In this post I’ll cover the final superset in Day 3 of the wrestling workout program that I wrote for one of the college wrestlers I train over the Internet. Here’s a quick look at Day 3 of the program.

Wrestling Workout Program Day 3

Superset 1- DB Push Press (5×3) and Hanging Leg Raise (5×8)

Superset 2- Pin Pull (5×3) and Weighted Russian Twist (5×12)

Superset 3- DB Rack Lunge (3×6) and Ball Leg Curl (3×12)

The final superset on the final day of this wrestling workout program begins with the DB Rack Lunge. As you know, I’m a huge believer in single leg exercises for wrestlers. In fact, I wrote a whole series of posts on why you should do them, how I progress them, and where in a program I use them- Weight Training For Wrestlers.

The DB Rack Lunge is not only designed to build serious single leg strength to help you finish more shots and get off the bottom more effectively, but by positioning the DBs on your shoulders as demonstrated in the video below, it builds unbelievable core stability as well.

There are two great ways to work these into your wrestling workout program. First, if you find that you are breaking/bending at the back and/or hips at the bottom of a standard DB Lunge, replacing it with the DB Rack Lunge will force your core to stay locked.

The second reason is why I chose to put these into the program- while it still provides great single leg work because it’s a more involving/complex exercise, it limits the amount of weight you can handle with the exercise as opposed to a standard DB Lunge. This makes it great for the end of program when you’re probably at your most fatigued state.

Some serious single leg strength will be needed to complete this throw!

Finally, the program concludes with a Ball Leg Curl. As I mentioned in previous posts, I prefer the Glute Ham Raise here, but because they are not common in most gyms, I’ve found that the Ball Leg Curl is a suitable replacement.

Here’s a video of me performing it.

The most important thing to keep an emphasis on while performing the Ball Leg Curl is to keep your hips high throughout the exercise by engaging your glutes. For those of you who have trouble locking out Deadlifts or getting out of the hole in the Squat, glute strength may be the missing element and this is a great way to get some extra work in while you train your hamstrings.

For increased stability place your arms out while you perform this exercise. However, once you get comfortable and proficient with it, feel free to bring your arms to your sides which will further challenge your stability by increasing the difficulty of this exercise.

That concludes the wrestling workout program article series. For those interested, you can download the full program for free by clicking the link below.

Wrestling Workout Program Download:

Wrestling Workout Program

To download a free Cornell wrestling workout program Click Here.

In this post I’ll cover the second superset in Day 3 of the wrestling workout program that I wrote for one of the college wrestlers I train over the Internet. Here’s a quick look at the 3rd day of the program.

Wrestling Workout Program Day 3

Superset 1- DB Push Press (5×3) and Hanging Leg Raise (5×8)

Superset 2- Pin Pull (5×3) and Weighted Russian Twist (5×12)

Superset 3- DB Rack Lunge (3×6) and Ball Leg Curl (3×12)

Remember, you can always download the full version- program.

The second superset on Day 3 begins with a Pin Pull. The Pin Pull is simply a standard Deadlift performed off the pins in a Power Rack. While I do sometimes adjust the pins depending on the height of the wrestler, I typically stick to lower pins so the bar is about mid-shin in the starting position.

Here’s an old video of me explaining the Pin Pull.

The reason I chose to perform a Pin Pull here is quite simple- they are super effective for building this wrestler’s Deadlift. All summer long all I had him do was rotate the Pin Pull for 3-5 reps and Deadlifting off the floor for 1-2 reps. Every 2-3 weeks I’d have him switch what he was doing and his Deadlift would go up every time. At his peak he pulled a 510 or 515; the heaviest Deadlift of any wrestler I’ve worked with.

Wrestling Workout Program Principle:

The Pin Pull may not be the best exercise for you. But it’s definitely worth a try. You never know what will or will not work for you until you try it. That’s one of the key principles I try to follow- experiment with everything and only keep that which works. …Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure Bruce Lee said something along those lines and my mentor, Tom Dilliplane, passed it on to me.

