Wrestling Strength & Conditioning - The Complete Guide

Wrestling Strength Training

If you came here to learn wrestling strength training like Triple H and John Cena or how to jump higher off the top rope, you’ve found the wrong wrestling. If we were to refer to South Park, this is strength training for real wrasslin’!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7\_7oQLh6eg

Wrestling likely benefits the most from physicality compared to other forms of martial arts. In fact, an old study concluded that physiological variables (such as strength) are the best way to predict success in elite-level wrestlers [1].

Maximal dynamic and isometric strength are strong predictors of wrestling performance. Elite-level wrestlers possess greater strength than their sub-elite counterparts across all weight classes.

To gain the most accurate understanding of how important strength training is for wrestling, we must compare elite and non-elite wrestlers' strength and power capabilities. If elite wrestlers are stronger in certain areas, we can confidently conclude that they are important for high-level wrestling performance.

Wrestler Strength Training Benefits

Strength training is an essential component of preparing for wrestling, a sport that demands technical skill and a high degree of physical strength, power, speed, and endurance. Here’s why you should strength train for wrestling.

Strength Training Reduces Injury Risk

There is a host of evidence supporting that stronger athletes are more resistant to injury. For example, one meta-analysis found strength training reduces sports injuries to less than a third and reduces overuse injuries by 50% [17].

Further, a 10% increase in strength training volume reduces the risk of injury by more than 4% [18]. Safe to say, hitting the gym can keep you on the mats longer.

Be Able To Train Harder

While being stronger will keep you on the mats longer without injury, it also makes you a more robust wrestler. Stronger wrestlers can handle workloads with less risk of injury and tolerate larger week-to-week changes in training load [19].

A spike in training load is often associated with injury. Meaning if you go from little training to suddenly hours of intense training, being stronger will make you more resilient and able to bounce back faster.

Strength Exercises Increase Strength & Power

Wrestling is a sport of strength and power. Strength is a strong predictor of wrestling performance [1].

A well-programmed strength training routine (like in our 12-week off-season wrestling strength & conditioning program) will enhance strength and power without making you slow or “muscle bound.”

Since power is the product of force and velocity, lifting weights targets the force side of the power equation.

Lifting Weights Can Make You A Faster Wrestler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmlZzjhE8IU

Speed kills in all sports. Wrestling included. Strength is one of the backbones of speed and, when performed correctly, enhances speed alongside strength. If you want to blast double legs easily, get in the gym.

Develop Specific Wrestling Strength

Weight training is typically general preparation for wrestling. However, you can perform exercises closer to representing wrestling movements.

One example is sandbag bearhug carries, which mimics the postures and muscles worked when lifting an opponent.

Another option is the Zercher squat, forcing you to support the weight with your arms and shoulders and maintain an upright posture.

Gain A Mental Edge

Knowing you have the strength to lift hefty poundages and having muscles to show for it is a confidence booster. Having this mindset going into a match can make or break your competition's success.

While exercise isn’t the ideal way to develop mental toughness, having this confidence may give you the extra push during a competitive wrestling match.

Best Strength Exercises For Wrestling

Squat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vvRO\_RW0KU

The squat is considered the king of lower body exercises. It targets the glutes and quads but is limited by your back strength. You have many variations to play with, such as back squats, front squats, and even zercher squats.

What you use depends on your injury history, stage of training, and what you feel most comfortable performing. I’m a big fan of the front squat, and here is how to do it:

• •Duck under the bar and position it across the front of your shoulders. Choose a grip: either a clean grip (fingers under the bar) or a cross-armed grip (arms crossed over the bar), depending on your mobility.
• •Keep your elbows high to create a 'shelf' for the bar on your shoulders. Unrack the barbell and step back.
• •Begin the squat by pushing your hips back slightly and bending your knees simultaneously to lower your body straight down.
• •Keep your chest up and your elbows high throughout the descent.
• •Aim to go as deep as your flexibility and mobility allow, ideally until your butt touches your calves in the bottom position.
• •Aim to go as deep as your flexibility and mobility allow, ideally until your butt touches your calves in the bottom position.

Deadlift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad2zHAXTHYc

The deadlift is another lower body dominant staple exercise within wrestling workouts. It targets the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and back. You’ll also strengthen your grip, which is a bonus. I’m not a huge fan of programming it because heavy deadlifts are hard to recover from, making it tough to wrestle later.

Further, many wrestlers suffer from lower back pain, and deadlifting can make this worse. However, some wrestlers love the deadlift exercise and, when programmed properly, can be a great addition to your workout.

However, I recommend choosing the trap bar over the barbell variation as it reduces lower back stress, and the elevated handles reduce the range of motion. Here’s how to do it:

• •Step into the trap bar, centering your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your hips and bend your knees to reach down and grip the trap bar handles. Use the high handles.
• •Straighten your back, engage your lats, and pull the slack out of the bar to create tension.
• •Push through your full foot to lift the bar off the ground. Your hips and chest should rise at the same time.
• •As the bar passes your knees, fully extend your hips and knees until you’re standing upright.

