You Will GAS OUT If You Don't Follow THIS Wrestling Conditioning Guide

Summary

This comprehensive guide dives into the conditioning secrets that differentiate elite wrestlers from their sub-elite counterparts, based on a 2011 study involving 92 wrestlers from five countries. It explores the importance of physical qualities, such as agility and power, for wrestling success. The video outlines conditioning strategies, including the balance between low and high intensity, aerobic and anaerobic training, and how these approaches evolve closer to competition. It also offers practical programming advice and considerations for wrestlers at all levels, aiming to enhance understanding and execution of effective conditioning plans tailored to wrestling's unique demands.

Takeaways

• 💪 Comparing elite to sub-elite wrestlers helps identify key physical qualities important for success in wrestling.
• 🏋️ A 2011 study showed elite wrestlers exhibit greater upper and lower body average and peak power in Wingate tests across all weight classes.
• 💦 Elite wrestlers tend to have 3-5% greater fat-free mass, indicating a potential advantage in muscle mass.
• 💨 A meta-analysis encompassing 71 studies found aerobic capacity similar across combat sports, with wrestling requiring higher anaerobic power.
• 💪 Conditioning for wrestlers should include both low-intensity (aerobic) and high-intensity (anaerobic) training, tailored to their competition schedule.
• 🚴‍♂️ Early conditioning focuses on low-intensity steady-state cardio and high-intensity sprints with full recovery, moving to more sport-specific high-intensity repeat efforts closer to competition.
• 💭 Muscle fiber type and volume of wrestling practice are crucial considerations in conditioning, influencing recovery and training focus.
• 💪 Peripheral fatigue resistance is likely more critical for wrestling success than central (aerobic) adaptations.
• 👉 Conditioning plans should start with minimal volume and gradually increase to avoid overtraining and ensure progress.
• 🏃️ Understanding and targeting central vs. peripheral adaptations can guide the intensity and focus of conditioning work for wrestling.

Q & A

What was the main purpose of comparing elite wrestlers to sub-elite wrestlers in the 2011 study?

The main purpose was to identify physical qualities that are more prominent in elite wrestlers, suggesting these qualities are important for success in wrestling.

What is a Wingate test and why is it used in wrestling conditioning research?

A Wingate test is a 30-second all-out sprint on a bike or an arm crank, used to measure upper and lower average power and peak power, indicating an athlete's anaerobic capacity.

How did elite wrestlers differ from amateur wrestlers in the 2011 study?

Elite wrestlers had greater upper and lower average power and peak power across all weight classes, potentially due to 3-5% greater fat-free mass.

What does VO2 Max indicate in the context of wrestling?

VO2 Max, or aerobic capacity, is similar across combat sports like wrestling, karate, and boxing, indicating it's an important factor for wrestling success.

Why is anaerobic power important in wrestling, according to the meta-analysis?

Anaerobic power is greater in wrestling than in judo, boxing, and karate, suggesting that the ability to perform high-intensity efforts is crucial for wrestling success.

What is the 'funnel system' in wrestling conditioning?

The 'funnel system' is a conditioning strategy that starts with low intensity and high intensity work, and as competition approaches, focuses more on repeat high-intensity effort training.

How does peripheral fatigue potentially limit performance in combat sports?

Research suggests that combat sports may be more limited by peripheral fatigue, or the muscle's ability to resist fatigue, than by central (cardiovascular) limitations.

What role does muscle fiber type play in a wrestler's conditioning program?

Muscle fiber type influences recovery times after hard efforts, with fast-twitch athletes requiring longer recovery, affecting the structure of high-intensity training sessions.

How can aerobic capacity be assessed in wrestlers?

Aerobic capacity can be assessed through maximal aerobic speed tests, which involve a time trial and calculating speed in meters per second, helping determine if an athlete has a sufficient aerobic base.

Why is it important to start with minimal volume in conditioning and gradually increase?

Starting with minimal volume allows for progress without overtraining, ensuring the athlete has room to improve conditioning without risking injury or compromising technical training.

