Unlock Explosive Power with Plyometrics: The Ultimate Wrestling Training Secret!

Wrestling is undeniably one of the most demanding sports, requiring athletes to be strong, explosive, well-conditioned, and mentally tough. Reaching the pinnacle of amateur wrestling demands a lifetime of dedication and unwavering discipline. Strength and conditioning training emerges as a pivotal element in molding triumphant wrestlers. When a meticulously crafted training program is implemented, athletes can pinpoint sport-relevant special strengths and nurture these strengths to elevate their performance on the mat.

Considering the demanding nature of wrestling, an athlete's strength and conditioning are crucial in determining success. At the national and international levels, skill levels are often nearly equal. What sets athletes apart is their raw strength, explosive power, speed, and conditioning. By utilizing a well-organized training program, athletes can improve these physical attributes and become dominant within the sport.

In a sport where brute strength and conditioning play a significant role, it only makes sense that wrestlers can benefit significantly from an adequate strength and conditioning program. The Conjugate Method is the perfect method to meet wrestlers' training needs. Conjugate can efficiently improve absolute strength, explosive power, speed, and conditioning.

Balance training is a crucial aspect of wrestling that often gets overlooked. It plays a significant role in enhancing a wrestler's performance and reducing the risk of injuries. Wrestling requires athletes to maintain stability and control while executing various techniques, such as takedowns, escapes, and reversals. Balance training helps wrestlers develop a strong core, which is essential for maintaining stability and generating power. By engaging in exercises that challenge their balance, wrestlers can strengthen their core muscles, including the abdominals, obliques, and lower back.

Every great wrestler knows that a match is not won on the day of the match. It is won by the training and discipline that goes into every day. Wrestling is a lifestyle in which everyone is looking for an edge. Balance training can be that edge. Mastering your balance can be the key to a flawless defense and a relentless offense. Stay ahead, dominate the scrambles, conserve energy, and seize victory.

The Importance of Conditioning and Strength

Amateur wrestling places tremendous demand on an athlete. When discussing what attributes make a great wrestler, we must first mention conditioning. Unless you are a monster capable of quickly pinning all your opponents, you must build a gas tank to become a successful wrestler. Most wrestlers build this cardiovascular capacity over the years through practice. However, if athletes seek to reach peak performance, a conditioning plan is recommended. Without an adequate level of conditioning, any strength gained during barbell training will be useless once the athlete becomes winded.

Brute strength also plays a critical role in wrestling. Ultimately, the sport's objective is to maintain control of the opponent while scoring points or going for a pin. In this sport, strength and conditioning have a harmonious relationship. Without proper conditioning, strength levels will dwindle during a match. Without adequate strength, an athlete risks being physically overpowered by stronger opponents within their weight class.

Before an athlete begins a training program, it is essential to get a basic understanding of the athlete's current fitness level. This helps to ensure the initial strength and conditioning programming meets the athlete's current level and does not place unreasonable expectations upon the athlete. With wrestlers, we first want to assess their conditioning level.

This can be done in a couple of ways. First, we can opt to do a basic one- or one-and-a-half-mile run test. With this option, we will simply look to see which athletes are running with the lead pack and which athletes are struggling to keep pace. This will quickly help gauge which athletes need to address their conditioning specifically prior to the beginning of the season. Athletes with acceptable conditioning levels will still utilize conditioning-focused training, just not to the degree of those struggling with conditioning.

Once we have established the athletes' basic conditioning levels, we can move on to testing strength. This will be done in a scaled manner. First, we want to test each athlete's ability to perform bodyweight exercises. These movements will include push-ups, pull-ups, Hindu squats, hanging leg lifts, and planks. We select these exercises to test the strength and work capacity of the upper torso, legs, and trunk. These movements will help us determine which athletes need to improve their strength the most. If athletes struggle with performing basic bodyweight movements, they will likely struggle to overpower opponents within their weight class.

Next, we will test explosive power. This is done via plyometric exercises, with athletes performing box and broad jumps. We can also perform sprint testing; however, this is not a requirement. Once we have tested explosive power, we will test absolute strength. To do so, athletes will perform squats, bench presses, and deadlifts. Each movement will require an athlete to work up to a top-set single, leaving a rep in the tank so as not to risk missing during the top set. These tests should be performed with enough space between them to ensure adequate recovery. For best results, we recommend coaches implement one test per week during the first three weeks of training.