Power Clean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s70xoAt9Z9I

I’m a big proponent of Olympic Weightlifting movements for wrestlers. It doesn’t need to be the classical snatch and clean & jerk. Weightlifting derivatives are easier to learn and maximize strength and power development without mastering the technique.

Moving heavy loads quickly is the name of the game for maximizing the transfer between resistance exercise and wrestling training. Here’s how to do it:

• •Have your weight in the middle of the foot, shoulders over the bar, and the barbell cutting your foot in half, resting against your shin.
• •Point your elbows out while keeping a big chest, creating tension in your lats.
• •Push with your legs to initiate the pull. Maintain the same back angle as your initial setup. Your knees will travel slightly back as they move out of the way. Your hips and shoulders should rise simultaneously.
• •Once you pass the knees, the second pull (knee to hip) involves accelerating the bar to the triple extension position. Stay over the bar for as long as possible to maintain a vertical bar path.
• •The bar should brush up the upper part of the thigh as you extend the hips, knees, and ankles with a big shrug of the shoulders.
• •As you pull the bar up, you will also pull yourself under the barbell. The feet will move slightly out to receive the bar. The elbows will rapidly turn under the bar to catch the bar on the shoulders, with the elbows pointing as high as possible.

Jump Squat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36MJpbdHDh4

Jumping is an excellent alternative to the Weightlifting movements. It has no learning curve, and you can express power with varying loads. You can use a barbell on your back or hold a trap bar or dumbbell by your side.

Jumping improves your ability to produce force quickly, which is a key requisite for wrestling performance. Here’s how to do it:

• •Unrack the barbell on your back like when performing the back squat. You need to try to bend the bar over your traps to create a tight upper back, keeping the barbell on your traps when jumping.
• •Dip into a quarter squat position. The faster you can turn the descent into the ascent (eccentric to concentric), the better you will train the ability to produce force quickly. Push through your entire foot and drive with your legs as you do this.
• •Continue driving with the legs and onto your toes. Keep the bar tight on your traps while you become airborne. Absorb the impact when landing by slightly bending the knees.

Snatch High Pull

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xWlJ-5nC40

The snatch high pull is my go-to weight training exercise for building a powerful upper back. You must sequence the pull from the floor, then use your hips and upper back muscles to propel the barbell toward your chest.

It’s the ultimate full-body strength exercise for wrestlers and closely mimics the mat return movement like the power clean. Here’s how to do it:

• •Take a snatch grip (use straps for this exercise) and pull yourself into the starting position with a big chest, tight lats, and head and eyes forward.
• •Push through your legs into the ground. Once you stand up tall, extend onto your toes and violently shrug your shoulders while pulling the barbell as high as you can, similar to an upright row.

Weighted Pull-Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkyoaVzabvU

Pull-ups should be a staple within your wrestling workouts. For variation, they can be done with an underhand (chin-up) or overhand (pull-up) grip. You can level them up further by using towels to strengthen your grip. Here’s how to do it:

• •Use a dip belt to hang plates between your legs. You can hold a dumbbell between your feet if you don't have a dip belt.
• •Grip the pull-up bar with palms facing away from you. Your grip should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• •Create a big chest from the dead hang position like you’re trying to face your upper chest to the chin-up bar.
• •Pull yourself up by driving your elbows to your ribs while maintaining a big chest. If you’re strong enough, your chest should touch the chin-up bar.
• •Slowly lower yourself back to the dead-hang position.

Barbell Row

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBq4vWQ20lU

The barbell row is an epic strength exercise as it puts you in a bent-over position where you must support your body weight and the barbell. Honestly, I hate doing this exercise. But the exercises you hate give you the most significant gains.

If you don’t want to use the barbell, the dumbbell row is a great substitute when done heavy. Here’s how to barbell row:

• •Bend at the hips and knees to reach down and grip the barbell. Your grip should be relatively narrow to maximize targeting the lats.
• •Pull the barbell towards your belly button, keeping your elbows close to your body. At the top of the movement, squeeze your shoulder blades together.
• •Lower the barbell down in a controlled manner to the floor, fully extending your arms.

Push Press

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlczwRm\_Szg

The push press is another Weightlifting derivative that must be in a wrestler's weight training program. You must sequence the force generated from your legs to your hands and arms like many takedowns. Here’s how to do it:

• •Unrack the barbell in the front rack position. It’ll be the same as your front squat. Set in a straight leg stance, lower the elbows slightly to create a more vertical forearm position. The chest remains high to keep an upright posture.
• •The dip begins with the weight towards your heels, with the entire foot contacting the ground. The dip should be initiated by dipping the tailbone straight down to the floor. You can think of pulling a piece of string attached to your tailbone straight down.
• •The knees will bend and travel slightly outwards like you would when squatting. The depth of the dip will be similar to a quarter squat depth or slightly higher. You will need to feel this one out.
• •Once the bottom of the dip is reached, a sharp and explosive drive phase is initiated, where you will push through the full foot and eventually finish with straight legs extending onto your toes.
• •As the barbell travels off the shoulders from the leg drive, you must push simultaneously with the arms. Continue pressing with the shoulders, arms, and legs as the bar travels overhead. The legs will remain straight throughout the rest of the lift and the finish.
• •The end position will have the barbell overhead with the head through to create a stable lockout position.

