Off-Season Wrestler Training

What are the other wrestler’s on this site doing for their off-season lifting? I just wanted to make a thread so we can share training ideas/info. I just finished a Westside routine the sumo deadlift as the ME exercise for the lower body and the vertical pull for the upper body.

It may not have been a good idea to use the weighted chin-up as the ME right after the wrestling season because I put on weight (160 to 180/185ish) after I can eat like myself. I did improve my max suno deadlift 3 RM by 30 lbs and slightly improved my vertical pull despite a huge weight gain.

For my next mesodcycle, I am going to use Westside for Skinny Bastards 2. I love Westside but my last mesocycle was too neurally taxing and I burned out in 3.5 weeks, but made some nice gains in size and strength. WS4SB2 is more metabolically taxing so hopefully that will workout better. In addition, I’m going to put a sandbag day with sandbag loading, dragging, and clean and presses on the Strongman day. My upper body ME wil be a bottom position bench press and lower body a rack pull.

How are the rest of the wreslters training?

I think one think you have overlooked is that you need to change up the max effort lifts every 2-3 weeks. Look on Defranco’s Q&A section and he answers a few questions about wrestling programs. If I remember correctly he emphasized pulling and grip strength.

I think another wrestler started a thread like this last month – I’d recommend searching for it. I found CrossFit was great for wrestling, but that was in-season.

[quote]scottiscool wrote:
I think one think you have overlooked is that you need to change up the max effort lifts every 2-3 weeks. Look on Defranco’s Q&A section and he answers a few questions about wrestling programs. If I remember correctly he emphasized pulling and grip strength.[/quote]

I have read his Q&A. Usually for wrestling, it is better to emphasize pulling and grip strength, as have I for a while. However, it is early in the off-season and I feel it would be beneficial to develop some pushing strength now, which I have focused less on in the past. It also does carryover well to wrestling in the tie-up. I am thinking about doing the bench for two-three weeks, then switching to the overhead press for two-three weeks. Thanx for pointing out the need to change max effort exercises.

I’m finishing up Coach X’s GPP program and then I’m doing the Westside “Need More Mass” template. I’ve been wrestling up these last two years and I’ve been getting my ass handed to me by bigger and stronger guys. So I’m looking to gain alot of strength and some size over the offseason.
I’ll also be doing a good amount of Oly lifting, sled pulling, and other GPP. Long walks with the sled or farmers walks should help build up endurance.
I was around 17% bf last season, maybe 15% now, and I want to be 10% by the start of the next season. I think I’ll be able to do this by eating cleaner and training harder.

im a sub grappler who currently has no gym to train at so i guess you could say im in the “off-season”

right now im doing dan johns OLAD program because i only have about 30 minutes to lift a day, and i choose exercises based on a push/pull/squat split. im also conditioning myself with lots of different kinds of gpp, like sledgehammer, sandbag, sled, and unweighted gpp.

once i get back in the gym ill probably drop alot of the lifting and focus on weighted gpp

edit: if you want, you can check out my training log at the following link. while youre there, check out Baruts too, i believe he trains for Muay Thai

http://www.mmaathletes.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=45

[quote]wrestler189 wrote:
I’m finishing up Coach X’s GPP program and then I’m doing the Westside “Need More Mass” template. I’ve been wrestling up these last two years and I’ve been getting my ass handed to me by bigger and stronger guys. So I’m looking to gain alot of strength and some size over the offseason.
I’ll also be doing a good amount of Oly lifting, sled pulling, and other GPP. Long walks with the sled or farmers walks should help build up endurance.
I was around 17% bf last season, maybe 15% now, and I want to be 10% by the start of the next season. I think I’ll be able to do this by eating cleaner and training harder.
[/quote]

What level do you wrestle at?

High school. It’s my second year wrestling.

got back into greco roman last year, doing clock push ups, chins, dips, rope climbing, buddy carrys, bear crawls and buddy squats, buddy cleans and buddy lift and drops and a lot of running in the woods and jumping over logs

I have been wrestling for 5 years. I’m just coming off a fifth place finish at the provincial championships up here in Ontario, Canada. In the off season i follow a regular bodybuilding training program along with a bodybuilding type nutrition plan. As soon as i get to the weight i desire i lean out and work on maintaining this new lean mass for the next season. Part of this includes lots of cardio(i also play rugby). So this works out so that i gain hwever much lean mass as i want to, then focus entirely on strength and endurace for the rest of the off season.

[quote]panzer man wrote:
I have been wrestling for 5 years. I’m just coming off a fifth place finish at the provincial championships up here in Ontario, Canada. In the off season i follow a regular bodybuilding training program along with a bodybuilding type nutrition plan. As soon as i get to the weight i desire i lean out and work on maintaining this new lean mass for the next season. Part of this includes lots of cardio(i also play rugby). So this works out so that i gain hwever much lean mass as i want to, then focus entirely on strength and endurace for the rest of the off season.[/quote]

That is actually a very good idea.