Outlines

00:00

🤼‍♂️ Wrestling Conditioning: Elite vs. Sub-Elite Training Insights

This paragraph outlines the importance of conditioning in wrestling, focusing on a study comparing elite to sub-elite wrestlers. Elite wrestlers display greater power in tests, indicating conditioning's role in success. The discussion includes types of training (low vs. high intensity, aerobic vs. anaerobic) and how they relate to wrestling performance. The narrative emphasizes the significance of physical conditioning, using specific studies to highlight differences in agility, power, and experience between elite and sub-elite wrestlers. It suggests that a mix of aerobic capacity and anaerobic power is essential for wrestling success.

05:02

🏋️‍♂️ Conditioning Techniques for Wrestlers: Building a Strong Foundation

This paragraph delves into specific conditioning strategies for wrestlers, explaining how to build aerobic capacity and anaerobic power effectively. It discusses the benefits of low-intensity steady-state cardio and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in developing a wrestler's endurance and power. The narrative also covers the physiological aspects of conditioning, such as eccentric hypertrophy and the importance of capillary density in muscles. Additionally, it offers practical advice on structuring conditioning programs around the wrestling season, emphasizing the balance between high and low-intensity training to optimize performance.

10:03

🚴‍♂️ Advanced Conditioning Strategies: Tailoring High-Intensity Workouts

This section expands on more advanced conditioning methods, focusing on high-intensity repeat effort training. It explains how to gauge aerobic fitness levels and when to shift focus towards more intense, repeat effort training. Practical examples of workout sessions are provided, along with considerations for different athlete types (fast vs. slow twitch muscle fibers) and their recovery needs. The narrative stresses the importance of peripheral fatigue resistance and offers insights into structuring workouts to enhance muscle's fatigue resistance, critical for wrestling success.

15:05

📊 Understanding Energy Systems in Wrestling Conditioning

The final paragraph synthesizes the information on wrestling conditioning, emphasizing the interconnectedness of energy systems. It clarifies that training can't isolate one energy system from another, highlighting the importance of considering both central and peripheral adaptations. The section provides a pragmatic approach to conditioning, suggesting starting with minimal volume and gradually increasing. It concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content, promising more insightful videos on wrestling conditioning.

Keywords

💡Elite vs Sub-Elite Wrestlers

This concept distinguishes between high-level (elite) and lower-level (sub-elite or amateur) wrestlers, based on their experience and achievements. Elite wrestlers are defined by their participation and success in international competitions, whereas sub-elite wrestlers may have national achievements but lack international exposure. This distinction is crucial for understanding the importance of specific physical qualities that contribute to success in wrestling, as elite wrestlers often possess superior conditioning and skills.

💡Wingate Test

The Wingate Test is a high-intensity cycling test used to measure an athlete's peak anaerobic power and endurance. It involves a 30-second all-out sprint on a stationary bike, which can be extremely taxing and sometimes causes nausea due to the intense effort required. The test's results, highlighting differences in power output between elite and amateur wrestlers, underscore the importance of anaerobic capacity in wrestling performance.

💡Fat-Free Mass

Fat-free mass refers to the total mass of the body minus all fat. This includes muscle, bone, water, and organs. In the context of wrestling, having a greater fat-free mass, which often correlates with muscle mass, is advantageous for both strength and power. The video discusses how elite wrestlers typically have a higher fat-free mass compared to their sub-elite counterparts, contributing to their superior performance in tests like the Wingate Test.

💡Aerobic vs Anaerobic Training

These terms refer to different types of physical conditioning. Aerobic training involves lower intensity, sustained exercises that improve the body's ability to use oxygen, ideal for endurance. Anaerobic training involves high-intensity, short duration efforts that improve power and strength by relying on energy sources within the muscles, independent of oxygen. The video explores the relevance of both training types in wrestling conditioning, emphasizing a balanced approach for optimal performance.

💡VO2 Max

VO2 Max, or maximal oxygen uptake, is the greatest amount of oxygen an athlete can use during intense exercise. It's a key indicator of aerobic fitness. The video mentions a study comparing VO2 Max across combat sports, highlighting its importance in wrestling for sustaining effort throughout matches. A high VO2 Max allows wrestlers to perform at high intensities for longer periods.