Sandbag Loading

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtryGVO\_rlU

Sandbag loading is the more specific version of the Weightlifting derivatives regarding wrestling training. Within the power clean, the hips and knees aren’t thrust forward as that kicks the bar horizontally. But this is ideal when loading a sandbag.

It gets you into a similar position to performing a mat return and carrying your opponent on your hips. The awkward sandbag makes it even better. Here’s how to do it:

• •Wedge your hands under the sandbag by rolling it back and forth over each hand. From this position, squat down so you can use as much of your legs as possible to stand up with the sandbag.
• •As you stand, thrust your hips forward onto your toes as you load the sandbag onto the elevated platform.

Sandbag Bearhug Carry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4i83HJX2Lw

Like sandbag loading, the bearhug carry is a brutal Strongman exercise challenging your entire body from your hips to your hands. You can make incredible endurance improvements with this exercise when done consistently. Here’s how to do it:

• •When the sandbag is flat on the floor, you must wedge your hands under each side. You'll need to roll the sandbag back and forth over each hand to get your hands and forearms around the sandbag.
• •From this position, squat down so you can use as much of your legs as possible to stand up with the sandbag.
• •You will likely have to adjust the sandbag on the way up with a little hip bump and readjustment of the hands. You can use a monkey, seatbelt, Gable, butterfly, or S grip.

Farmers Walk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VaX-yVRPyY

Of course, no wrestling exercise list is complete without the farmers walk. It taxes the grip and upper back like no other exercise. Farmers' handles are typically best, but kettlebells also make a good option. Here’s how to do it:

• •Grip your implement and setup as you would for a deadlift. Your implements will be on either side of your body.
• •Deadlift the implements so you are standing up tall. Don’t start walking until you have stabilized the weight.
• •Start walking forward with small steps while maintaining your brace. Lower your implements back to the floor once you reach your desired distance or time.
• •Most importantly, don’t let the load round your back. Fight against the load to maintain your upright posture.

Strength Profile Of Elite vs. Non-Elite Wrestlers

Maximal dynamic and isometric strength has been well-researched within the wrestling community. Rightly so, wrestling requires picking up and moving other humans of similar size. Maximal strength in wrestling exceeds values seen in the striking arts but is comparable to other grappling arts, such as judo [2]. Highlighting the different physical requirements needed for these martial arts.

126 male wrestlers were categorized as top elite, elite, and amateur wrestlers [3]. The top elite won medals at European and/or World Championships. Elite wrestlers participated in these events but didn’t win a medal, and amateurs did not compete.

The researchers found no differences between levels regarding isometric grip strength, back strength, or leg strength, regardless of weight class. However, lower body average and peak power during maximal cycling sprint tests were greater in elite than amateurs.

These differences were not seen between the top elite and the elite, indicating that once a certain level of physical ability is reached, the technical and tactical ability separates the very top wrestlers.

It's important to note that amateurs in this study had less training experience than elite wrestlers, potentially explaining the reduced physical capacity.

But we can’t draw conclusions from one study!

Let's examine a case study involving the Iranian 4x World senior Greco-Roman wrestling champion in the 55 kg weight class [4]. This wrestler completed 30% more pull-ups and 8% more sit-ups than the National norms, highlighting his enhanced muscular endurance qualities.

He was also stronger in the back squat compared to National norms relative to body weight (1.83 vs. 1.79 respectively). However, his bench press was lower at 1.39 vs. 1.48 relative to bodyweight.

Similar strength levels were found in elite Iranian Junior wrestlers in the 55 kg weight class, with an average of 1.9 and 1.4 squat and bench press relative to body weight [5].

In fact, strength relative to body weight was not too different between weight classes, with a general trend of relative strength decreasing as weight classes increased due to the increase in the absolute load of the exercise.

If we compare these numbers to Division III American College wrestlers, the elite Iranian Junior wrestlers showed higher squat and bench press numbers, which potentially indicates that higher-level wrestlers are stronger [6].

Furthermore, research on elite Junior Turkish wrestlers compared strength measurements between those selected for the National Team for the World Championships and those not [7].

While they didn’t measure the traditional dynamic lifts such as the squat and bench press, they measured isometric grip, back, and leg strength.

Selected wrestlers were found to have 10% greater grip strength, 12% greater isometric back strength, and 7% greater isometric leg strength compared to those who weren’t selected for the National training camp.

Looking again at senior wrestlers, a 2015 study compared elite and sub-elite wrestlers where elite wrestlers were those with 8+ years of experience and participated in at least three International events representing their country, while sub-elite wrestlers were finalists in their National competitions but never competed internationally [8].

