Year – Round Resistance Training

 

NOTE: There are many approaches to getting stronger. This is ONE. Hopefully, this will give you some ideas that you can use as you build a program that works for you. The most important components of any training program are COMMITMENT and CONSISTENCY.

 

April – October

Training Priorities:

  1. Technique Drilling and Mental Training
  2. Strength Increase (or size increase if necessary)
  3. Endurance Maintenance

Monday – Thursday Upper Body Exercises

 

Suggested Exercises:

Core Exercises: Push Press, Incline Bench Press, Bent Over Rows, Parallel Bar Dips, Pull-ups

Supplemental Exercises: Arm curl, Reverse Curl to Shoulder Press, Pullover to Close Grip Bench Press, Neck exercises

 

Sets and reps:

Monday 3 – 5 sets of 3 – 8 repetitions (strength building)

Thursday: Pyramid-type of workout such as 8 – 6 – 6 – 4 – 4 – 2

 

Tuesday – Friday Lower Body Exercises

 

Suggested Exercises:

Core Exercises: Deadlift (one day per week), Clean, Squat, Romanian Deadlift

Supplemental Exercises: Leg Extension, Lunge, and Calf Raises

 

Sets and Reps:

Tuesday: 3 – 5 sets of 3 – 8 repetitions (strength building)

Friday: Pyramid-type of workout such as 8 – 6 – 6 – 4 – 4 – 2

 

Notes:

  1. Supplement exercises should be performed 1-2 sets to failure.
  2. All exercises at least 2 minutes rest between sets.
  3. Plan to spend some time resistance training. The time spent will be well worth the effort.

 

November – March

2 – 3 days per week

 

Training Priorities:

  1. Wrestling and Mental Training Technique Drilling and Mental Training
  2. Increase Muscular Endurance and Mental Toughness
  3. Strength Maintenance During Fatigue
  4. Endurance Maintenance

Focus more on muscle group exercises to eliminate overlap.

 

Monday

Suggested Exercises: Deadlift, Bench Press, Squat, Overhead Press, Bent Over Row, Isometric exercises at end of workout e.g. wall sits, bent-arm hang, stance etc.

 

Sets and Reps

3 sets of 6 (Superset upper-body with lower-body exercises)

 

Example: Set 1 Deadlift, Set 1 Bench Press; Set 2 Deadlift, Set 2 Bench Press etc.) This allows for about 1 minute rest between sets of a particular exercise.

 

Wednesday

1 set to failure with 80% if 1-RM supplement exercises. No rest between exercises.

Work on increasing reps at given weight.

 

Friday (don’t do this the day before competition)

1 set 12 reps all exercises w/ 30 seconds of high-knee jump rope between each exercise.

 

Peaking

Start two weeks before qualifying tournament

 

Monday – Thursday

 

1 set to failure with 60% of preseason max on all lifts.

 

Notes:

  1. Decrease strength-training sessions to 2 days per week when you have a competition – don’t lift the day before you compete.
  2. Decrease to 1 day during periods of frequent competition (twice or more in the week)
  3. If you lift twice do a 3 x 6 workout and a jump rope circuit; if you lift once do a one-set-to-failure circuit.