The Conjugate Method framework is perfect for training athletes. Our basic template calls for athletes to perform two max effort workouts per week, along with two dynamic effort workouts. During these workouts, athletes will also perform accessory exercises designed to increase strength, enhance work capacity, and improve physical composition. This schedule can be executed in one of two ways: athletes can choose to follow a four-day-per-week training schedule or a condensed schedule of three days per week, with dynamic effort training combined on the same day. At Westside, we opt to go with the three-day condensed training schedule with our sports athletes.

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The first training day of the week will be max effort lower. The objective of this training day is to improve lower body absolute strength. Along with lower body absolute strength improvements, athletes will also benefit from increased lower body bone and tissue density. This training has a significant impact on protecting the ankles, knees, and hips from soft tissue injury. The next training day is max effort upper. The objective here is mostly the same as max effort lower, except our focus is on enhancing the strength of the upper body. Just as this training benefits the bone and soft tissue density of the lower body, it will also help to increase bone and soft tissue in the upper body. This means athletes can withstand more stress and strain on joints such as the neck, shoulders, elbows, and wrists.

With a sport as physically demanding as wrestling, being able to improve the durability of lower and upper body bone and soft tissue will help reduce injury rates and keep athletes performing at a high level throughout the season. The final two training days of the week will be dynamic effort lower and upper. These training sessions intend to improve explosive strength, leading to enhanced power capabilities and increases in the rate of force development. The training can be performed on separate days or combined into one day, as previously mentioned.

Conditioning will be accomplished in multiple ways. If we are in season, we will rely on practice to provide most of the conditioning work. If an athlete needs specific training during the season, we can do that, but typically, practice combined with weight training improves cardiovascular conditioning. During the off-season, athletes perform conditioning exercises twice a week on days when weight training is not scheduled. These workouts can include actual wrestling, wrestling drills, distance runs, or sprints. The goal on these days is to accomplish enough conditioning training to be effective, but not so much that it significantly disrupts recovery. The coach evaluating the athletes will need to determine the level of conditioning work each can handle.

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Plyometrics: Enhancing Explosive Power and Speed

Plyometric training is an effective means of improving athletes' explosive power and speed. For a wrestler, this means improved takedown strength and speed, the ability to quickly change direction on the mat, and the stamina to perform explosive movements throughout the match. This training is simple to execute and can pay off big during matches. At Westside, we recommend that athletes begin with box jumps, broad jumps, sprinting, and bounding when introducing plyometrics. Box and broad jumps can be performed to max height or distance or at set heights and distances in a repeated effort manner.

We recommend athletes aim to complete 40 jumps per session when plyometrics are used. Here is how that can be accomplished using one or multiple types of jumps:

Lateral Bounding â 4 x 10
Box Jump â 10 x 1 working up to the tallest box possible
Scissor Jump â 3 x 10

When plyometrics are used, it is crucial to monitor athlete fatigue. Suppose we notice certain athletes are struggling to recover from session to session. As we have repeatedly mentioned, wrestling places a tremendous demand on athletes' endurance and stamina. Maintaining a cardiovascular training program year-round is vital to ensure athletes have the gas tank needed to compete at a high level. We do not want athletes to allow themselves to "rust" from season to season, as this only reduces the overall rate of improvement from year to year. By focusing on keeping endurance and stamina in check, athletes will show up in proper condition and be capable of handling the initial demands of an escalated training plan.

Aside from specific conditioning exercises, we can also manipulate our barbell training to help increase endurance and stamina. Given the many different situations that can occur during a wrestling match, athletes must have the mobility to meet these demands. These do not have to be fight-to-the-death sessions; just enough to move through the basic sports movements and ensure athletes maintain the range and agility to accomplish routine sports tasks. Athletes can also perform basic stretch routines to maintain range of motion and flexibility. The risk of soft tissue injury during barbell training can increase if stretching is performed too frequently or strenuously.

Another way to ensure athletes can move through basic ranges of motion is to perform all barbell lifts to standard. While we will, of course, perform movements where the range of motion is modified to target specific joint angles, we will also include a good amount of full-range-of-motion exercises to build strong, well-rounded athletes. For some, basic practice will be enough; others may need to focus on improving flexibility and mobility.