Elite wrestlers had higher bench presses (1.1 vs. 0.9) and squats (1.4 vs. 1.1) relative to bodyweight than sub-elite wrestlers.

Adding to this body of evidence is a 2011 study that set out to find which physical factors predict wrestling performance by comparing elite and amateur wrestlers by bodyweight (lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight) [9]. Elite wrestlers had more fat-free mass and 12-26% greater squat and bench press than amateurs.

Maximum muscle power was also much higher for these exercises, ranging from 14-30% greater than seen in amateur wrestlers. It seemed that age and physical training experience wasn’t the distinguishing factor regarding muscle strength and power, but rather fat-free mass.

The load that maximized power in the squat was approximately 60-65% 1RM, and the bench press was approximately 34-37% 1RM regardless of weight class, providing some essential, actionable information to inform strength programming.

Elite wrestlers also showed stronger grip strength in the light and middleweight classes, ranging from 6-19% greater, but no differences were seen in heavyweights. Maximal back strength was also much higher in elites than amateurs at 7-20%.

Overall, we can conclude that dynamic and isometric physical strength is important to wrestling success and should be prioritized within a wrestler's training program.

Physical Differences Between Greco-Roman and Freestyle Wrestling

Both Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling are Olympic sports. Freestyle wrestling is characterized by the use of explosive techniques over a 2 x 3-minute bout. The main distinction is the ability to use upper and lower body wrestling while Greco-Roman only allows upper body techniques [10]. Do these differences influence the physical profiles of elite wrestlers?

Junior Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestlers of the Polish National team were compared through a range of physical tests [11]. Freestyle wrestlers showed greater strength endurance of the trunk (sit-ups and side twists) and the upper body (pull-ups and dips).

This may be explained by the number of techniques that can be used to end a match by either using the arms or legs such as various leg locks making it attack-oriented wrestling.

Freestyle wrestlers also possessed stronger bench presses, snatches, and higher vertical jumps than Greco-Roman wrestlers.

A more recent study on junior Turkish wrestlers found slightly different results where no differences were found in strength (grip and back) between wrestling styles except for isometric leg strength being higher in Greco-Roman wrestlers [10].

Perhaps the differences found in these studies could come down to the testing modalities used with the former using dynamic strength endurance tests where the latter used isometric tests. As both wrestling styles require high-levels of isometric strength, perhaps these values won’t differ to the same extent as dynamic movement when freestyle wrestling is considered a more explosive style.

How Wrestling Tournaments Affect Strength

Understanding how a wrestling tournament may impact strength as matches’ progress may provide some valuable insight into strength training preparation. So one study followed Division I freestyle wrestlers who were National and International competitors over a 2-day simulated tournament after a weight cut [12].

Day 1 had 3, 5 minutes matches while Day 2 had 2 matches. As we know, there can be some differences between sparring and competitive matches so to make the environment more competitive, wrestlers were competing for a starting position within their weight class.

Both handgrip and bear hug strength declined from the first match compared to baseline over the 2 days. Vertical jump only declined at the start of Day 2 likely due to the increased concentrations of the muscle damage marker creatine kinase.

Further, reductions in slower velocity and isometric elbow and knee strength were observed throughout the tournament showing slower, maximal strength movements to be more susceptible to fatigue compared to faster velocity movements.

It may be pertinent to emphasize isometric, maximal strength, and strength endurance over higher-velocity strength training due to the high levels of fatigue present in tournaments as well as strength being a major predictor of wrestling success.

Injury Profile Of Wrestling

Starting at the American high school level, the most commonly injured areas were the shoulder (24%) and knee (17%) [13]. Shoulder injuries were mainly rotator cuff muscle strains and knee injuries mainly contusions and meniscus tears. Ankles were the most common joint sprain.

Another study investigating high school and collegiate wrestling found half of the injuries were strains and sprains [14]. Knee (25% & 15%) and shoulder (18% & 18%) injuries were the most common in collegiate and high school wrestlers respectively.

When looking at the Olympic level, the 2008 Beijing Olympics showed freestyle wrestling had the highest injury rates [15]. Most injuries were cuts (60%) and sprains (25%) with the upper body having more injuries than the lower body.

The 2016 Rio Olympics showed similar findings with the most common injury being cuts and contusions (55%) but with both freestyle and Greco-Roman sustaining high injury rates (36% & 41% respectively) [16].

We can conclude that strengthening the shoulder, knee, and ankles should remain a strong focus throughout a strength training plan for wrestling.

Wrestling Strength Training Program

While there are potentially small differences between freestyle and Greco-Roman, this will be an example of wrestling workouts. Strength training for wrestlers is more than a basic Powerlifting routine.

There are other attributes that must be addressed within the program.

I’ve set this up in two phases, as I've done with the other strength training programs on Sweet Science of Fighting. Phase 1 will focus on developing maximal dynamic strength and sub-maximal isometric strength.

