Strength Training for Wrestling – Essential Gym Exercises for Optimal Performance
Exercise is the best way to build strength, endurance, agility, coordination, and stamina. Wrestlers require all these attributes to overcome their opponent and stay in the ring to throw the winning punch. There are a variety of exercises that work on different muscle groups and serve different purposes. High school wrestlers need to follow a well-planned exercise regimen to train for wrestling tournaments.
High schoolers often have a lot of energy and brute power. With correct training, consistency, and discipline, high school wrestlers can channel their energy into building the correct form and body for wrestling. In this article, we have laid down ten important exercises that build strength, stamina, and competency for high school wrestlers.
Rope Climbing for Dynamic Grip Strength
- Dynamic grip strength is a measure of the upper body’s ability (especially hands and forearms) to exert force while the lower body is in motion. A good dynamic grip means you can hold onto the object while moving your body. Dynamic grip strength is an important asset in wrestling. In many instances, wrestlers have to exert force with their hands while being in motion.
Rope climbing is one of the best ways to increase dynamic grip strength. This exercise strengthens the hands’ ability to hold onto the rope while the lower body pushes it to move up. It engages arm and core muscles to pull the body up, which requires a high amount of energy, control, and a firm grip.
- An excellent alternative to rope climbing is towel pull-ups. If a rope climbing machine is not available at your gym, you can do towel pull-ups by using the regular pull-up bar.
Farmer Walk for Static Grip – Best for Strength Training for wrestling
- Static grip strength is another core competency high school wrestlers need to master. Static grip is a measure of how long your hands and forearms can hold onto a heavy load without changing hand position. Wrestling hold is a common wrestling move in which wrestlers firmly grip their opponent and resist their attempts to free themselves. Having a firm static grip helps wrestlers perform ‘wrestling hold’ and other moves effectively.
Farmer walk is one such exercise that builds muscular endurance and increases static grip. It is a simple exercise that requires individuals to walk a certain distance while carrying heavy dumbbells or kettlebells. Walking causes a shift in the weight you are carrying. To accommodate this shift, adjust your grip accordingly. Adjusting to shifting weight helps you build a static grip and trains your upper body to maintain hold under pressure and resistance.
Front Squats for Lower Body Strength
- The lower body is composed of major muscle groups such as glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, adductors, etc. Our largest muscle groups are found in the legs and trunk areas. Wrestlers need to train their lower body to perform powerful, explosive moves. Squats are the best exercise for strengthening the lower body. There are many variations of squats that target different areas. However, the front squat is the best variation for wrestlers.
For front squats, the barbell is held in front of the chest. Front squats engage the upper back and strengthen the hamstrings, quadriceps, and hamstrings. They also reduce the strain on the lower back. Wrestlers often have to lift up their opponents, and front squats train them to lift heavy weights without excessive straining.
Weighted Neck Extension for Neck Strength
The neck is the most delicate part of the spine. Wrestling moves such as neckbreaker involve yanking, slamming, and grabbing the opponent’s neck. Therefore, wrestlers need superior neck strength to withstand and overcome the opponent’s moves. To build neck strength, wrestlers should master two major movement patterns:
- Neck flexion (the extent to which your neck can bend forward easily)
- Neck extension (the extent to which your head can tilt backwards)
Superior neck flexion and extension mean wrestlers have better neck stability and can protect the neck against injuries.
- Weighted Neck Extensions are an excellent exercise for building neck strength. To perform this exercise, place your chest on a bench so that your head is hanging off the bench in the air. Ask your instructor to place a weight plate on the back of your head. Stabilize the weight plate on your head.
Now, in slow and controlled motions, raise your head by extending your neck upwards and then lower it back. Repeat these movements 10 times for three sets, taking breaks in between sets.
Gradually increase the weight on the back of your head as you continue to build neck strength.
Single Leg Box Jump for Lower Body Strength
- The lower body includes legs and hips. It is the most powerful area of the body that helps us perform explosive movements in wrestling, such as takedowns, changing directions, and exploding off the bottom.
While many strength training for wrestling exercises can help build lower body strength, single-leg box jumps are ideal for wrestlers. They involve using one leg at a time, which makes the leg work harder. Unilateral lower body movements such as single-leg box jumps help with balance and mobility. In wrestling, sometimes you need to drive off one leg when aiming for a takedown or protecting yourself from it.
- To perform this exercise, stand on one leg before a box, lifting the other foot off the floor. The height of the box should be challenging yet doable. There should be one-foot distance between you and the box. With a slight bend in the knee, jump on the box and land softly. Step down and repeat the exercise. Do ten jumps for both legs.
