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Wrestling Workout

November 2, 2005 Print This ArticleShare

Author: Michael Greeves


Wrestling - The Sport

A sport in which two competitors attempt to throw or immobilize each other on the mat, wrestling is among some of the most intense sports at the high school, college, and international level. Whether wrestling falls under the discipline of Greco Roman or freestyle, the physical requirement for both is mostly the same: Extreme strength, power, and conditioning. The wrestler must have the physical capability to not only endure a match that can last six to 9 minutes, but also to stay fresh enough toward the end to make every throw or takedown as powerful and effective as the first few. Throughout the match, all energy systems are often tapped to the max, therefore the wrestler must train these systems to their fullest in order to get on top and stay there, literally!

Wrestling - The Demand

The major difference between Greco Roman and freestyle wrestling is that the legs are permitted in freestyle to be used to attack or as targets of attack, whereas in Greco Roman the competition is restricted to above the waist. But in any case, legs are extensively used in both discipline to help maneuver on the mat and to aid in lifting and throwing.

Unpredictable and diverse strategies and maneuvers occur frequently during a match, so the wrestler must be prepared with great strength, power and endurance.

Controlling an opponent through moves, countermoves and holds on the mat require extreme strength endurance, fueled mostly by the anaerobic system. Throws, lifts, and takedowns requires quick, explosive power, which comes from the ATP-PC system. In order for the anaerobic and ATP-PC systems to recover throughout the match, the aerobic system must be well conditioned. These systems must be trained to their fullest.

Repetitive pulling, pushing and controlling takedowns, as well as maintaining or trying to escape from the bridge position, require that the muscles of the neck be strong.

Wrestling - Injuries

In the United States collegiate wrestling had the second highest injury rate, second to spring football (Jarret, 1998). In wrestling, most people tend to think of the neck as an easy target for injury. Although several studies find that injuries in other parts of the body occur just as frequently, cervical spine injury is real and is common in wrestling because of specific maneuvers that directly involve the neck; for example, in order to prevent an opponent from gaining a pin, the wrestler often bridges the shoulders and back off the mat. This puts an incredible strain on the cervical spine, and it is thought that muscular strength deficiency or imbalance may increase the risk for neck injury in wrestling (Ylinen, 2003).

Knee injury occurs typically during the takedown, where the knee is near maximum extension and weight bearing, and the foot is firmly planted. The twisting motion of the takedown places forces into a knee that is in a vulnerable position, often resulting in an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) rupture (Lightfoot, 2005).

Shoulder injuries occur typically when a wrestler is thrown or is taken down and then lands wrong. Imagine the full body weight slamming onto an outstretched arm, often adding to this the body weight of the opponent. It’s not a surprise that shoulder injury is common in wrestling!

Functional and structural strength, as well as adequate flexibility, may help decrease much of these wrestling-related injuries.

The Wrestling Workout

Maximum strength is required for lifting, pushing and pulling, so strength-building exercising such as squats, deadlifts, presses, and pull-ups are prescribed with repetition ranges in between 1 to 5 repetitions with 2 to 3 minutes recovery in between sets. This maximizes the ATP-PC system. Strength-endurance is important for prolonged high-intensity muscular effort, so resistance exercises should be performed in a range of 8 to 15 repetitions with short recovery of about one minute in between sets. This maximizes the anaerobic system. For the quick, explosive maneuvers that occur throughout the match, the training program must include exercises such as the Olympic-style lifting and many of its variants, explosive box squats, and box jumps. These exercises maximize the ATP-PC system, with velocities specific to many wresting maneuvers.

The aerobic system must perform at its best, too. It must work to regenerate ATP (the energy substrate that fuel muscular contraction) so that the wrestler can recover and continue to perform. Steady-state aerobics can be used in the off-season, but it is preferable that the aerobic system is conditioned through the use of high-intensity interval training, such as repetitive sprints interspersed with active recovery. Wrestling drills and specific conditioning also condition the aerobic system.

An increase in structural strength may decrease the risk of tissue failure in the commonly injured areas such as the knee, shoulder and neck, whereas greater functional strength may help quicken reactions to maneuver out of situations where the mechanical stress may exceed structural strength.

The well-conditioned wrestler uses a training program that takes into consideration every physical demands of the sport. Although skill is the basis of wrestling, its athletes may rely on physical conditioning much more than most athletes of other sports. Wrestling is one of the few sports in which physical conditioning is the main determinant to winning. Train hard.



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