Most fighters want to build more muscle mass to become stronger and more solid in their weight class or to get bigger so they can move up to the next weight class. To be a successful wrestler, technique, speed, flexibility, and conditioning are at the top of every coach’s list for developing the most important attributes. All things being equal, being stronger than your opponent can also be a definite advantage. There are positions and maneuvers that wrestlers engage in during a match where strength will be the deciding factor. Every fighter has been beaten by a bigger and stronger opponent at least once in their career. Many coaches for some of the best wrestling teams incorporate strength training both in and out of season to help their athletes dominate on all areas of the mat. The most successful wrestlers do minimal strength training during the season so they can focus on improving in their sport. Bodyweight exercises and light weight lifting done in short sessions once or twice a week is all that is needed during the season.
Instead, when the season is over, in order to get stronger and gain the most muscle mass, the program should be reversed for at least 12 weeks. The off-season fighter should lift weights 3-4 days a week while continuing to fight 1-2 days a week. If he’s competing in spring tournaments, he may want to wait before spending so much time lifting weights. For the best muscle gains, he will need to prioritize weight lifting and proper nutrition designed to help gain weight and increase body size. If he’s still trying to put on weight to compete in the spring tournaments, it will be difficult and somewhat counterproductive to lift weights to get bigger, but he won’t be able to eat the calories he needs to do it. Rather than trying to mix the two, it’s best to start his weight lifting/gaining regimen after he finishes tournament season.
When setting up your wrestling strength training program, be very specific with your set and repetition schemes to ensure that the outcome of your program captures the goals you desire. For wrestling, prioritize strength over muscle size, however a properly written training program will achieve both. It’s important to recognize this distinction and know that exercise selection and set/rep schemes are what will make the difference. Most bodybuilding programs will make muscles bulge and athletes gain weight, however they won’t do anything for strength. The last thing you want is to be bigger/heavier to fight in the next weight class, but not have the strength to keep up with bigger opponents! A common example of this is seen when comparing bodybuilders to competitive powerlifters. There are many extremely large bodybuilders who are not strong at all. In contrast, different training methods produce many powerlifters who are extremely strong but not very big. A combination of these training methods with an emphasis on strength will produce a much stronger and bigger fighter.
When it comes to weight lifting, the best training programs to gain weight are done 3-4 days a week. A three day split works best for wrestlers as they can still wrestle two days a week; for example, weights on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with wrestling on Tuesday and Thursday. Schedules like this also allow for a complete rest without any training over the weekend, leaving time to recover and be fresh to lift harder again on Monday. You train your entire body just once in a 3-day split, but 4 days will allow you to train your entire body twice in a week. Four-day training routines are usually Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday off, and then Thursday, and they’re up again on Friday with the weekend off. However, this schedule is more difficult to fit into regular wrestling practices. Our wrestling team thrives with a 4 day weight training split held on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Wrestling practice is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays; this schedule only allows for one day off per week, yet our team makes great strides like this.
For a three day per week weight training program, make day one a lower body day, day two an upper body day, and day three a posterior chain day /central. For a four-day-a-week training schedule, make day one a heavy upper body day, day two a heavy lower body day, day three a light upper body day. body and day four one day for the posterior/central chain. For upper and lower body training days, do some sort of bench press or squat for the first few exercises and make sure these are performed with perfect technique and as intense as possible. Continue with accessory exercises that will target the muscles and movements that will support and build on the great movement you just performed. For example, after the bench, perform dumbbell presses, floor presses, dips, or triceps extensions to further exhaust the triceps (the main muscle group used in a properly executed bench press exercise). Next, add exercises for secondary muscle groups, like the lats and deltoids. After performing the squat, add accessory exercises to target the hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, glutes, lower back, and/or abs.
Posterior chain day is also extremely important for the competitive fighter who wants to not only get stronger but also prevent neck and lower back injuries. This muscle group includes the hamstrings, glutes, lumbar erectors, mid and upper back, trapezius, and the back of the neck. Again start with a compound movement that is multi-extension to test the nervous system and challenge multiple posterior chain muscles at once. Deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, stiff-legged deadlifts, rack pulls (partial deadlifts), power cleans, and good mornings are all great options. As with all compound movements, beginning lifters should start light and build up slowly, and their technique should come under constant intense scrutiny and correction. After the main lift, choose follow-up exercises for repetition work that will target smaller posterior chain muscles or weak points you’ve determined your athletes may have. These can include shrugs, more hamstring work, kettlebell swings (for the glutes), more upper back work (lat pulldowns, rows, and rear deltoids), and heavy abdominal work.
For major compound exercises, cycle reps in a three-week wave with week one performing 3-5 sets of 5 reps, week two 3-5 sets of 3 reps, and week three maxing out with sets of 1-2 reps . The fourth week I would start the wave again with 5 reps. The repetitions of accessory exercises should not be more than 8-12. For best results, a high intensity should always be used; however, avoid complete muscle failure for compound exercises except when maxed out. Muscular failure should be achieved with accessory lifts for most sets, if not all. Even in weeks of 5 and 3 repetitions, the effort is essential and the intensity must be at least up to 75% of a maximum effort. Add grip training to the end of your upper body day or posterior chain day with 1-2 exercises to exhaustion. In addition to consistency and intensity during sessions, the next most important aspect of a successful program is keeping meticulous records of the athlete’s strength gains. At the very least, record all the highs so you know what numbers need to be exceeded the next time they’re done.