The approach to integrating a strength training program with a wrestling practice schedule will depend on the time of year. In the offseason, we train 3-4 times a week, 6-8 hours before or after practice. Ideally, we would like to schedule weight training sessions before a practice occurs. During the season, we want to limit the chance of weight training interfering with sports success. Athletes will train 2-3 times per week, with training dictated by the practice and competition schedule. Strength coaches must communicate with sports coaches to ensure each workout leaves the athlete ready to compete on a weekly basis. This may mean only performing a main exercise and following up with some conditioning work. When dealing with in-season athletes, we primarily aim to avoid significant detraining.

As long as we provide worthwhile stimulus 2-3 times per week while in season, it helps the athlete's current performance and allows them to build upon their previous work when the next off-season comes around. Overall, training schedules must be decided by the coaches who observe the athletes on a daily basis. This is a dynamic situation, and adjustments should be made based on the athletes' current state.

Plyometric Exercises for Wrestlers

Plyometrics, alongside Olympic weightlifting-specific movements (the snatch and clean and jerk), are said to produce similar improvements in muscle power or high-velocity strength compared to traditional resistance training, which is linked to greater improvements in jumping, change of direction, and sprint speed. Plyometric exercises are characterized by rapid force production by the muscles. Examples of plyometric exercises include explosive jumps, hops, bounds, and skips.

Here are some plyometric exercises beneficial for wrestlers:

Medicine Ball Exercises

Medicine Ball Shot Put (Chest Pass): A variation of the traditional shot put, this exercise uses a medicine ball to build rotational and upper-body power and coordination. Weight: Start light.
Rotational Medicine Ball Throw: This exercise works your lower body muscles too and is particularly great for sports that require explosive rotary action, such as golf, tennis, baseball, and hockey. Weight: Use light medicine ball.
Underhand Medicine Ball Throw: An exercise in which you launch the ball along the front of your body vertically. Weight: Use light medicine ball.

Explosive Push-Ups

Explosive push-ups target your delts, pecs, and triceps. They also work your abs, forearms, and serratus anterior. Theyâre an advanced type of exercise that you want to try only if youâre comfortable doing regular push-ups. Stretch your arms in an explosive way so that both hands lift off the floor. Maintain proper form throughout the exercise â ensure your body is straight and your core engaged.

Lower Body Plyometric Exercises

Lower body plyometric exercises are suitable for any kind of athlete or sport, including rugby, basketball, and football. Most exercises in this category include jumping, hopping, or bounding.

Box Jumps: Stand facing the box with your feet hip-distance apart. Pick a box that wonât slide around or easily fall over if you kick it.
Broad Jumps: A cardiovascular, calisthenics, and plyometrics exercise that targets the quads alongside the calves, hip flexors, and hamstrings. The exercise entails squatting down and then jumping as far forward as possible to land yet again in a squat position. Shift your weight onto your feet to lift them off the ground and jump as high and as forward as you can.
Drop Jumps: In a drop jump, youâre jumping off a box and bouncing back very quickly with minimal floor contact and brief knee bend. Step onto the box and stand with both feet shoulder-width apart. Jump off the box and land softly with both feet.
Single Leg Hops: A variation of the jump squat, the single leg hop assists with the coordination between ankle extension and knee extension. Begin in a standing position with both feet at hip width. Lift your left foot behind you so that youâre standing only on your right leg. Lift on your toes on your standing leg.

Plyometrics have been used in training for a long time, but were first named in 1975 by Purdue track and field coach Fred Wilt. Plyometrics can be performed a number of different ways as described above, but the unifying feature is that they are performed quickly and they use the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC)of the muscle fiber to strengthen physical capacity and boost musculotendinous stiffness and power. Plyometrics can be quite fatiguing due to the high amount of force required to move quickly. In general, we recommend performing them towards the beginning of a workout and starting with one or two sessions of two or three plyometric exercises per week. They are also performed very quickly, which reduces time under tension compared to slower movements and, in turn, reduces the accumulation of metabolic byproducts that appear to be involved in signaling muscle growth mechanisms in response to mechanical tension.

Finally, many studies suggest combining both heavy strength training and plyometrics; certain studies go as far as to suggest that power-related skills are greatly improved thanks to mixing heavy strength training and plyometrics rather than doing either modality alone.

