Strength training is essential to the high level athlete. Without commitment to a serious strength training program, a wrestler cannot expect to perform on the regional or state level. It simply will not happen. This program is an effective three-day workout.
The strength training program we use has gone through a sort of evolutionary process. We kept the dynamic Olympic lifts described by Istvan Javorek, a professor of Fitness and Coach Emeritus of Romania. The reason we did this is because the lifts are superior in building strength and size, as well as being easy to learn and SAFE. I then consulted with strength coach, Mike Mahler (http://www.mikemahler.com/) who put together a 4-part program. This program will continually challenge any athlete and will result in a stronger, bigger, more fit wrestler.
Below is our entire strength and conditioning program. You can follow it strictly (recommended) or use it in combination with the many challenging Combat Conditioning workouts
2006 Strength Training Plan of Attack
There are literally thousands of strength training programs out there. Open any Muscle and Fitness and you will be regaled with foolproof plans featuring men with massive biceps. The key to their program will be conspicuously absent from yours; massive doses of steroids. These "athletes" also have the functional strength of tree sloth. Ask any contractor which guy he would like to see carrying sheets of plywood up a ladder all day, a wrestler or some meathead from the local gym. My bet is that the guy with the 300 pound bench will be losing his protein shake by the morning break.
Our plan of attack has undergone a natural evolution. We began by adopting the practices of the very best Olympic lifters in the world; the Bulgarians. The problem with this brutal and relentless approach is that it leaves very little left for sport-specific training such as Sambo, wrestling, running, and plyometrics. In the meantime, I have researched the absolute best functional strength training programs. You name it, German Volume Training, Rest Pause Training, Cluster Training, etc, I have read them all. The good news is that we were right on track with the type of lifts we were doing. In particular, using dumbbells for ballistic lifts is the most effective, SAFEST way to train. Oh yeah, the other problem with the Muscle and Fitness garbage is that it can get you HURT. The idea here is to develop brute strength, increase muscle mass, and gain overall health and fitness. It is NOT to destroy our rotator cuffs, lower backs, and young developing tendons with some meathead harebrained program that guarantees huge arms in just a few weeks.
So what we have here is a great program that will make you stronger, bigger, and tougher on the mat. It allows for you to be able to train hard off-season. It even removes the excuse of not strength training because you are competing in another sport.
The program will go as follows: 5 weeks of 5X5, one week of Active Rest, 5 weeks of GVT, one week Active Rest, 5 weeks of Rest Pause, one week Active Rest, 5 weeks 5X5, and one week Active Rest. The first day of every week will be designated "Explosion and Speed." These exercises will be a bit different from the norm. Needless to say, all of this will be thoroughly explained. If you are competing in another sport, you can still strength train using the 5 X 5 protocol.
Coach’s note: if you have been around the Sambo school, you have no doubt seen or played with the Russian Kettlebells. I cannot more highly recommend getting a set of Kettlebells for your own training. Besides being a heck of a lot more fun than traditional weights, they provide superior functional strength training. I will provide some modification to the exercises listed if you decide to go this direction.
This manual contains several Combat Conditioning workouts. You can gain strength and endurance by strictly working with Combat Conditioning. HOWEVER, this does NOT mean doing a few pushups twice a week. If this is the way you want to go, you should do 3 killer workouts, such as the 400/400, 300/300 workouts with which you are familiar, and then 3 days dedicated to handstand workouts, bridging workouts, chin ups, etc.
Many combat athletes will finish their weight lifting workout with 150-200 Hindu Squats and pushups. This is another good way to get really strong and fit. Make sure to get a day or two of rest between this kind of workout. Whichever program you chose, make certain you are bridging each and every day. You can prevent many injuries by taking care of your spine, which is the primary benefit of bridging.
We will begin our training with 5X5 Training. 5X5 Training is a standard protocol that has been around for many years. It is also an extremely effective way to pack on size and strength. It was a favorite of legendary bodybuilder Reg Park who happened to be Arnold’s idol.
Here’s how it works: Pick a training weight and do five sets of five reps. These reps should feel heavy, but allows you to do the exercise properly. We do all of our exercises with "snap" like a karate punch. If you can complete your five sets of five reps without your form breaking down, then it is time to add some weight.
The first day of each week will be "Explosion & Speed." These exercises are done at a faster speed and with more snap. Also, you will be doing several short sets, so that you can focus on being explosive in the movements. You will do 8 sets of 3 repetitions for each exercise.