💡High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by rest or low-intensity periods. It's effective for improving both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. The video outlines how incorporating HIIT, particularly with exercises mimicking wrestling movements, can enhance an athlete's ability to perform repeated high-intensity efforts, crucial for wrestling.

💡Peripheral Fatigue

Peripheral fatigue refers to the decline in muscle performance over time due to repeated muscle use, distinct from central fatigue, which is related to the nervous system. The video suggests that wrestling and other combat sports may be more limited by peripheral fatigue, highlighting the importance of conditioning strategies that target muscle endurance and recovery.

💡Energy Systems

Energy systems include aerobic (oxygen-using) and anaerobic (not directly using oxygen) pathways that supply energy for exercise. The video discusses how wrestling requires a balance between these systems to support sustained performance and rapid recovery between high-intensity efforts. Understanding these systems helps in designing effective conditioning programs.

💡Muscle Fiber Type

Muscle fibers vary in their speed and endurance capabilities, classified as fast-twitch (better for explosive, short-duration efforts) or slow-twitch (better for endurance). The video touches on how individual differences in muscle fiber composition can influence training response and recovery needs, suggesting customization of conditioning programs based on the athlete's muscle fiber profile.

💡Conditioning Plan

A structured approach to training that aims to improve an athlete's physical capabilities in line with their sport's demands. The video elaborates on creating a conditioning plan for wrestlers that incorporates both low and high-intensity training, tailored to the athlete's competition schedule and individual characteristics, ensuring optimal performance and recovery.

Highlights

Introduction to enhancing wrestling conditioning, comparing elite vs. sub-elite wrestlers.

The importance of physical qualities in elite athletes for success in sports.

2011 study comparing elite and amateur wrestlers' performance in Wingate tests.

Elite wrestlers exhibit greater upper and lower average power and peak power across all weight classes.

Elite wrestlers have 3 to 5% greater fat-free mass, indicating potentially higher muscle mass.

Meta-analysis of 71 studies shows V2 Max or aerobic capacity is crucial for wrestling success.

Anabolic power, measured by Wingate test, is higher in wrestling than in judo, boxing, and karate.

The necessity of a base level of aerobic fitness and high levels of explosive efforts in wrestling.

Conditioning plans for wrestlers, including considerations for life schedule and type of wrestling.

Introduction of the high-low system for conditioning, balancing low and high intensity work.

Details on low intensity conditioning targeting central adaptations for the heart.

Explanation of high intensity, alactic power training for explosive efforts.

Combining different intensities of conditioning as competition approaches.

Importance of muscle fiber type and recovery rates in conditioning plans.

Sample conditioning sessions and their guidelines for wrestling.

Encouragement to start with minimal volume in training and progressively increase.