Phase 2 will continue to focus on maximal dynamic strength and maximal isometric strength. However, with some more advanced set/rep protocols. One is using cluster sets to maintain high-quality volume and potentially minimize some of the fatigue from the sets.

Reducing some of the fatigue is essential as a high volume power training (HVPT) approach is taken with the jump squat and bench throw made popular by Alex Natera.

HVPT improves maximal jump performance and the ability to repeat power, which is potentially beneficial for the explosive nature of freestyle wrestling.

I broke down this training protocol in my video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DcW4q6fxd0

This program will focus on a 3-day-a-week model as strength training is more important to wrestling than other martial arts. They may train 3-4 times a week for their sport at least at the collegiate level and even less if it is the off-season. This program will have an off-season focus.

Wrestling Strength Workouts Phase 1

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Phase 2

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

References

1. Nagle, F. J., Morgan, W. P., Hellickson, R. O., Serfass, R. C., & Alexander, J. F. (1975). Spotting success traits in Olympic contenders. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 3(12), 31-34.

2. Chaabene, H., Negra, Y., Bouguezzi, R., Mkaouer, B., Franchini, E., Julio, U., & Hachana, Y. (2017). Physical and physiological attributes of wrestlers: an update. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 31(5), 1411-1442.

3. Demirkan, E., Koz, M., Kutlu, M., & Favre, M. (2015). Comparison of physical and physiological profiles in elite and amateur young wrestlers. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(7), 1876-1883.

4. Mirzaei, B., Curby, D. G., Barbas, I., & Lotfi, N. (2011). Anthropometric and physical fitness traits of four-time World Greco-Roman wrestling champion in relation to national norms: A case study.

5. Mirzaei, B., Curby, D. G., Rahmani-Nia, F., & Moghadasi, M. (2009). Physiological profile of elite Iranian junior freestyle wrestlers. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(8), 2339-2344.

6. Schmidt, W. D., Piencikowski, C. L., & Vandervest, R. E. (2005). Effects of a competitive wrestling season on body composition, strength, and power in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III college wrestlers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19(3), 505.

7. Demirkan, E., Ünver, R., Kutlu, M., & Mitat, K. O. Z. (2012). The comparison of physical and physiological characteristics of junior elite wrestlers. Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 6(2), 138-144.

8. Morán-Navarro, R., Valverde-Conesa, A., López-Gullón, J. M., la Cruz-Sánchez, D., & Pallarés, J. G. (2015). Can balance skills predict Olympic wrestling performance?. Journal of Sport & Health Research, 7(1).

9. García-Pallarés, J., López-Gullón, J. M., Muriel, X., Díaz, A., & Izquierdo, M. (2011). Physical fitness factors to predict male Olympic wrestling performance. European journal of applied physiology, 111(8), 1747-1758.

10. Demirkan, E., Kutlu, M., Koz, M., Özal, M., & Favre, M. (2014). Physical fitness differences between freestyle and Greco-Roman junior wrestlers. Journal of human kinetics, 41(1), 245-251.

11. Baić, M., Sertić, H., & Starosta, W. (2007). Differences in physical fitness levels between the classical and the free style wrestlers. Kinesiology: International journal of fundamental and applied kinesiology, 39(2), 142.

12. Kraemer, W. J., Fry, A. C., Rubin, M. R., Triplett-McBride, T., Gordon, S. E., Koziris, L. P., ... & Fleck, S. J. (2001). Physiological and performance responses to tournament wrestling. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 33(8), 1367-1378.

13. Pasque, C. B., & Hewett, T. E. (2000). A prospective study of high school wrestling injuries. The American journal of sports medicine, 28(4), 509-515.

14. Yard, E. E., Collins, C. L., Dick, R. W., & Comstock, R. D. (2008). An epidemiologic comparison of high school and college wrestling injuries. The American journal of sports medicine, 36(1), 57-64.

15. Shadgan, B., Feldman, B. J., & Jafari, S. (2010). Wrestling injuries during the 2008 Beijing olympic games. The American journal of sports medicine, 38(9), 1870-1876.

16. Shadgan, B., Molnar, S., Sikmic, S., & Chahi, A. (2017). Wrestling injuries during the 2016 Rio Olympic games. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(4), 387-387.

17. Lauersen, J. B., Bertelsen, D. M., & Andersen, L. B. (2014). The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British journal of sports medicine, 48(11), 871-877.

18. Lauersen, J. B., Andersen, T. E., & Andersen, L. B. (2018). Strength training as superior, dose-dependent and safe prevention of acute and overuse sports injuries: a systematic review, qualitative analysis and meta-analysis. British journal of sports medicine, 52(24), 1557-1563.

19. Malone, S., Hughes, B., Doran, D. A., Collins, K., & Gabbett, T. J. (2019). Can the workload–injury relationship be moderated by improved strength, speed and repeated-sprint qualities?. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 22(1), 29-34.

Wrestling Conditioning

Wrestling workouts are considered some of the hardest in any sport. Not surprising as wrestling requires manipulating another large human being and is considered the 5th hardest sport in the world. But being in condition for wrestling isn’t just about hard training.

