Tips for Training for High School Wrestling
If you are a novice wrestler or are just wanting to improve your high school standings, then these expert tips can help you in your training. Training for high school wrestling is unique in that you need to get as strong as possible while still maintaining your weight. Gaining strength without much size can be a challenge, and you need to do it in a manner that also allows for maximum cardiovascular endurance. More than perhaps any sport, training for wrestling truly pushes your body to the limit, testing it in just about every way. In order to remain as strong as possible and increase endurance without gaining weight, you need a versatile training regimen. Combining weight training with cardiovascular exercises is the way to go, but there are certain ways to do that which are superior to others. Read below for more tips on training for high school wrestling.
Balancing Workouts
As a high school wrestler, you want to gain as much strength and cardiovascular endurance as possible. Strength is of obvious use, helping you to take opponent's to the ground and pin them as quickly as possible. If matches go long, you need the endurance to maintain your strength while your opponent fatigues. In terms of your strength training routine, your training regimen should change based on the time of year. During the season, you need to maintain your weight. Thus, you should work primarily on cardio activities, supplementing them with weightlifting exercises. A 75/25 split, for example, might be a good idea.
In-Season, Lower Reps
Your in-season weightlifting should focus on strength, not size. Although you might naturally get larger when training for strength, one does not necessitate the other. By sticking to low rep ranges, such as three to eight, you can increase strength without gaining too much size. Plus, it will be impossible to gain weight if you take in less calories than you burn, so as long as you are not overeating, you should not gain weight even if you are lifting. If you can maintain your strength during the season, you will be fine.
Off Season Higher Reps
In the offseason, you want to gain as much strength as possible. Gaining size during this time is not as worrisome, so you can use some higher rep ranges, such as eight to twelve reps. Still, your goal is to gain strength. During this time, you can use a 75/25 split that emphasizes weight training over cardio. Focus on core lifts that will increase overall strength, such as barbell squats, bench press, deadlifts, pullups, military press, and clean and jerks.
Adding Cardio
As your season approaches and you are trying to make weight, you can shift the nature of your training to emphasize weight loss. Cut back on your lifting and focus on performing high-intensity cardio exercises. Running hills, doing sprints, or even swimming are perfect choices because they get your heart rate up as would happen in a wrestling match. Plus, high-intensity training has been shown to burn fat far more efficiently than low-intensity training. Around 20 minutes of sprints, for example, will help you lose weight better than 45 minutes of jogging.
Overall, you just need to understand your goals and work hard to get in shape for the upcoming high school wrestling season.
