Post: #1

So I wanted some opinions about cardio related wrestling. I've wrestled in my high school days with some minor success, nothing near National champion level but enough to net me a partial scholarship to university. High school was years ago and since then I've tried other sports, mainly MMA and bjj.

Recently I've decided that I missed wrestling and wanted to get back into it and I've been fortunate enough to find a gym near my place. I've done bjj for a few years now and I feel that though bjj is my mistress, wrestling will always be the wife.

Today I went in for a trial lesson and long story short, I'm dying. Anyone that's wrestled before knows that it involves miles and miles of running to keep up your conditioning. To this day, I've never found anything quite like wrestling conditioning. Now, I don't want to turn this into a bjj vs wrestling thread but throughout the years that I've done bjj, I've never felt the need to do separate cardio, to avoid getting gassed. Now that I'm considering wrestling again, I feel, there's no way that I'll be able to perform at the level I want to, without some extra conditioning on my own.

Jiu-jitsu is tiring no doubt but I have never felt like I was going to die after a session,
but today, I honestly worried for a second, how I'd get home. Do you guys think I should start conditioning on the side or do you think I'll eventually be alright going 3 times a week?

I've dedicated 4 years of my life to wrestling and they were great years I look back upon fondly but it's the first time I've ever considered getting back into it as an adult. Wrestling gyms in general just aren't that common compared to MMA and bjj. I sincerely hope there isn't a separate wrestling thread I should've posted in, but if there is, please excuse me due to extreme fatigue.

Oh and just a side note but the instructor and I had a match and I know back in the day I would've given the guy a run for his money but he pretty much treated me with kid gloves today due to my gasping, dying breaths.

** Edit
Changed title from "wrestling cardio" to "wrestling conditioning" due to the fact that "wrestling cardio" sounds like "boxercise"

Post: #2

Wind sprints

As a former high school and college wrestler I know exactly what you're talking about. I'd suggest adding wind sprints 3-4 days a week after your workout. As an intense interval training regimen its one of the easiest to implement yet most effective at getting your wind back.

Start with 10-12 40yd sprints at 90% max effort with 15-20 seconds recovery in between. Work your way up incrementally until your doing 10-12 100 yarders. Once youre there you should be match ready

Post: #3

Get a sandbag and do sandbag shouldering for time.

Start with a third of your bodyweight and try to do 50 reps in 20 minutes. Add weight as you feel comfortable.

Once you get over two thirds of your bodyweight you should be throwing bitches around.

Post: #4

Thanks guys, so consensus is get some extra cardio outside of wrestling? I figured as much, but the hope was there.

PT,
I've been looking at wind sprints and HIIT for awhile but fawk...sprints... My high school wrestling self would probably kick my ass for becoming such a pussy. Guess I'll go sprint after work tonight. Good looking out on the advice.

Hannibal,
I've never tried a sandbag workout other than hitting it. But it's pretty clear to see the benefits. Next time I go to the gym I'll try your workout, since they got a few bags laying around. Mucho thanks

Post: #5

Yeah the biggest benefit of sandbag training is that you're lifting a constantly shifting weight. This carries over to wrestling well, a body is not like a barbell.

As an added bonus, if you're using an actual loose bag (not one with handles), your grip strength and endurance will soar.

Post: #6

How did you search for a gym? In my area only mma gyms are available and when I searched the usa wrestling website it only lists high schools and universities

Post: #7

Edit*
Seems I completely missed them point here. Start small. Surely you remember the old drills. Just keep going and your stamina will return.
*

Catch wrestling or combat wrestling were good alternatives. However I have yet to find anything that compares before and after school wrestling practices.

Like mentioned, sand band caries and wind sprints are great to do.

While in Japan I managed to find a shooto gym that would have live sparring for hours. That intensity at the minimum matched what I had when I wrestled in high school and college. Other martial arts like judo, Sambo, catch wrestling etc that provide a heart amount of live sparring can satiate your need for intense physical exertion. I know I desperately need an outlet or else I get cabin fever of sorts.

BJJ just feels too slow for me, and people complain when I scramble or altogether avoid sparring with me because they don't like any intensity above baby coddling.

Now that I'm back in Tampa I plan to beat up on the younger college wrestlers when I get time.

Post: #8

(02-24-2016 11:33 PM)Sigma Wrote:  Thanks guys, so consensus is get some extra cardio outside of wrestling? I figured as much, but the hope was there.

PT,
I've been looking at wind sprints and HIIT for awhile but fawk...sprints... My high school wrestling self would probably kick my ass for becoming such a pussy. Guess I'll go sprint after work tonight. Good looking out on the advice.

Hannibal,
I've never tried a sandbag workout other than hitting it. But it's pretty clear to see the benefits. Next time I go to the gym I'll try your workout, since they got a few bags laying around. Mucho thanks

Yeah ....sprints...I know. But then there's nothing about wrestling for the faint of heart is there? Then again that's the point isn't it?

Post: #9

What we always did when I wrestled was wind sprints and "bug in rug."

Bug and rug was 3 people. One in the middle on the ground the others on the side standing up. The person in the middle rolls sideways at a person they jump over into a sideways roll towards the other person and you do it over and over again. Do it for as long as you can. Whoops your ass.

We would do this all the time and be conditioned better than every team we wrestled to the point where would get a lot of pins, techs and come backs in the 3rd period.