Conditioning for wrestling requires high-levels of anaerobic power and capacity as elite wrestlers display greater values in this area making it a distinguishing factor for elite performance. Aerobic conditioning is also vitally important in maintaining high-intensity efforts and recovery between matches.

To help us decide which type of conditioning training best suits the sport of wrestling, we must analyze the demands of the sport and what separates elite wrestlers from their non-elite counterparts.

Physiological Profile Of Elite vs. Non-Elite Wrestlers

Elite and amateur young wrestlers aged 15-17 years old were compared for anaerobic and aerobic qualities [1]. Elite wrestlers were those who participated in the European or World Championships while amateur wrestlers were those who did not.

Anaerobic qualities were assessed with the Wingate test which you will find a common thread throughout these studies. If you are unfamiliar with the test, you can check out this short video explanation and demonstration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tss7Z5DwGtE

This test is often vomit-inducing it is that intense. The one demoing in this video looks like he may have been half arsing it.

An upper body Wingate test was also used and a shuttle run test to measure aerobic capacity (VO2max). Elite wrestlers had approximately 12% greater aerobic capacity than amateur wrestlers except for in the lightweight class where no difference was found.

There were no differences found for upper body anaerobic performance between elite and amateur wrestlers. Only the middleweights saw a difference in lower body anaerobic performance with elite wrestlers showing a 12.5% and 7.5% greater peak and average power output.

Aerobic capacity and anaerobic performance variables were found to be very similar within elite Junior Iranian freestyle wrestlers with lower body average power ranging from 330-620 W and aerobic capacity ranging from 50-57 ml.kg–1min–1 on average in both studies [2].

For reference, elite endurance athletes can have aerobic capacities above 70 ml.kg–1min–1 [3], while senior elite level wrestlers can display power outputs of 836 W on average [4]. Some anomalies can crank out power outputs over 1000 W!

Junior elite wrestler’s average power relative to body weight tends to exceed the values presented by elite taekwondo athletes highlighting the potential importance of lower body anaerobic performance in wrestling over striking combat sports [5].

In fact, these junior elite wrestlers’ lower body power outputs even exceed the German 4000m pursuit World Record breakers in the 2000 Olympics again highlighting potentially how important it is to have the ability to generate power in the lower body [6].

One of the original studies looking at elite vs. non-elite USA developmental junior wrestlers found peak anaerobic power of the arms and legs relative to bodyweight were key factors distinguishing the level of wrestler while aerobic capacity was not [8].

But how do senior elite wrestlers compare with their non-elite counterparts?

Elite Spanish wrestlers (International competitors) showed 11% greater peak power than sub-elite wrestlers (National competitors) [7]. However, there was only a trend showing elite wrestlers to have greater aerobic capacity than the sub-elites.

Probably the best-performed study to date is this 2011 study where 92 wrestlers from 5 different countries based on their level and body weight were compared to predict wrestling performance [9]. Elite wrestlers had at least 6 years of experience and competed in at least 3 European and/or World Championships while amateur wrestlers had been a finalist at their National Championships.

Elite wrestlers showed greater absolute and relative upper-body average and peak power in the Wingate test in all 3 weight categories (light, middle, and heavy).

The stark difference in anaerobic power is likely influenced by the 3-5% greater fat-free mass that the elite wrestlers possessed. Fat-free mass has been shown to correlate strongly with anaerobic peak and mean power during the Wingate test in wrestlers [10].

More recently, a review study of 71 research journals with a combined 2,124 wrestlers looked to decipher the main physiological characteristics of wrestlers [12]. They made the following observations:

• •The VO2max of wrestlers are comparable to karateka, taekwondo, and amateur boxers establishing the importance of a well-developed aerobic base.
• •A high level of aerobic capacity is an important factor for elite wrestling performance.
• •Anaerobic power is higher than those of judo, amateur boxing, and karate but anaerobic capacity is similar to these martial arts.
• •Upper and lower anaerobic power and capacity are higher in elite wrestlers vs. non-elite.

Overall, a high level of aerobic development does seem to differentiate between elite wrestlers and non-elite wrestlers. But other factors may better predict wrestling success.

What the research clearly shows is the ability to display high levels of anaerobic power and capacity is indicative of elite wrestling performance. In order to improve this power output and capacity, high levels of fat-free mass and muscular strength and power are needed.

Physiological Demands Of Wrestling

While the aerobic energy system doesn’t seem to differentiate between elite and non-elite wrestlers, a baseline level of aerobic development is needed to compete in a tournament format.

Not only to sustain high-intensity efforts but also aid in recovery between matches [12]. In a 2-day tournament simulation study of NCAA Division I wrestlers, blood lactate concentration after each of the 5 matches was extremely high (17-20 mmol.L-1) [11].

Indicating the high anaerobic demand for each individual match regardless of the incurred fatigue as the tournament progressed.

However, this study was performed before the rule change where matches were 2 x 5-minute rounds.

