No Off-Season Pain, Very Little In-Season Gain

No Off-Season Pain, Very Little In-Season Gain
By John Pacheco ©2004 InsideTexasWrestling.com All rights reserved
A query posted not so long ago regarding off-season conditioning got me to thinking about what a comprehensive, off-season program for wrestling might look like. I remember well the off-season routine I used during my four years of college and know plenty of high school standouts who had similar systems that paid big dividends during their high school seasons. And so, while I am obviously not an exercise physiologists, I do have a few suggestions for those wrestlers looking to design an off-season conditioning program.
First, no matter the training routine or facility you choose, there are five areas of conditioning or training you should consider if you do plan to be ready-to-go, next year. In my opinion, the five areas are flexibility, endurance, cardio-vascular, aerobic and power. I promise, if you routinely commit some time to each of the five areas, you will see major improvements in your wrestling. Conversely, if you fail to do anything in each of the five areas, on a regular basis, I promise you will continue to fall behind those more dedicated and so more deserving wrestlers.
Flexibility
Born more out of necessity (my college Judo coach demanded it) then the desire to improve my flexibility, I stretched for 15 minutes, twice a day, on my own. Every morning (after waking up) and evening (before going to bed), I thoroughly stretched my legs, back, neck and shoulders, while using a long, nearly-static stretch. I found the stretching to be extremely beneficial. First, I suffered fewer injuries on the mat. Secondly, I truly believe my increased flexibility allowed me to be a better "counter" wrestler. Unfortunately, stretching is probably the single element of a good off-season routine most oft over-looked by coaches and wrestlers alike.
Endurance training
Yep, just like the countless many wrestlers that went on before me - I also hit the pavement, grass and dirt. I ran between 2 to 3 miles every evening, in hopes of improving the ability of my lungs to process oxygen over an extended period of time. And because I am very susceptible to bouts of boredom, I spent most of those countless miles running on regional park trails. While the distance running provided good endurance training, it also helped me prepare mentally. I hated (and still do) distance running and so it was tough to get up off the couch and force myself out the door.
Fortunately wrestling was very important to me and so I gathered up all the discipline I could find and stayed true to my training plan. The discipline I developed from distance running empowered me to work at the many other areas listed below.
Cardiovascular training
"Oh, the pain of it all!" At first I hated running hills, but quickly learned to love it. Every single morning, after thoroughly stretching of course, I ran the hill behind my college apartment.
The elevation of that "forsaken" hill climbed from sea level to 600 feet, in a very short distance. As you can imagine, by the time I reached the crest of the hill, my lungs felt as if they were on fire and my heart felt it was going to jump from my chest. I ran that hill, ten times each morning, throughout the off-season. Running the hill built-up my cardiovascular strength and prepared me for the team's challenging in-season running program - a 4.5 mile course which included similar climbs.
Later, when I moved to the Sacramento Valley to coach, I substituted football stadium stairs for lack of hills and got similar results. Some might argue that aerobic and cardiovascular conditioning are one in the same (and they're probably right). However I see cardiovascular training as conditioning the heart to handle greater loads for eventually longer periods of time.
Normally, when aerobic training, the heart is working under a moderate training load for a sustained period of time (20 minutes or more). But because sprinting up hills or stairs requires an all-out physical effort, for a shorter period of time (depending on the distance and grade), the heart is working under a considerable load, for relatively short bursts.
Aerobic training
Believe it or not, spinning was around way before the gym bag-toting, "trophy-wives" made it into a fad at every exercise club and gym in America. While in college, I was a huge fan of distance cycling and racing, and had a friend that did both. He taught me the conditioning technique of spinning - turning the pedals of a bicycle at high revolutions per minute (rpm) over a prolonged period of time - during my sophomore year and suggested I use it to build up my "chicken-legs".
Sure enough, I found my friend's advice to be true and immediately saw results in the power and endurance of my legs. In addition, the spinning helped improve my overall aerobic conditioning. I began spinning (with my 10-speed road bike locked in place on a portable training stand) on those evenings I didn't wrestle, while watching television, for 30 minutes at a time. Later as a coach, I recommended spinning and cycling to those wrestlers that couldn't physically or mentally handle running.
Strength training
Admittedly, weight lifting means different things to so many different people and rightfully so. Weight training should be tailored to match an athlete's specific weaknesses and needs, and so should vary accordingly.
I used a system that our college training coach passed to us. The system was based on super-sets, consisting of five exercises. Each exercise required eight to ten repetitions each, with each repetition lasting between seven and eight seconds. I completed four to five super-sets during each weight lifting session.
The five exercises in each super-set were designed to work different groups of muscles, so that the wrestler could move from exercise to exercise, and set to set, without taking long rests between exercises and rounds (In truth, I paused just long enough to catch my breath). For example, the first super-set was made up of five exercises: bench press (wide grip), dips, bicep-curls (narrow grip), lat pull-downs, and inclined sit-ups with weight. I moved from exercise to exercise, completing eight to ten reps each at seven seconds a rep, until all five exercises were completed. After finishing the first round of five exercises, I started over again, until I had successfully completed three rounds of all five exercises. After completing a super-set, I moved on to the next super-set until all 4 super-sets were completed.