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Q: Joe,
I was wondering what you recommend a wrestler should train
to become a better wrestler. Right now, I’ve been
trying to build my upper body more for wrestling. I heard
that lower body is a key component in wrestling too. What
rep ranges should I shoot for if I want to add strength?
Also, how should I train my squat? With box squats or other
squats?
THANKS.
A: First of all, the best way to become a better wrestler is to get on the mat and wrestle! Most of the best wrestlers I’ve trained starting wrestling very early on in their lives. It’s extremely important to practice the moves and technical skills required for this grueling sport. Once you’ve built this “technical foundation”, you must always continue to build upon it. Then, you must dedicate time to the strength & conditioning aspect of this sport in conjunction with your “mat time.”
With the above being said, you must remember that if technical skills are equal between two wrestlers, strength usually becomes the deciding factor in a match. As I stated in one of my posts a couple of weeks ago, “Increasing one’s maximal strength is best accomplished by lifting maximal weights in the 1-5 rep range for multiple sets. This will ensure that hypertrophy will take place in the higher-threshold motor units. These are the motor units that are responsible for power output.”
As far as exercises are concerned, focus on upper body “pulling” movements, grip strength, weighted abdominal work and don’t neglect your legs! Too many wrestlers forget about their legs.
Some of my favorite exercises for wrestlers are: weighted chin-ups, weighted dips, fat bar curls, dumbbell rows, various grip training (crushing, supporting), box squats, reverse hypers, glute-ham raises, lunge variations, loading & unloading a sandbag onto a high box, high & low rep ab training.
As far as squat variations are concerned, I usually favor box squats with chains and/or bands, but I do all variations of squats. Regardless of the squat variation, I usually have my wrestlers perform multiple sets of low reps with short rest intervals. This is how we train the “core” lift most of the time and we work muscular endurance with other exercises – lunges, step-ups, reverse hypers, etc.
Hope this clears things up a little bit. If you have any more specific questions, let me know.
Joe D.
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Q: Joe,
I’ve noticed a lot of top strength coaches use the
overhead squat or squatting on a balance board to evaluate
an athlete. My question is what deficiencies in an athlete
do these tests show? Do you think they’re valid? Also,
do you do postural assessments on your athletes?
Thanks in advance.
P.S. Thanks for sharing all of your expertise with us “average” people! I’ve learned so much since subscribing to your website.
A: I feel that the overhead squat and wobble board squat are much more “functional” when evaluating athletes, compared to a basic postural assessment. Postural tests usually get thrown out once an athlete starts moving fast.
You can learn a lot about an athlete just by performing the overhead squat or wobble board squat test. Unfortunately, the deficiencies I look for when administering these tests are far beyond this Q&A. But here’s the abbreviated version of what you will see most athletes do when squatting:
-
Upper body inclines forward, low back begins to round
* This problem usually occurs due to tight hip flexors, tight calf musculature, weak spinal erectors -
Heels come off the ground
* This problem usually occurs due to tight hip flexors, tight calf musculature -
Hips externally rotate (toes rotate outward)
* This problem usually occurs due to tight external rotators of the hips -
Wobble board shakes out of control when athlete starts squatting
* This usually occurs due to weak gluteals, hamstrings, hip rotators
As you can see, a lot of the problems confirm the same deficiencies. In conclusion, all athletes can benefit from a stronger posterior chain and more flexible hip flexors, hip external rotators and calves.
Try testing yourself and see what your
strengths and weaknesses are!
Joe D.
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Q: Joe,
I see that you prescribe a lot of squats and lunge variations
for your athletes. Is one better than the other or should
I always do both?
Just wondering,
Colin
A: Colin,
Both squats and lunges are beneficial. It’s important
for you to know that your brain activates a lot more motor
units when squatting, compared to performing lunges. This
is due to the fact that you can obviously squat with a lot
more weight than you can lunge. Squatting is also more time
efficient if time is a factor in your workouts.
I usually start all lower body workouts with either a squat or deadlift variation. I then go into a lunge or step-up variation as the second exercise for my athletes. Some of the benefits of lunges and step-ups are as follows:
-
They work one limb at a time which can help overcome strength/flexibility deficiencies
-
They challenge your balance
-
You can work in various planes of motion
Joe D.
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Q: : Joe,
I’ve been reading a lot about your theories on training
for the vertical jump. Vertical jump training has been a
hot topic on Fred Hatfield’s DrSquat.com forums and
your name and work come up often. I just started your 6-week
program and I can’t wait to see the results. My question
is regarding vertical jump form. How low should I squat
down when jumping?
I appreciate your time.
Dan
A: Dan,
The general rule that I tell my athletes is to perform a
quarter squat (about 15-degrees of knee flexion) when jumping.
This short/quick descent helps to exploit the stretch-shortening
cycle the best. If you squat too low, you can’t use
the elastic component of your muscles to their fullest potential.
Squatting too low relies more on maximal strength.
With that being said, it’s important for you to know that the depth of knee flexion isn’t as important as the SPEED of the descent into the squat and the reversal. You see, the faster you descend - the higher you will jump. It’s that simple.
Good luck.
Joe D.
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