Perform single-leg box jumps at the beginning of your workout session.
Barbell Deadlift for Posterior Chain Strength
- The posterior chain comprises the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. All these muscles play a crucial role in lending us strength, stability, and correct form in our day-to-day activities. The posterior chain connects the lower and upper body and enables them to work in coordination.
Posterior chain strength is an asset in wrestling. It allows you to drive your hips forward when aiming a shot at the opponent on the mat. To develop strong hip extension and overall posterior strength, incorporate barbell deadlifts into your exercise regimen. Choose from conventional, sumo, or trap bar deadlifts.
- To build posterior chain strength, incorporate the barbell deadlift, trap bar deadlift, power clean, and Romanian deadlift into your routine.
Morris County Wrestling & Martial Arts is a premier family-owned wrestling and martial arts facility. We attract top-level talent and train them to become the best wrestlers. At our facility, you will be guided and trained by nationally recognized wrestlers such as Mike and Vic Amada and many more.
Handstand Pushups for Shoulder Stability – Perfect to Boost Strength Training For Wrestling
- Shoulder stability measures how the deltoids and rotor cuffs react to external pressures and maintain their form under pressure. Shoulder stability allows wrestlers to maintain a strong base for performing wrestling moves when lying on the ground. A handstand pushup is an excellent move for strengthening and training shoulders.
Handstand pushups use body weight to train your shoulders and arms. With gradual progress, you can make the move more challenging by walking on your hands while doing a handstand.
- Alongside handstand pushups, you can perform a few other exercises to improve your shoulder stability. Examples include pike pushups, one-arm dumbbell overhead press, kettlebell snatch, and Turkish get-ups.
Ab Wheel for Building Core Strength
- Core strength is pivotal for wrestling. While many exercises strengthen the core, none is as effective for wrestlers as the ab wheel. Ab wheel is a resistance exercise that challenges multiple muscle groups and helps with stability.
Ab wheel rollout is performed using fitness equipment called Ab Wheel Rollout. It is an intermediate-level workout. There are many variations to the ab wheel workout, such as kneeling ab wheel rollout, crouching ab wheel rollout with alternating knee tucks, oblique wheel rollouts, and kneeling plank reaches. Start with the basic kneeling ab wheel rollout and build your strength gradually.
- Hanging leg raises and weighted situps are other excellent exercises for increasing core strength and stability. Incorporate these exercises alongside ab wheel rollouts. A strong and stable core is a wrestler’s biggest asset, as it builds the foundation for more effectively transferring force from the lower body to the upper body. This helps wrestlers lift, push, and resist the opponent.
Hill Sprints for Hard Conditioning
- Body Conditioning is usually referred to as a full-body workout that improves cardiovascular health and strengthens muscles. All the exercises we have listed above train specific muscle groups. However, despite having superior strength and power, wrestlers won’t last long in the ring without endurance and stamina.
Hard conditioning is the go-to exercise for improving cardiovascular fitness. Hill sprints are an excellent cardio exercise. They are tough to perform, and hill sprinting for continuous periods challenges the mind and body alike. However, they are easier on the joints and hamstrings, which makes them ideal for wrestlers.
- At the gym, you can perform hill sprints on the treadmill machine. Other alternatives include bike sprints and stair sprints.
Pull-ups
- Pull-ups are an upper-body strength exercise. They build muscle, increase grip strength, and work the upper back. Pull-ups improve relative strength, which is a measure of strength-to-body weight ratio. Relative strength gives wrestlers an edge over their competitors.
To perform a pull-up, you need a good-quality pull-up bar. While most gyms have pull-up bars, we want you to up your pull-up game a notch. Instead of limiting pull-up exercise to the gym, aim to perform a few reps every now and then throughout the day. To do so, buy a doorway pull-up bar and hang it in your room.
- Consistently performing a few reps throughout the day will enhance your stamina, increase grip strength, and result in visible growth.
Lateral pulldowns, chest-supported rows, and barbell rows are some other exercises that build pulling strength, which is necessary for wrestlers.
Morris County Wrestling & Martial Arts is a premier family-owned wrestling and martial arts facility. We attract top-level talent and train them to become the best wrestlers. At our facility, you will be guided and trained by nationally recognized wrestlers such as Mike and Vic Amada and many more.
We are located in Randolph, New Jersey. For more information, call us at (973) 713-3556 or visit our website.
