Wrestling Thread

I want this to be a thread for wrestlers to share and discuss pre-season training.

I am currently doing a lot of sandbag work. I especially love sandbag carries and loading. It’s a lot like moving a person and trains anaerobic capicity and strength simultaneously. My standard weightlifing is done a la CT’s Renaissance man with sandbag exercises replacing barbell lifts in some places (drags for lower body strength) or being added on as a finisher. I also do a set of max chins once a week.

im preparing for grapplers quest in november.

right now im doing 3 days of circuit weight training, one day of only o-lifting (though my other days do have o-lifts in them), and about 4-5 days of conditioning. my conditioning work varies, but i include sprints, sandbag training, heavybag training with jump roping, and im planning on trying sled drags today.

I helped the local high school’s wrestling coach set up a program for some of the wrestlers to do after school because all are in football and have to do the typical 5x5 program. We also include heavy sandbag work simulating various takedowns. Wheelbarrow walks and tireflips are also involved. Conditioning is 400m runs and stair sprints. To make it more fun we occasionly do buddy sprints.

Im thinking of wrestling this year for my school. I have never wrestled before and do not know any kind of moves.

what kind of things are you allowed to do to someone when you are wrestling?

[quote]WhiteLable412 wrote:

what kind of things are you allowed to do to someone when you are wrestling? [/quote]

rubbing your smelly armpit in their face is one, if the opportunity presents itself.

I’ve recently started getting all my guys together for our Wrestling Sport Club team, because our college lacks any physical intercollegiate sports programs. We just started hitting a different Oly Lift 3 or 4 days a week combined with single leg squats, box squats, lunges, board press, flat bench press, incline bench press, and some ab work.

This weight room is pathetic no sled, sandbags, only one squat box lucky enough for me is parallel. Most GPP stuff is almost out of the question. I’d like to get creative w/ it but I’m just not coming up with anything. Anybody have any ideas, and also anybody know of any adult tournaments in the Midwest during the winter???

[quote]WhiteLable412 wrote:
Im thinking of wrestling this year for my school. I have never wrestled before and do not know any kind of moves.

what kind of things are you allowed to do to someone when you are wrestling? [/quote]

Watch out for the thumb to the butt.

[quote]uberswank wrote:
WhiteLable412 wrote:
Im thinking of wrestling this year for my school. I have never wrestled before and do not know any kind of moves.

what kind of things are you allowed to do to someone when you are wrestling?

Watch out for the thumb to the butt.[/quote]

I believe thats called a Hopawaddy (sp) - perhaps the Aussie or Kiwi members can explain the full story about the “inventor”.

Thumb in the butt? We teach our guys to go all out and use the middle and forefinger to give the guy an oil check to lift the hips off the mat. Works great 99% of the time until you run into the fruitcake who lays there and takes it. But if you are interested in wrestling search Dan Gable’s website and go find the book “A Beginners Guide to Wrestling”. I forgot the author, but the book tells the rules and basic moves that are essential for more complicated pinning combinations and Granby rolls.

Sticking your thumb up the guy’s ass to get him to allow you to turn him if he is being stubborn when on top is called ‘checking oil’. A great HOC workout is fast jump-roping supersetted with Olympic lifts and no rest in between. You will feel like your heart is going to burst.

I think power cleans, sandbag training, chins, and rows are the most specific to wrestling. Benching is unneccesary IMO and should be used only to prevent a structural imbalance.

Sandbags, kettlebells and dumbbell complexes are great for wrestlers and can be done in-season as well as part of your conditioning program.

[quote]grapplers gym wrote:
Sandbags, kettlebells and dumbbell complexes are great for wrestlers and can be done in-season as well as part of your conditioning program.

[/quote]

Sandbag loading has to be the most specific exercise ever for wrestling.

Kombatathlete

Can you explain further what you mean by sandbag loading?

I think it was Kim Wood who suggested lifting a bag on and off a platform for 50-100 reps and this advice was I believe repeated by Charles Poliquin in reply to a question about conditioning for BJJ.

Is it this or something else you have in mind?

[quote]WhiteLable412 wrote:
Im thinking of wrestling this year for my school. I have never wrestled before and do not know any kind of moves.

what kind of things are you allowed to do to someone when you are wrestling? [/quote]

Don’t think, just do. Wrestling is by far the best character building sport offered in America today. Everything else pales in comparison(I support MMA too, but as far as highschool sports go.) You will learn something about yourself if you tryout for the wrestling team, just be careful because you may learn you are a big pussy who can’t hang.

By sandbag loading I mean loading a sandbag that is pretty heavy for you onto an around waist-high platform by bearhugging it and picking it up. I use a 160 lb sandbag a la Maximal Strength EDT.

By which I take it that you mean 15 singles?

As many reps as I can in 15 minutes with EDT style rest intervals, mostly doubles at this point. Experiment and see what works for you.

Instead of bench, I usually do mostly weighted dips for the tris (also helps for breaking the grip of the guy trying to toss you from behind, yes which sounds gay but if you have wrestled you understand what I’m saying), and some wide bench for the chest.

Last year we had a coach, even though he was good at wrestling he didn’t believe at lifting during season, I think that’s wrong especially during starting years of wrestling when kids may not be as strong as they should be.

I know what you mean about the dips. I don’t do stand-ups as I am a very good mat wrestler but I know what you mean. I think pulling movements are much more important overall though.