Transcripts

this is going to be everything you need

to know to enhance your wrestling

conditioning I'm going to run through

Elite versus Sub Elite wrestlers what

really makes a high level wrestler in

terms of conditioning we're going to

cover some of the programming some of

the confusion around loow versus high

intensity or Zone 2 or aerobic training

and anerobic training we're going to

dive into all of that in this video so

you have a clear understanding of what

to do going for let's start with this

2011 study now why do we compare Elite

level competitors to their sub Elite or

amateur counterparts is because if a

physical quality is greater in the elite

sub or Elite cohort then that means that

physical quality is likely important to

success in that sport a really good

example of this is within the agility

research you see subite athletes are

typically as good or better they

changeing Direction speed but when you

add the sport specific stimulus to react

to the elite athletes or elite players

are far better than the sub counterparts

so we use the same analysis when we're

looking at at conditioning and in this

study 2011 study they had 92 wrestlers

from five different countries they

categorized them as Elite or amateur

Elite wrestlers had greater than six

years of experience and they had

competed in at least or three or more

Europeans or World Championships whereas

the amateur wrestlers were finalist at

National Championships so they had not

competed internationally and they put

them all through a winggate test so if

you're not familiar a winggate test is a

30second allout Sprint on a bike or if

it's doing upper body it's with an arm

crank they're brutal a lot of people

throw up after doing them just because

of how much it spikes lactate if you've

never done them before don't do it on an

empty stomach but essentially the elite

wrestlers in this study had greater

upper and lower average power and Peak

power during these tests and that was

over every single weight class so in

this instance it was light metal and

heavy and they put that down to

potentially the elite cohort had 3 to 5%

uh greater fat-free Mass so so fat free

mass is not muscle mass however it does

include muscle mass so you know it could

be genetic freaks that are wider broader

quite a quite bigger boned but often

that is down to a muscle mass thing when

you're having 3 to 5% greater fat-free

Mass so even though we're talking about

fat free mass or muscle mass and that's

G geared more towards the strength

training you can obviously watch my

strength training for wrestling video it

still brings us to conditioning

especially when we're talking about

average and Peak power on the B and the

arm crank so then we get into an even

larger study and this one was a meta

analysis they compiled 71 studies

2,124 wrestlers and they wanted to

answer the question what are the

physiological determinants that governs

wrestling success and what they found

was V2 Max orobic Capacity was similar

to karate ta window and boxing and they

conclude that you know a high aob

capacity is important for wrestling

success so having some kind of Base

there is important then we see see

anerobic Power so again from the

previous study anerobic power is

typically measured with The Windgate

test it's greater in wrestling than in

Judo boxing and karate and then we see

as conclusions from the other study

upper and lower anerobic power from that

wind G test as higher in Elite wresters

versus subite wrestlers so we can

conclude from what we see here you need

some kind of base level of aerobic

fitness or lower level conditioning and

then you need to be able to display high

levels of explosive efforts and

typically be able to repeat that within

wrestling matches to a greater extent

than you would Judo boxing or karate in

these instances but what does that mean

how does this all come together how does

a conditioning plan come together for a

wrestler again it's going to be a lot

depending on your life schedule often

wrestling especially here in the states

is done through colleges and high school

so they're in those programs already

there are seasons and everything there

but I'm going to take you through maybe

you are in submission wrestling

submission grappling where a lot of the

stuff still applies so we're going to

start with the general overview of how I

see it working then we'll dive into some

a few of the individual things that you

may need to consider when you're looking

at conditioning now if you're further

away from a season or maybe you're just

doing tournaments this is where you'll

essentially start on this end of a the

funnel course a funnel system or a high

low system so starts here and comes

together and I'll explain that now so

you have your low intensity work down

the bottom here and you have your higher

intensity work up the top the further

away you are from competition or fight

you typically want to sit your

conditioning at the very low end down

here and at the very high end and what

do I mean by high and low in these

instances so low intensity conditioning

will be your typical steady state cardio

or your long high-intensity intervals or

even in some cases some kind of tempo

training so it's work that targets

Central adaptations or adaptations at

the heart and the goal here is to build

enough volume of essentially the heart

chamber being filled with blood to

provide that stretch the adaptations

you're looking at at the heart are

called the Centric hypertrophy and it's

essentially making the heart chamber

bigger so it can pull more blood in

there whether this is a limiting factor

