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In part one of this series I talked about some tips to maintain your muscle and strength, or even obtain some during the wrestling season. In part two of this series I am going to give ten sure fire hints to you for improving your wrestling strength and so your wrestling performances. These suggestions apply to both in-season and offseason training.


1. Train the Posterior Chain

The posterior chain muscles are composed of the hamstrings, glutes, and spine. This extremely strong area of your body is a key section to overall wrestling performances. By improving strength in this area you'll see a marked improvement in power and speed in the neutral and bottom positions. Some exercises that you might need to take into account in order to perform the posterior chain are good-mornings, stiffleg deadlifts, deadlifts, barbell squats (bar low on shoulders). My two favorites are the Russian glute-ham as well as the inverse hyperextension - gastroc machine. They're the ultimate in working the posterior chain muscles.

2. Power Train SLOW, Wrestle SWIFT

You need to be quick and powerful in the wrestling mat. Dont believe that you must throw weights around when you strength train though. They are using momentum to help move the weight, when wrestlers attempt to move a barbell rapidly in their own workouts. You must minimize momentum, and optimize the number of muscle that gets worked by reducing. How fast (or slow) should you go a weight when strength training? If you are raising a weight (or contracting the muscle) attempt to do it in 2 seconds. If you decrease the weight, strength training exercises do-it twice as slowly. You must take about 4 seconds to reduce a weight.

3. Short Workouts

Your workouts should never exceed 35 minutes in length. YOURE NOT WORKING HARD ENOUGH, when they do! By finishing your workout in only 35 minutes or so, your bodys hormone levels are best. Your ability to recuperate from your workouts, and thus create more strength, is increased. Avoid long, drawnout resistance training workouts. They are going to eventually cut into your bodys ability to recuperate, and cause over training.

4. 12 Workouts Or Less

I stick to this, when I develop sport-specific resistance training routines for my athletes. This number of exercises will permit you to truly hit the wrestling muscles with only enough, but not too much. Any longer will nearly ensure you will send your body into an overtraining syndrome.

5. 2 Sets Or Less

Continue reading this one carefully, and attempt to really absorb the content. You must do-no more than two work sets (the sets that depend. These dont include a set) for any given exercise. In case you are working hard enough, that is plenty. You execute a warm-up set for an exercise, then move to your own top weight. Reduce the total weight in the bar-or machine by 20 %, after you finish that top weight and repeat. You may do just one work set per workout, if you're really training intensely. This is actually the ideal. You will see no demand for a different set, if you would hammer a muscle with a single perfect pair of an exercise. I advocate another set with a 20 % weight reduction because a lot of people dont quite hammer that muscle with one set.

6. Fail In The Gym To Dominate In The Mat

Besides your warm-up set for each resistance training workout, you should train your sets to momentary muscular breakdown. This is the point at which you can't finish another repeat with perfect form. By training to momentary muscular failure, you're forcing the muscles to conform, and thus get stronger. I'd like to clarify training to failure. Training to failure isn't nearly taxing the muscle. It's the point at which you cannot push or pull another repetition regardless of what. Might it be safe to teach this way? Absolutely! The first couple of repetitions of the set are really more dangerous. Once an athlete isn't using slower velocity, and good form, it is normally during these first few repetitions an athlete gets hurt.

7. Use Devices And Free Weights

There is a standard misconception amongst trainers and athletes that you need to use free-weights when strength training. Free weights are fantastic! So are devices! Muscle tissue dont know the difference. The intensity is easily the most crucial thing when trying to improve your strength for wrestling. The tool which you just utilize to get there is not. I enjoy certain exercises for certain muscles. Additionally, it depends upon injuries that the wrestler might already have. You can work around and injury and still give the body a comprehensive strength workout. In case you have access to Hammer Strength machines, I highly recommend that you just contain them in your own wrestling strength exercise.

8. Make Use Of A Thick Bar

If you dont have access to a thick bar, get one. This is usually a hollow metal tube that you just place free weights in the end-of. A thick bar forces you to truly hold on tightly when performing exercises. It develops fantastic forearm and hand strength. It should be part of every serious strength-training program for wrestlers. You can do curls, reverse curls, rows, and presses with it.

9. Maintain The Protein

If you are attempting to lower weight or go up a weight class, you want regular feedings of protein. Protein helps to repair and rebuild muscle mass. It is crucial to maintain protein feedings if you're attempting to cut weight except if you dont mind becoming weaker and losing muscle. Try to get at least 5 protein feedings each day. The difference can be found in the carbohydrate consumption. If you want to decrease weight, you should start slowly dropping carbs, but never fully. You cant wrestle in case you have no energy. Carbs are you bodys preferred energy source. Contact me at steve@sports-strength.com if you-re interested in a customized meal plan for wrestling.

10. The Trap Bar

When attempting to gain wrestling strength the trap bar is another incredible piece of equipment. The trap bar is a hexagonally shaped bar. It enables you to perform deadlifts with maximal stimulation of nearly every muscle crucial to improved wrestling performance. Execute a search on the web, if youve never seen one. This is an exercise that all of my wrestling clients use. It is going to make your whole body stronger. If I were limited to only one exercise in order to increase the strength within my wrestlers, this would be the exercise that Id choose.