A more recent study found blood lactate concentration to only reach 8-13 mmol.L-1 [13]. Most notable was that while elite and amateur level wrestlers reach similar blood lactate levels post-match after the 2nd and 3rd match, elite wrestler’s blood lactate gradually increases throughout the match while amateurs have a spike.

Further, amateur wrestlers had higher blood lactate values after the first match. All of this indicates:

• •Elite wrestlers are able to pace themselves appropriately.
• •Elite wrestlers are more technically efficient meaning they don’t expend as much energy when performing wrestling techniques.

Activity Profile Of A Wrestling Match

Very little research has investigated the match demands of a wrestling match. In fact, one of the only studies is from 2002 looking at the 1998 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships [14]. The average work to rest ratio for all weight classes was 27-47 seconds of work to 7-20 seconds rest. Leading to an approximately 2.5:1 work-rest ratio.

The 85 kg weight class had work periods of 52+ seconds which was the highest of all weight classes. 28% of the matches went into sudden death while only 19% of matches ended early.

High blood lactate concentrations were recorded after matches averaging 15 mmol.L-1 which increased as the length of the matches increased.

The average length of all matches was approximately 7 minutes due to the majority of matches going full-length and many going to sudden death.

Match time combined with the aerobic capacity present in wrestlers indicates a need for a well-developed aerobic energy system with strong anaerobic power and capacity capabilities to make explosive maneuvers.

Conditioning For Wrestling

Aerobic Power & Capacity

While aerobic training will focus on the usual central and peripheral adaptations in order to deliver more oxygen to the muscles and improve the ability to utilize it at the muscular level. However, we also want to train the ability to maintain a high quality of effort intermittently.

Cardiac Output Circuits

Building volume within the 130-150 BPM heart rate range is going to develop heart adaptations that will allow you to deliver more oxygen to the working muscles with each heartbeat. Use the Polar Heart Rate Monitor with a chest strap (check current price here) and not inaccurate wrist-worn fitness trackers.

Starting as low as 30 minutes and building to 60 minutes of continuous work should be the goal with this type of training.

This can be performed using off-feet cardio equipment such as rowers and bikes. However, using shadow wrestling drills such as sprawls, shots, and potentially partner-based alternating drills such as snap downs and arm drags into a takedown sequence can provide a great cardiovascular response while drilling wrestling techniques.

It could be as simple as choosing three or more different techniques and performing them in a continuous fashion for 5-10 minutes each.

Cardiac Power Intervals

You can also perform these using wrestling techniques. Ideally, these would be continuous double legs and other high-intensity takedowns. The idea is to maintain the highest heart rate possible throughout the entire work period in order to strengthen the contractile ability of the heart improving its ability to pump blood and maintain its strength at higher heart rates.

Tempo Training

Intermittent aerobic work is a great way to maintain a high quality of movement and effort without the unnecessary fatigue that accompanies harder lactic-based training. The work-rest ratio of wrestling closely fits this type of training making it potentially a more “specific” aerobic training protocol.

Perform the work interval at around 70-75% effort or pace. You should be able to maintain the same effort and pace for every single rep during every single set. If you aren’t able to, then you are pushing too hard. If this is too challenging to maintain a steady pace, you can also start with 30sec/30sec and progress to 40sec/20sec.

Threshold Training

You’ve probably heard plenty about the anaerobic threshold. It represents the shift in energy regeneration mainly from the aerobic processes to the anaerobic processes.

Ideally, you want to stay with energy coming from mainly the aerobic energy system for as long as possible. But in sports like wrestling, it is inevitable that anaerobic processes will be taxed heavily.

But we can increase the intensity in which you still use predominantly aerobic processes to fuel your match. By shifting the anaerobic threshold to a higher intensity leaving more room for aerobic processes to work. Meaning at the same intensity, you produce less blood lactate and therefore, will not fatigue as fast.

Joel Jamieson has invented a neat way to test your heart rate at lactate threshold in a field setting within MMA [16]. Using a heart rate monitor, spar for 3 x 5-minute rounds with 60-second breaks and take the average heart rate of the rounds only.

While wrestling isn’t fought over multiple 5-minute rounds, perhaps the same protocol could be used to find this measurement.

Once you have your average heart rate, you want to work between 5 BPM above and below. This average heart rate likely sits somewhere between 160-170 BPM on average.

Anaerobic Power & Capacity

In my opinion, anaerobic power is likely best developed with increase fat-free body mass and overall strength and power.

Anaerobic capacity on the other hand can be trained with a few different variations. If you’re following similar guidelines to my program in the “Wrestling Strength Training” article, then the high-volume power training is likely enough alongside intense wrestling training.

Here are some other anaerobic capacity training options:

Lactic Capacity Intervals

These intervals are best performed using wrestling techniques or even pure hard sparring. Drills can be manipulated such as always bringing fresh wrestlers in during the round.