within Combat Sports debatable but again

aerobic capacity is important within

wrestling as per the research papers

there and having a base is important so

starting there you're targeting more

citations you are still getting

peripheral or muscular adaptations at

lower intensities ese especially within

capillary density so they still don't

know whether it's high or low intensity

that's really pushing that however

you're going to do both anyway so who

cares so you're going to do low city

state or long uh high intensity

intervals here up top here you can

consider that Sprint interval or alactic

power whatever you want to call it so

this is going to be your 6 to 10 second

maximal Sprints and you're going to have

full recovery and by full recovery we're

talking about 2 to 3 minutes plus and

it's typically like a 1 to six work to

rest ratio on a minimum typically you

want to go a little further than that

just because you want to be able to

recover fully between every effort so in

this instance you want to track uh

average power during those reps or have

some kind of metric that you're

measuring and you want to make sure you

don't see a huge drop off in your

Sprints so for example if you're on a

bike or a rower and you have 300 watts

average you don't want to drop typically

lower than 10% so if you get to rep five

and you hit 250 wats on average you know

that session is done you don't want

quality to suffer on these reps and it

should all be based around maximal

intent and maximal effort and that's how

you're going to start your conditioning

everything else in the middle here gets

taken care of during wrestling practice

however as you get closer to a

competition or a fight or tournament

whatever you're doing you're going to

kind of marry some of these things

together and it's going to be more

repeat h intensity effort base and

that's the ability to repeat high

intensity intervals so here we were

doing some lower intensity intervals or

steady state up here we were doing our

high intensity stuff with longer rest

now essentially we're going to do high

intensity work with less rest to put it

very simply and the goals here are we're

going to push more of these peripheral

adaptations within the muscle help them

resist fatigue as we're wrestling now

there's some great research from Andrew

Ash you should check out actually in

boxing but I believe it it gives some

insight into all Combat Sports as well

even the pcast with uh Ed Baker that is

on the sweet stif fighting podcast

YouTube channel he also talks about how

Combat Sports are likely more limited

from peripheral fatigue than it is from

centrally or from these aerobic

adaptations within the heart so

therefore doing things like this where

we can improve the muscle ability to

resist fatigue is likely important for

wring and how do these look these are

typically maximal or near maximal

Sprints typically on an off feed cardio

equipment and you're going to do these

from anywhere from 10 to 30 40 seconds

of work and you're going to rest a

similar time within that it's typically

almost a one to one work to rest once

you get down here however these will be

maximal their maximal efforts versus

something down here when you're doing

very low intensity efforts that's that's

essentially how the funnel system goes

now there important considerations to

make and that is you know how far out

you are from

competition muscle fiber type or whether

you're more predominantly fast twitch

explosives slower twitch Workhorse quote

unquote I think those are important

things to also remember in these certain

areas of your training especially when

we look at muscle fiber type you're

looking at slower twitch athletes

recovering faster after hard efforts

fast twitch athletes Take 5 plus hours

to recover if not longer so if you're

doing multiple high intensity sessions

you're going to dig yourself into a hole

and increase your risk of injury lower

the quality of your Technical Training

sessions Etc so that's something just to

be aware of whether you are a most

people are hybrid but whether you are

very slow to a very fast twitch resta

you likely have an idea just based on

your style um compared to some other

people as well some other factors to be

aware of is how much wrestling you're

actually doing because if you're doing a

lot of wrestling Technical Training a

lot of this low intensity work may

already be taken care of and adding more

volume on top of that may not be getting

you to where you want to go again I

touched on the idea that perhaps the

peripheral fatigue is what is the

limiting factor in most people I tend to

believe it is I think once you have that

little that base of aerobic conditioning

typically you're looking at I if we look

at if we extrapolate some of the

research if you know anything about

maximal aerobic speed which is

essentially doing a five or 6 Minute

time trial running cycling or rowing you

take that distance you divide it by the

time you did it in seconds and it will

give you a metus per second score and

typically anything above I think it's

4.5 to 4.8

m/s then you're typically good I see

I've tended to find that in most

athletes once you get into that 4.5 m/

second you're actually pretty okay

regarding aerobic or low intensity

development you're potentially better

off focusing more on the high intensity

repeat effort training doesn't mean you

completely discard what's happening down

here but it means you may put less

emphasis on what's Happening down there

and more on the high intensity work here

are just some example like sessions or

guidelines you can follow for some of

these I'm not going to give absolutely