For those of you that are not participating in another sport, we will be moving on to some other training methodologies. For those of you in baseball, track, etc. you can stick with the 5X5 until your season is over. Use good sense and lift after competitions or when you have a day or two to recover before a competition. For example, if you run two events in track, wouldn’t make sense that you get a hard lift in as soon as you are done? Or, if you have a game on a Wednesday, is Monday’s practice so tough that you can’t put in extra 40 minutes in the weight room? If you want to win, the answer will be abundantly clear.
Rest one minute to 90 seconds between sets.
Here we go:
Week 1, Day 1: Explosion & Speed
Dumbbell ¼ Squat Stomp Jerk
Dumbbell ¼ Squat Jump Raise to Armpit
Dumbbell Alternate Push Press
Dumbbell Lying on Back Explosive Alternating Chest Press
Dumbbell Full Body Attack
Week 1, Day 2:
A-1 Standing Parallel to Linear Rotational Dumbbell Push Press
A-2 Alternating Renegade Dumbbell Row
Do A-1 and A-2 back to back. In other words, do one set of A-1, wait a minute and then do a set of A-2 and so forth. Keep going back and forth between A-1 and A-2 until you have completed all five sets.
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat
B-2 Dumbbell Swing
Same directions as above
C-1 Dumbbell Squat Raise to Armpit
C-2 Dumbbell Regular Curls
Week 1, Day 3
A-1 Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
A-2 Barbell Bent Over Row
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat
B-2 Dumbbell from Floor Snatch
C-1 Turkish Get-Up 2X5 (left and right). Take 2 minute breaks between each set.
Week 2, Day 1: Explosion and Speed: 8 sets of 3 reps per exercise
Dumbbell Double Clean & Press
Dumbbell One-Arm Stomp Snatch
Dumbbell Squat Jump Push Press
Dumbbell Alternating Hang Clean & Press
Week 2, Day 2
A-1 Dumbbell Seated on Floor Push Press
A-2 Dumbbell Renegade Row
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat
B-2 Dumbbell from Floor Swing
C-1 Dumbbell Alternating Leg Lunges
C-2 Dumbbell Squat Push Press
Week 2, Day 3
A-1 Standing Parallel to Linear Rotational Dumbbell Push Press
A-2 Alternating Renegade Dumbbell Row
Do A-1 and A-2 back to back. In other words, do one set of A-1, wait a minute and then do a set of A-2 and so forth. Keep going back and forth between A-1 and A-2 until you have completed all five sets.
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat
B-2 Dumbbell Swing
Same directions as above
C-1 Dumbbell Squat Raise to Armpit
C-2 Dumbbell Regular Curls
Week 3, Day 1: Explosion & Speed: 8 Sets of 3 Reps per exercise
Dumbbell Squat Jump Raise to Armpit
Dumbbell Double Stomp Jerk
Dumbbell Full Body Attack
Dumbbell Alternating Split Jerk
Week 3, Day 2
A-1 Dumbbell Incline Alternating Bench Press
A-2 Barbell Bent Over Row
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat
B-2 Dumbbell from Floor Snatch
C-1 Turkish Get-Up 2X5 (left and right). Take 2 minute breaks between each set.