Plyometrics drive structural adaptations in both the muscle and surrounding tendons, while also signaling neurological adaptations. Together, plyometric training tends to improve high velocity force production (power), rate of force development, change in direction, sprint speed, and structural properties in tendsons, ligaments, and muscles that improve the development and transfer force during movement.

Plyometric training is a beneficial physical conditioning method for improving sprint performance, but there are a lot of variables that can affect its results, including the length of the program, the volume of training, and the intensity of the training.

Still, a good strength and conditioning program for athletes should include both plyometrics and traditional resistance training. Much of the data on this type of programming shows benefit in reducing ACL injury risk.

Explosive Workouts for Wrestling

Wrestling is a sport that demands explosive power, quick movements, and agility. The ability to explode into action can be a game-changer on the mat. Explosive workouts for wrestling are designed to develop the strength and speed needed for dominating opponents.

Explosive wrestling workouts are the linchpin that connects various facets of wrestling training, underscoring their importance in building a well-rounded wrestler. These workouts contribute significantly to wrestling conditioning, enhancing not only strength and speed but also the stamina required to sustain high-intensity bursts of energy during matches.

Training explosive speed for wrestling, we need to think that this workout will be done the second or third day of the week. For wrestling, athletes do some real heavy lifting; wrestlers do a leg day and an upper-body day, which leads into a day of plyometric work to really focus on speed.

On this day, with five key exercises, we are looking at attacking this from a unilateral aspect as well as a bilateral aspect. All elite wrestlers are fast when they take a shot and super quick when they react.

Key Explosive Exercises

Single-Leg Hurdle Hops W/ Leg Trapped: The whole point of this movement is to simulate the leg being held up and having to defend. The leg is put up on a band. The other leg jumps side to side over a mini-hurdle. Do five sets of three jumps on each leg. Focus on good stability and good hip mobility with dynamic trunk control.
Single-Leg Elevated Steps: In a split squat, nice and easy, we want to build quad strength and good reactiveness all throughout the knee. Athletes can keep the hips at the same height, but can also change the level of the hips during sets. Do this movement for two to three sets of five to ten reps with each leg.
Hurdle Walk Under To Hurdle Hop: This exercise improves hip mobility and bilateral explosiveness. We step under the hurdle, plant the right leg, rotate, square up to the next hurdle, and jump over. Do four to five sets. A set is two step-unders and two jumps.
Depth Drop To Bound: This movement works on reacting and driving forward very rapidly. So we drop off a box and then bound twice in succession. We want to perform two to three sets of one depth drop into two rapid bounds for a maximum distance twice.
Knee Jump To Hurdle Hops To Box Jump: Starting on the knees, with good hip extension and quick reaction with the feet, land in a half squat/crouch position, do two hurdle hops, and finish by landing on a box. We want to do five or six sets of this jump series.

Recap Think about how these five exercises will apply to the mat. As wrestlers, we want to be strong, do the big lifting, and hammer the upper bodywork.

Integrating Strength Training with Wrestling Practice

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the most important strength exercises for wrestlers?

A: We recommend variations of the squat, bench press, and deadlift. For example, a Zercher squat is a great lower-body option, while a floor press is a good choice for upper-body strength.

Q: How can I integrate strength training with my regular wrestling practice?

A: If it is the offseason, we train 3-4 times a week, 6-8 hours before or after practice. Ideally, we would like to schedule weight training sessions before a practice occurs. During the season, we want to limit the chance of weight training interfering with sports success. Athletes will train 2-3 times per week, with training dictated by the practice and competition schedule.

Q: Are there different strength training routines for various styles of wrestling?

A: No. Considering the similarities in required special strengths for all styles of wrestling, the Conjugate Method covers all the bases.

Q: Should wrestlers strength train while cutting weight?

A: It depends on the athlete. Preparing for wrestling requires significant effort both during and after the season. Wrestlers experience tremendous strength and conditioning demands, and it is critical that they follow a training program that accounts for all necessary special strengths.

Using the Conjugate Method, we can deliver optimal training stimulus throughout the year, leading to improved sports performance and retention of strength and abilities gained year to year. With a wrestler's limited time to dedicate to the gym, the chosen strength training method must be as efficient and effective as possible. This is where Conjugate beats all other strength training methods. A linear-style plan cannot match the rate of improvement provided by a properly organized Conjugate Method program.

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