So keep that principle in mind and always be open minded when it comes to your wrestling workout program. If it doesn’t work, who cares, you lost a couple weeks but learned something you can use for a much longer period of time during your wrestling career.

Anyway, I think the video explains things pretty well, but if you have any questions about Pin Pulls leave me a comment below.

World Class Deadlifter Dr. Tom Eiseman.

The second exercise in Superset 2 of Day 3 in this wrestling workout program is the Russian Twist. While the Russian Twist is not the most intense core exercise out there, it does train rotation which is key to sit outs, cutting the corner on shots, and throws from any position.

I chose Russian Twists here because he had already performed heavier core work earlier in the week, and I didn’t want to place a huge stress on his core during his Pin Pulls because he was going to be handling close to 500 pounds (for a more detailed explanation check out (Wrestling Workout Program Day 3).

Here’s a video of me performing a Russian Twist with a Medicine Ball. Feel free to use whatever you have available to provide resistance.

As your technique and balance improve work on increasing the speed of the exercise. Although I performed it slower so you could get an idea of how it looks, training your rotational speed this way will have an even better carryover to the mat.

To download a free Cornell wrestling workout program Click Here.

In this post I’ll cover the first superset in Day 3 of the wrestling workout program that I wrote for one of the college wrestlers I train over the Internet. Here’s a quick look at the 3rd day of the program.

Remember, you can always download the full version- program.

Wrestling Workout Program Day 3

Superset 1- DB Push Press (5×3) and Hanging Leg Raise (5×8)

Superset 2- Pin Pull (5×3) and Weighted Russian Twist (5×12)

Superset 3- DB Rack Lunge (3×6) and Ball Leg Curl (3×12)

The first superset on this day begins with a DB Push Press. The DB Push Press (or DB Jerk; I use the terms interchangeably even though there’s a slight difference) is a great way to build power in the lower body and hips.

Additionally, by holding the DB at the top and stabilizing it, you build shoulder and cross-core stabilization. Having to stabilize an uneven load while your body is in a compromised position is a great way to build durability for wrestling.

Here’s a quick video of me performing a DB Push Press.

As you can see, the DB is moved from the shoulder to a locked-arm position overhead as quickly as possible. There is absolutely no pressing done with my upper body, as the purpose of the exercise is to drive the DB up with the power created by your lower body and hips.

If you find yourself struggling at the top to lock the DB out, or if you feel unsteady under it simply drop down in weight.

Wrestling Workout Program Principle:

When performing an exercise you always have to keep in mind why you’re doing it. In the case of the DB Push Press it’s to develop lower body power. To accomplish this you must be handling weights that you can move as explosively as possible. If you end up going too heavy and can’t complete the movement quickly as demonstrated in the video, then you’re not optimally benefiting from the exercise. So always keep in mind why you’re performing an exercise and your wrestling workout program will do nothing but improve!

Here is a Large American pressing the world famous Inch Dumbbell. Very impressive!

The second exercise performed in the first superset of Day 3 is the Hanging Leg Raise. Here’s a video of me performing the Hanging Leg Raise.

In the video I first demonstrate the more difficult way to perform this exercise- by keeping my legs straight and bringing them up as high as I can. If you have trouble doing this, simply perform them with bent knees as I show for the last 2 reps.

Either way there is one important thing to keep in mind regardless of how you perform these- keep a slow pace during them to avoid swinging. Swinging is indicative of a loss of control and therefore a loss of focus on what’s supposed to be being worked- the abs.

Just like most any other exercise, creating momentum is simply going to cause you to not get the maximal benefit out of the exercise. So perform these within a range of motion that allows you to control the exercise and keeps you from swinging.

If you’re interested in videos and descriptions of Day 1 of the program check out Wrestling Workout Program Exercises 1.

If you’re interested in videos and descriptions of Day 2 of the program check out Wrestling Workout Program Exercises 4.

If you’re interested in post in this series check out Wrestling Workout Program Exercises 8.

To download a free Cornell wrestling workout program Click Here.