Week 3, Day 3
A-1 Dumbbell Seated on Floor Push Press
A-2 Dumbbell Renegade Row
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat
B-2 Dumbbell from Floor Swing
C-1 Dumbbell Alternating Leg Lunges
C-2 Dumbbell Squat Push Press
Week 4, Day 1: Explosion & Speed: 8 Sets of 3 Reps per Exercise
Dumbbell Double Clean & Speed Press
Dumbbell Lying on Back Alternating Chest Press
Dumbbell Stomp Jerk
Dumbbell Alternating Hang Clean
Week 4, Day 2
A-1 Dumbbell Standing Push Press (do not alternate, do 5 sets of 5 reps and move to next exercise)
A-2 Barbell Bent Over Row
B-1 Dumbbell Lying on Bench Press
B-2 Dumbbell Renegade Row
C-1 Turkish Get-Up 5X5 (left and right)
Week 4, Day 3
A-1 Standing Parallel to Linear Rotational Dumbbell Push Press (do not alternate, do 5 sets of 5 reps and move to next exercise)
A-2 Alternating Renegade Dumbbell Row
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat
B-2 Dumbbell Swing
C-1 Dumbbell Squat Raise to Armpit
C-2 Dumbbell Regular Curls
Week 5, Day 1:Explosion & Speed: 8 Sets of 3 Reps per exercise
Dumbbell Clean & Speed Press
Dumbbell ¼ Squat Stomp Jerk
Dumbbell Squat Jump Raise to Armpit
Dumbbell Alternating Hang Clean
Dumbbell Full Body Attack
Week 5, Day 2
A-1 Dumbbell Seated on Floor Push Press do not alternate, do 5 sets of 5 reps and move to next exercise)
A-2 Dumbbell Renegade Row
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat
B-2 Dumbbell from Floor Swing
C-1 Dumbbell Alternating Leg Lunges
C-2 Dumbbell Squat Push Press
Week 5, Day 3
A-1 Dumbbell Standing Push Press (do not alternate, do 5 sets of 5 reps and move to next exercise)
A-2 Barbell Bent Over Row
B-1 Dumbbell Lying on Bench Press
B-2 Dumbbell Renegade Row
C-1 Turkish Get-Up 5X5 (left and right)
Week 6, Day 1 (Active Rest: 2 Sets of 5 Reps)
A-1 Standing Parallel to Linear Rotational Dumbbell Push Press
A-2 Alternating Renegade Dumbbell Row
Do A-1 and A-2 back to back. In other words, do one set of A-1, wait a minute and then do a set of A-2 and so forth. Keep going back and forth between A-1 and A-2 until you have completed your two sets.
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat
B-2 Dumbbell Swing
Same directions as above
C-1 Dumbbell Squat Raise to Armpit
C-2 Dumbbell Regular Curls
Week 6, Day 2
A-1 Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
A-2 Barbell Bent Over Row
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat
B-2 Dumbbell from Floor Snatch
C-1 Turkish Get-Up 2X5 (left and right). Take 2 minute breaks between each set.
Week 6, Day 3
A-1 Dumbbell Seated on Floor Push Press
A-2 Dumbbell Renegade Row
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat
B-2 Dumbbell from Floor Swing
C-1 Dumbbell Alternating Leg Lunges
C-2 Dumbbell Squat Push Press
Week 7: GUT CHECK! 14 2-Minute Rounds with 1-Minute rest between Rounds
Round 1- Hindu Squats
Round 2- Hindu Pushups
Round 3-Hindu Jumper Squats
Round 4- Bridge
Round 5- Seal Pushups
Round 6- Bootstrappers
Round 7- Hands Wide Pushups
Round 8- Feet Together Hindu Squats
Round 9- Hindu Pushups
Round 10- Alternating Lunges
Round 11- Reverse (back bridge) Pushups
Round 12- Burpees
Round 13- Grasshoppers
Round 14- Bridge
A note on nutrition:
As a teenager, you can probably get away with eating any kind of chemical-laden, sugar coated crapola that you come across without serious consequence. Some of you could eat Twinkies and Burger King every night and not turn into a wobbling pile of goo. However, since we are in the business of competing in a combat sport, we have to look to ways to get the very most in terms of performance that we can possibly get. It is a simple formula, high-octane in, high performance out. Garbage in, garbage out.
Please resist any urges to run out on the behest of some of your classmates to buy up containers of creatine, 1-AD, or any other product that claims to raise your testosterone through the roof, making you not only ripped to shreds but also irresistible to women. If you feel you must, buy a quality whey protein and be done with it. Creatine and all of the new twists on this product are garbage. In fact, there is pretty good evidence that it is plain bad for you.
Think of nutrition in the simplest terms. Things that you need to unwrap or have ingredients that you cannot pronounce are bad. Lean meats, lots of vegetables, and whole grain pasta contain the stuff that your body needs and can break down into energy for your muscles and brain. I still believe the old time strong men had it right by drinking tons of milk with every meal and before bed as a good source of protein and vitamins
Back to work. Time to step it up a notch or two.
German Volume Training (GVT)
Again, if you are competing in another sport, do not move on to the GVT. It is a brutal workout that will leave you good and tired. By the way, if you have noticed that we never isolate muscle groups as recommended by Muscle and Fitness gym rats, you have been paying attention. That stuff is for the mirrors, we are training to be warriors. But if you are into that girlie stuff, it’s time to shave your chest, hit the tanning beds, and be home in time for Oprah and Dr. Phil.
German Volume Training was made famous by top strength coach Charles Poliquin. German athletes have successfully used this protocol to add ten pounds of muscle in a relatively short period of time. Now that I have your attention, here’s how it works: Normally, we would take 60% of our maximum 1 rep and do ten sets of ten repetitions. This method will increase size, but may not increase strength. Since we want it all, we are going to take a weight and perform an exercise five reps for ten sets. Use the same weight for all sets. When you can do all 10 sets with one weight, it’s time to increase your weight.
