weighted Dip 4×5 + Squat 4×5 + DB Row 4×10
Day 2
Superset 1: Box Jump 4×5 + Russian Twist 4×15
Superset 2: DB Jerk 4×5 + DB Windmill 4×10
Triset 1: Weighted Chinup 4×5 + DB RDL 4×8 + Altnernate Arm DB Bench 4×8
Day 3
Superset 1: Consecutive Long Jump 4×5 + Reactive Box Jump 4×5
Superset 2: DB Snatch 5×3 + Weighted Decline Situp 5×10
Triset 1: Pullup 4×8 + Floor Press 4×5 + Back Extension 4×12
Free Cornell Wrestling Strength Workout:
Be sure to sign up below to instantly receive your Free Cornell Wrestling Training Program and other wrestling strength workouts.
Wrestling Strength Training Program Principles
Wrestling Strength Training Program Principles 2
Wrestling Strength Training Program- Max Effort Carryovers
Designing Wrestling Workout Plans
Wrestling Workout Program Design Tips
If you have any questions regarding wrestling strength workouts, leave me a comment.
I always bring up Box Squats when talking to someone about strength training for wrestling.
What makes them such a functional strength training for wrestling exercise and, in my opinion, superior to free squats?
Well, there are a number of reasons actually.
To keep this post from getting too long, here are the top 4 reasons I prefer Box Squats when it comes to a strength training for wrestling plan.
But before I get into why your strength training for wrestling program needs to include Box Squats, be sure to sign up for your Free Cornell University Strength Training For Wrestling Program Here.
1. You can control your depth and hit it consistently every rep.
Ever notice someone free squatting before who initially goes very low on every rep but as the weight increases so does the height at which they’re squatting?
This is something you must avoid when strength training for wrestling. I’ll admit it though, I’ve fallen victim to this a time or too myself. By squatting to a box and pausing on it for every rep, you know your hitting the desired depth every time.
It takes all the guess work out of squatting and allows you to focus on the task at hand- getting stronger for wrestling.
2. You don’t get as sore.
Because the eccentric portion (sitting to the box) can be performed quicker than a typical free squat, you generally are less sore after box squatting than free squatting. Additionally, when you add band tension to the mix, you perform the eccentric even faster!
As a result, you can squat more often and thereby propel your strength gains.
I know what a lot of you are thinking, “Dickie, if I’m not hobbling around for 3 days after I squat I feel like I didn’t get a good workout in.”
When you think like this remember- you’re a wrestler not a lifter. Your job when strength training for wrestling should be to get as strong as possible with the right exercises and the right amount of volume so that you can practice and compete as effectively as possible.
Yes, being strong is certainly going to increases your chances of winning, but if you haven’t practiced and developed your technique, you’re going to be at a huge disadvantage.
As a wrestler, strength training is just one of the many pieces of the puzzle to maximizing your potential.
3. Develop static overcome by dynamic strength.
In wrestling, you’re often in stalemate situations on the mat, especially when you’re in on a shot.
Box Squats help to develop the functional strength needed to power through these stalemates because you’re training your body to produce maximal force from a dead stop, deep squat position, much like you are often in on the mat.
Free Squats train your body to bounce out of the hole. Box Squats train your body to flex and power through.
There’s no bouncing out of a stalemate situation, but if you’re strong enough, you can certainly power through it.
4. Box Squats are safer.
More often than not, when a lifter misses a squat it’s at or close to the bottom portion of the movement.
What’s great about Box Squats is that if the lifter can’t complete the squat, they’re already sitting on a box and are at no risk of getting suddenly crushed by the weight as they may be if they were free squatting and unable to complete a rep.
Can injuries occur when Box Squatting? Yes. You can still fall forward and you can lose the tightness in your core when you’re on the box and injure your back. But from what I’ve seen over the years, Box Squats are much safer than Free Squats.
Additionally, because you’re able to keep your shins perpendicular to the floor while Box Squatting, they are also safer for the knees due to the decrease in their range of motion. If you’ve found yourself unable to squat without knee pain, definitely give Box Squats a shot.
5. Box Squats produce more force.
In a recent research review, Bret Contreras broke down a new study that compared Box Squats, traditional close-stance Free Squats, and a wide stance Powerlifting Free Squat.
While there were a number of discoveries and interesting pieces of data that were uncovered, the most relevant to functional strength training for wrestling was this:
The rate of force development was 3-4 times higher during Box Squats than the other 2 variations!
The rate (speed) at which you produce force in a match directly impacts your ability to score in pivotal situations and Box Squats have now been shown in research to be the best squat to maximize this ability.
Box Squat Videos:
Here are two quick videos of Dave Tate demonstrating and coaching the Box Squat. The one thing I do differently than Dave is I don’t have my wrestlers sit as far back.
The reason that powerlifers sit so far back is because it increases the tension in their squat suits which increases the amount of “pop” out of the hole that the suit gives them. However, this is not something that’s going to pay dividends when it comes to strength training for wrestling.
Because you’re going to be Box Squatting to get stronger for wrestling focus on sitting back AND down by driving your knees out so that your shins stay perpendicular to the floor.
Building A Box:
When looking to construct a box for a strength training for wrestling workout, the best thing to do is think creatively as possible. All you really need to focus on is setting something up that puts your thighs in a below parallel position to the ground when you sit on it.
Here are two pictures of ways to build boxes.
Stack plates on a low plyo box. This is not the most sturdy option.
This is pretty high, but the aerobic steps at many commercial gyms work well.
I’ve even go so far as to stack bumper plates. Just remember- when it comes to strength training for wrestling, necessity is the mother of invention.
Be sure to sign up below to download your free 3-Week Cornell Strength Training for Wrestling Program and receive tons of other useful exercises to implement into your strength training for wrestling plan!
If you have any questions about Box Squats or any strength training for wrestling related questions, leave me a comment below.