everything that could be within that

funnel it's just going to get way too

confusing when you have so many options

so here are just four of those options

the ones that I talked about on the

funnel in the previous uh whiteboard

image but essentially the stady St

cardio very simple 30 minutes for

example at a slow and steady Pace

typically you should be able to nose

breathe throughout and you're looking at

if you're looking at heart rate anywh

from 120 to 150 be per minute I would

gear more towards on the lower end of

that um you can do these doing any kind

of modality but typically the

adaptations happen peripherally on the

muscles being worked so if you're just

sitting on the bike for those 30 minutes

then those adaptations peripherally

mainly happen in the legs where the

upper body doesn't get much and

especially in a spotlight wrestling you

probably want some of those upper body

adaptations so you know using a rower uh

or SK might be a better option in that

regard um you can even do solo drills

wrestling drills in these 30 minutes

that works really well uh can be

difficult to keep your heart rate down

when you're doing those however you can

even do a circuit of them you can do 5

minutes of solo drills jump on a off cut

equipment for 10 minutes come back to

solo drills Etc so there's lots of

variation you can do within that

typically works well more towards you

could say say quote unquote recovery

style workouts uh just because it is low

intensity facilitates blood flow Etc

however you will use these initially

just to develop uh some of that base uh

then you have long high-intensity

interval training so you could say

quotequote more specific to wrestling so

2 to 8 * 2 to 8 minutes and if you know

your maximal aerobic speed which I

explained previously 90% of that or even

95 um or you can just go by heart rate

80 to 95% of your max heart rate uh you

could do these with wrestling specific

drills too especially if you have a

partner uh you could just kind of do a

technique back and forth or 22 um or you

can do it on off feet cardio equipment

as well you could also do that solo

drills too cuz solo drills uh at least

Shadow wrestling you can get a

relatively high intensity of work um

compared to you know someone who's

shrimping down the m and Jiu-Jitsu so

that's definitely an option there as

well now why would you choose along high

intensity over steady state or typically

you're not choosing one over the other

you might be using both within a

training week uh especially

initially uh typically the CATE stuff is

lower intensity so you're not going to

have more of that fatigue running over

but you're going to get more of a

chronic stretch in the heart with that

blood pooling so if you're looking to

primarily Target those Central

adaptations yeah up here is where you

want to be down here if you want a

little bit more

intensity uh I guess you could say I

don't want to say more peripheral

adaptation but to typically that's what

we're seeing within the research but

yeah both are good options to use

initially then you're going to do on

your higher end your alectric power

explained this before 6 to 10 seconds 2

to 3 minutes rest until your power drops

off on whatever you're doing uh this

doesn't have a certain number of sets

prescribed to it it can do but it's much

better to go by once you lose that 10%

decrement in that average power that you

might be tracking doing whatever you're

doing that's when you stop your set uh

you can do these doing you can even do

these doing sprints I wouldn't advise it

for a non-running athlete like a

wrestler but it is something you can do

and then your Sprint intervals when we

getting more towards that repeat high

intensity efforts different to to repeat

Sprint ability which is often used in

the research there is a much more ququ

anerobic demand here uh versus just

sprinting so typically you see in the

research repeated Sprint ability you can

improve by improving a lot of the

aerobic Energy System through steady

state cardio but once you start adding

other things other than running it

becomes a little more tricky so you're

looking at 10 to 40 seconds 10 to 60

seconds rest is a pretty easy one to do

or one to one uh is a simple one there

as well you can go anywhere from 5 to 20

sets in this depending on overall

training load Etc I can't give exact uh

prescription on that cuz it just depends

but a good place to start is 10 cents

and you can kind of progress from there

or change it from there there and just a

quick note on Energy Systems we can do

some labels like Energy Systems uh they

often just labels so you you can't just

isolate Energy System you can't just do

pure aerobic training or pure anerobic

training everything works together

however sometimes you can just be easier

to label things as you know aerobic

Energy System training or alactic Energy

System training so just bear that in

mind that everything works together it's

better I think to think about it as

maybe we're targeting more Central

versus more peripheral adaptations um

and that's based on an intensity

Spectrum so intensity is the main driver

of the adaptations you're going to get

the volume will dictate how much of that

you're going to get and you want to

start with the minimum volume you can

and then build from there to make

progress that way you're not shooting

yourself in the foot coming out and

doing 20 plus sets of whatever it is or

starting with 2 hour runs for your

steady state cardio then you have no

room to move so hopefully that made your

wrestling conditioning a little clearer

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