One other modification is to use two similar exercises instead of one, such as front squat and swings. Perform front squats for five sets and go right to five sets of swings. This is an additional challenge to the muscles.
We are going to continue with Day 1 Explosion & Speed workouts.
Week 7, Day 1: Explosion & Speed; 8 Sets of 3 Reps per exercise
Dumbbell Clean & Speed Press
Dumbbell ¼ Squat Stomp Jerk
Dumbbell Squat Jump Raise to Armpit
Dumbbell Alternating Hang Clean
Dumbbell Full Body Attack
Week 7, Day 2
A-1 Dumbbell Front Squat 10(sets)X 5 (reps) (one minute rest between sets) Got it?
A-2 Dumbbell Swing 10X 5
B-1 Dumbbell Squat Raise to Armpit 10 X 5
B-2 Dumbbell Regular Curl 10 X 5
Week 7, Day 3
A-1 Dumbbell Standing Push Press 10 X 5
A-2 Dumbbell Renegade Row 10 X 5
B-1 Dumbbell from Floor Snatch 10 X 5
A-1 Dumbbell Alternating Leg Lunge 5 X 5, Dumbbell Front Squat 5 X 5
A-2 Dumbbell from Floor Snatch 5 X 5, Dumbbell Swing 5 X 5
B-1 Chin Ups 10x 5
Week 8, Day 1: Explosion and Speed
Dumbbell Double Clean & Speed Press
Dumbbell Lying on Back Alternating Chest Press
Dumbbell Stomp Jerk
Dumbbell Alternating Hang Clean
Week 8, Day 2
A-1 Dumbbell Seated on Floor Push Press 5 X 5, Dumbbell Standing Push Press 5 X 5
A-2 Dumbbell Renegade Row 5 X 5, Barbell Bent Over Row 5 X 5
B-1 Chin Ups 10 X 5
Week 8, Day 3
A-1 Dumbbell Front Squat 10X 5 (one minute rest between sets)
A-2 Dumbbell Swing 10X 5
B-1 Dumbbell Squat Raise to Armpit 10 X 5
B-2 Dumbbell Regular Curl 10 X 5
Week 9, Day 1: Explosion & Speed
Dumbbell ¼ Squat Jump Raise to Armpit
Dumbbell Alternate Push Press
Dumbbell Lying on Back Explosive Alternating Chest Press
Dumbbell Full Body Attack
Week 9, Day 2
A-1 Dumbbell Standing Push Press 10 X 5
A-2 Dumbbell Renegade Row 10 X 5
B-1 Dumbbell from Floor Snatch 10 X 5
Week 9, Day 3
A-1 Dumbbell Raise to Armpit 5 X 5, Barbell Upright Row from Shins 5 X 5
A-2 Dumbbell Squat Push Press 5 X 5, Dumbbell Push Press 5 X 5
B-1 Dumbbell Front Squat 10 X 5
Week 10, Day 1: Explosion & Speed
Dumbbell Squat Jump Raise to Armpit
Dumbbell Double Stomp Jerk
Dumbbell Full Body Attack
Dumbbell Alternating Split Jerk
Week 10, Day 2
A-1 Dumbbell Snatch from Floor 10 X 5
A-2 Barbell Regular Curls 10 X 5
B-1 Dumbbell Alternate Leg Step Up 5 X 5, Dumbbell Alternate Leg Lunges 5 X 5
Week 10, Day 3,
A-1 Dumbbell Seated on Floor Push Press 5 X 5, Dumbbell Standing Push Press 5 X 5
A-2 Dumbbell Renegade Row 5 X 5, Barbell Bent Over Row 5 X 5
B-1 Chin Ups 10 X 5
Week 11, Day 1: Explosion & Speed
Dumbbell Double Clean & Speed Press
Dumbbell Lying on Back Alternating Chest Press
Dumbbell Stomp Jerk
Dumbbell Alternating Hang Clean
Week 11, Day 2
A-1 Dumbbell Clean 5X5, Dumbbell Swing 5 X 5
A-2 Dumbbell Parallel Squat Push Press 10 X 5
B-1 Dumbbell Seated on Floor Alternating Press 10 X 5
B-2 Barbell Upright Row 5 X 5, Barbell Bent Over Row 5 X 5
Week 11, Day 3