Post: #10

(02-24-2016 10:15 AM)Sigma Wrote:  So I wanted some opinions about cardio related wrestling. I've wrestled in my high school days with some minor success, nothing near National champion level but enough to net me a partial scholarship to university. High school was years ago and since then I've tried other sports, mainly MMA and bjj.

Recently I've decided that I missed wrestling and wanted to get back into it and I've been fortunate enough to find a gym near my place. I've done bjj for a few years now and I feel that though bjj is my mistress, wrestling will always be the wife.

Today I went in for a trial lesson and long story short, I'm dying. Anyone that's wrestled before knows that it involves miles and miles of running to keep up your conditioning. To this day, I've never found anything quite like wrestling conditioning. Now, I don't want to turn this into a bjj vs wrestling thread but throughout the years that I've done bjj, I've never felt the need to do separate cardio, to avoid getting gassed. Now that I'm considering wrestling again, I feel, there's no way that I'll be able to perform at the level I want to, without some extra conditioning on my own.

Jiu-jitsu is tiring no doubt but I have never felt like I was going to die after a session,
but today, I honestly worried for a second, how I'd get home. Do you guys think I should start conditioning on the side or do you think I'll eventually be alright going 3 times a week?

I've dedicated 4 years of my life to wrestling and they were great years I look back upon fondly but it's the first time I've ever considered getting back into it as an adult. Wrestling gyms in general just aren't that common compared to MMA and bjj. I sincerely hope there isn't a separate wrestling thread I should've posted in, but if there is, please excuse me due to extreme fatigue.

Oh and just a side note but the instructor and I had a match and I know back in the day I would've given the guy a run for his money but he pretty much treated me with kid gloves today due to my gasping, dying breaths.

** Edit
Changed title from "wrestling cardio" to "wrestling conditioning" due to the fact that "wrestling cardio" sounds like "boxercise"

If you can pick up a cheap dummy bag somewhere, you can create a million different wrestling specific conditioning workouts. First hand, long runs, sprints, all of these things don't really transfer that well to wrestling. It's a different movement pattern.

Post: #11

I just got a heavy bag for boxing and would just practice growing that this around shoring take downs on it and just carrying it. do your neck bridges with it on you. I looked Ito getting one of the dummies but didn't want to spend that much. I have to agree with the sprints I would I Lu add that you find a nice steep hill to do them on. My high school was in a really hilly part of town and we would do those sprints up the hill for hours at a time.

Post: #12

(02-25-2016 07:59 PM)Rush87 Wrote:  If you can pick up a cheap dummy bag somewhere, you can create a million different wrestling specific conditioning workouts. First hand, long runs, sprints, all of these things don't really transfer that well to wrestling. It's a different movement pattern.

I will not claim possess a vast knowledge about what is best, but the explosiveness from sprinting translates well into wrestling. Getting your heart rate up is key for conditioning.

http://www.scramblestuff.com/sprint-interval-training/

Quote:BJJ and MMA luminaries like George St Pierre, BJ penn and Roger Gracie all have documented usage of sprints in their conditioning approach.

Where did you hear that sprints don't translate well?

Quote:There are not many studies that describe sprint training protocols in wrestlers, and the fact that elite international wrestlers now use it is worth noting.[/quote

http://www.unchainedfitness.com/blog/spr...-wrestling

[quote]Sprinting will help with explosive take downs, plus its the best kind of conditioning you can get other than a real match or a VERY intense practice. It is also great for your mind, because you learn how to work and focus while being extremely tired.

This last one is simply another post from the BB forum but it mirrors how I view sprinting as well.
'
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread...=116568061

Post: #13

(02-29-2016 08:56 AM)cascadecombo Wrote:  [quote='Rush87' pid='1231577' dateline='1456448386']
If you can pick up a cheap dummy bag somewhere, you can create a million different wrestling specific conditioning workouts. First hand, long runs, sprints, all of these things don't really transfer that well to wrestling. It's a different movement pattern.


I will not claim possess a vast knowledge about what is best, but the explosiveness from sprinting translates well into wrestling. Getting your heart rate up is key for conditioning.

http://www.scramblestuff.com/sprint-interval-training/

BJJ and MMA luminaries like George St Pierre, BJ penn and Roger Gracie all have documented usage of sprints in their conditioning approach.

Where did you hear that sprints don't translate well?

There are not many studies that describe sprint training protocols in wrestlers, and the fact that elite international wrestlers now use it is worth noting.

http://www.unchainedfitness.com/blog/spr...-wrestling

Sprinting will help with explosive take downs, plus its the best kind of conditioning you can get other than a real match or a VERY intense practice. It is also great for your mind, because you learn how to work and focus while being extremely tired.

This last one is simply another post from the BB forum but it mirrors how I view sprinting as well.
'
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread...=116568061

I'm just talking for pure wrestling. If we're talking Mixed Martial Arts [I.E: A sport with a 25 minute duration] or an open field sport, sprints are great. I come from a sprinting background myself.

Also: When I'm referring to sprinting I'm referring to things like: 60-100m repetitions on the track/field.

In terms of wrestling, I wouldn't classify shuttle runs as 'sprints'. Regarding longer sprints [I.E: The 60-100m repetitions] the movement pattern is very different as are the muscles utilised. The pattern utilised when you hit Max V during a sprint will never be present while wrestling. Hence, if you have only so many hours in the day: I would attempt to make my efforts as sport specific as possible. I.E: Wrestling related cardio drills, shuttle runs [Over 10-15 meters] - All great for cardio vascular endurance, but more specifically, utilising the movement patterns specific to your sport.

Perhaps that helps with the confusion.