Nov 11, 2016Ready to Wrestle
Several years ago, I attended a conference on periodization and planning that changed my approach to in-season strength and conditioning. During one of the presentations, I heard this analogy for training while competing: “If you are going to drive a racecar around the track one time, you better put the pedal to the metal.” I immediately applied it to my wrestling team’s in-season work.
To be successful, wrestlers need to be strong, powerful, and explosive, while also having the anaerobic endurance to compete in multiple matches per day at tournaments. We put the pedal to the metal in the weightroom during the season by keeping intensities high and volumes low and incorporating full-body circuits to keep the athletes functioning in high gear.
Here is a three-week sample of what our in-season lifting circuit might look like. We do five to eight reps of each exercise and complete the cycle four or five times, with 45 seconds to one minute of rest between each set.
Week One
Upper-body pull: Pull-up with wide overhand grip or lat pull
Lower-body lunge: Dumbbell walking forward lunges
Upper-body push: Dumbbell flat bench
Strength walk
Week Two
Upper-body pull: Pull-up with underhand grip or bent-over row
Lower-body lunge: Dumbbell walking backward lunges
Upper-body push: Dumbbell incline bench
Strength walk
Week Three
Upper-body pull: Pull-up with alternate grip or upright row
Lower-body lunge: Plate-overhead walking lunges
Upper-body push: Dumbbell flat bench with alternate arms
Strength walk