You should be able to sustain the work intensity for all reps and rounds otherwise the work intervals are too intense. In fact, positive physiological adaptations to this kind of training have been found using sub-maximal intensities in endurance athletes so don’t worry too much if you think you aren’t working hard enough [15].

Lactic Explosive Repeat

This is basically the high-volume power training I discussed in the strength training for wrestling article. However, this is done with lighter loads. Pick exercises such as kettlebell squat jumps, explosive push-ups, and split squat jumps and go to town.

Alactic Power & Capacity

This will be a very brief section as the explosive side of training will be performed mainly in the gym through the use of appropriate strength and power training. Maximum effort jumps, throws, sprints, and Olympic lifts will do the trick.

Wrestling Conditioning Plan

When putting your plan together, don’t perform all of these at the same time. There is no way you could and the mixed signals you send your body will dilute the adaptations you are after. Instead, you can phase your training like this (brackets indicate number of sessions a week):

This is a very crude example and the number of sessions and how long each phase will run will be dictated completely by your wrestling training and strength training.

Summary

Wrestling is a brutal sport and requires immense conditioning to excel at it. However, don't be stuck blindly in high-intensity exercise. Low-intensity conditioning is vital for improving recovery between high-intensity efforts and operating at lower heart rates when wrestling.

Become The Enforcer & Manhandle Opponents

12-Week Off-Season Wrestling Strength & Conditioning Program that will give you elite level strength & conditioning specifically for wrestling so you can dominate the mats.

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References

1. Demirkan, E., Koz, M., Kutlu, M., & Favre, M. (2015). Comparison of physical and physiological profiles in elite and amateur young wrestlers. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(7), 1876-1883.

2. Mirzaei, B., Curby, D. G., Rahmani-Nia, F., & Moghadasi, M. (2009). Physiological profile of elite Iranian junior freestyle wrestlers. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(8), 2339-2344.

3. Hue, O., Gallais, D. L., Chollet, D., & Prefaut, C. (2000). Ventilatory threshold and maximal oxygen uptake in present triathletes. Canadian Journal of Applied Physiology, 25(2), 102-113.

4. Jakovljević, D. K., Eric, M., Jovanovic, G., Dimitric, G., Cupic, M. B., & Ponorac, N. (2018). Explosive muscle power assessment in elite athletes using wingate anaerobic test. Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte, 24(2), 107-111.

5. Lin, W. L., Yen, K. T., Lu, C. Y. D., Huang, Y. H., & Chang, C. K. (2006). Anaerobic capacity of elite Taiwanese Taekwondo athletes. Science & sports, 21(5), 291-293.

6. SCHUMACHER, Y. O., & MUELLER, P. (2002). The 4000-m team pursuit cycling world record: theoretical and practical aspects. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 34(6), 1029-1036.

7. Morán-Navarro, R., Valverde-Conesa, A., López-Gullón, J. M., la Cruz-Sánchez, D., & Pallarés, J. G. (2015). Can balance skills predict Olympic wrestling performance?. Journal of Sport & Health Research, 7(1).

8. Horswill, C. A., Scott, J. R., & Galea, P. (1989). Comparison of maximum aerobic power, maximum anaerobic power, and skinfold thickness of elite and nonelite junior wrestlers. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 10(03), 165-168.

9. García-Pallarés, J., López-Gullón, J. M., Muriel, X., Díaz, A., & Izquierdo, M. (2011). Physical fitness factors to predict male Olympic wrestling performance. European journal of applied physiology, 111(8), 1747-1758.

10. Vardar, S. A., Tezel, S., Öztürk, L., & Kaya, O. (2007). The relationship between body composition and anaerobic performance of elite young wrestlers. Journal of sports science & medicine, 6(CSSI-2), 34.

11. Kraemer, W. J., Fry, A. C., Rubin, M. R., Triplett-McBride, T., Gordon, S. E., Koziris, L. P., … & Fleck, S. J. (2001). Physiological and performance responses to tournament wrestling. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 33(8), 1367-1378.

12. Chaabene, H., Negra, Y., Bouguezzi, R., Mkaouer, B., Franchini, E., Julio, U., & Hachana, Y. (2017). Physical and physiological attributes of wrestlers: an update. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 31(5), 1411-1442.

13. Karnincic, H., Tocilj, Z., Uljevic, O., & Erceg, M. (2009). Lactate profile during Greco-Roman wrestling matchx. Journal of sports science & medicine, 8(CSSI3), 17.

14. Nilsson, J., Csergö, S., Gullstrand, L., Tveit, P., & Refsnes, P. E. (2002). Work-time profile, blood lactate concentration and rating of perceived exertion in the 1998 Greco-Roman wrestling World Championship. Journal of sports sciences, 20(11), 939-945.

15. Weston, A. R., Myburgh, K. H., Lindsay, F. H., Dennis, S. C., Noakes, T. D., & Hawley, J. A. (1996). Skeletal muscle buffering capacity and endurance performance after high-intensity interval training by well-trained cyclists. European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology, 75(1), 7-13.

16. Joel Jamieson. Ultimate MMA Conditioning.