How To “Prepare” For The Hydration Test is the nature of this post…

Notice that I didn’t write How To “Beat” The Hydration Test or How To “Cheat” The Hydration Test, or How To “Trick” The Hydration Test.

This is because the hydration test is actually your best friend as a wrestler. It forces a wrestler to come in at a hydration level that is acceptable for health. It also forces you to be as strong as you should be for the wrestling mat. Let me explain…

Wrestlers either train all year round to keep strong and conditioned… or they don’t. Some guys follow a sound training system all year that keeps them in tip-top condition, like with my Ultimate Wrestling Strength program… and that’s a good thing:)

However, many wrestlers, coaches and parents wind up scrambling to get into shape fast with the season approaching quickly…

If you are one of these wrestlers, coaches or parents I have some training tips for you:

Check out these 20 MUST-HAVE training tips and techniques for improved wrestling. Follow the tips in this post and you’ll transform yourself into a ‘force to be reckoned with.’

In this video Michael Martin shows you some slick takedown setups with Chin Snaps and “Reverse Offense”.

This is some really quality takedown advice from a 4 x Virginia High School State Champion!

So, you want to learn how to make your takedowns faster?  No problem.

Before I describe the program, let’s look at what a takedown entails.  I’m assuming you are not going to tie up. You are simply looking for single leg and double legs takedowns.

As you’re standing in your “stance” on the mat, you generally have these traits:

* Knees are bent

* Bent at hip (30% or so)

* Elbows are bent

* Head is up

* On balls of feet

These traits necessitate the use of the quadriceps (front of thigh), hamstrings, (back of thigh), soleus (calf muscle), gastrocnemius (calf muscle), Rhomboids (back), Trapezius (back), Biceps (front of upper arm)and neck. Now, as each of these muscle shorten or flex to keep you in a good wrestling stance, its opposite muscle is stretching. So you have many muscles working side by side when you are taking a shot on an opponent.

Here’s a 2 day per week workout that will improve your speed when taking a shot, and finishing it strong!

Monday and Thursday

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Squats – 2 warmup sets of 8-10 reps.

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3×5 (Monday only)

2×20 (Thursday only)

Use a barbell, and learn to squat correctly. You should imagine that you are sitting in a chair behind you that you cannot see. This forces you to stick your glutes and hips back while sitting. This in turn keeps your shins upright. The result is a very effective squat, that is safe.

You will use most of the muscles that are used when shooting a takedown! Look straight ahead when squatting, and keep your head and neck in line with your torso.

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Jumping Squats – 2 sets max reps for 1 minute bouts

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Jumping squats will help you develop more explosive speed. Perform them after you’ve done your free weight squats. Crouch down on the balls of your feet so that your glutes are touching your heels. Explode upward as fast as you can with as much reach as possible. Your body should be off the ground, fully extended with arms towards the ceiling. If you are really exploding you should be able to extend so that your body is arched. Do these quickly.

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Dips – 1 warmup set with bodyweight then 2 sets of 6-10 reps with added weight (use a dipping belt) or if you cannot use extra weight, use your body weight.

If you can’t do ‘em, keep working on them. It’ll come.

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Reverse Close Grip Chinups – 3 sets of max reps.

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Use weight with a dipping belt if you get too strong! Keep going until you can’t budge.

This simple 4 exercise workout is just plain hard work, on the exact muscle groups that will move your body faster.

Keep your practice the same. You should be feeling faster, and getting more takedowns in practice within 2 weeks of doing this correctly (form is everything). Keep this up during the season, and don’t starve yourself when cutting weight. You’ll be amazed!

“What weight are you wrestling this year?”

“Um… I was thinking about dropping down a weight class.”

That’s the buzz that will be going around in the hallways at school between wrestlers.  Everyone wants to find the weight that will give them their best shot at success…

… and if you’re a High School or College wrestler chances are good that you’ll be faced with weight cutting.  (I’m not a fan of weight cutting, especially for really young wrestlers in Elementary and Middle School).

But, I’m also a realist and know that weight-cutting will probably be used in wrestling as l0ng as it’s a sport.

So… if you “plan” on cutting weight this season, be sure to include these 2 supplements:

These 10 tips will help you pack on some size and strength while keeping you fast on the mat… Get started now!

1.  Eat Enough Calories If you need to gain size and strength, you can’t do it without consuming enough calories.  Your daily intake with your wrestling practices plus a growing body means you should consume roughly 20 times your bodyweight in calories per day.

That means you take your bodyweight and multiply by 20:

140lbs x 20 = 2800 calories daily

Check out this Greco-Roman wrestler perform the “Flying Squirrel!”  While no Coach would ever advise you to attempt it, it’s still cool to see how athletic this guy is!!:

Well I had a pretty cool weekend… I went to watch a good friend of mine, Brad Biernat, as he fought in his 3rd amateur MMA Fight.

The fight wound up as an even draw in the judges eyes…

You can have a look here to see it and decide for yourself.  Brad is the guy who looks like a bodybuilder with the ankle brace on.  (WARNING: If mixed martial arts and the violence offends you please don’t click here):

The thing to keep in mind is Brad is 40 years old. He’s a tough competitor, trains like a warrior and his fights are with guys half his age…

But the thing that I like best is that he intelligently cut the weight from 170 pounds down to 145 lbs to make weight.

Now, an MMA athlete and wrestlers have both similarities in their training and nutrition as well as differences.

Wrestlers have to keep in peak condition for months at a time, while MMA athletes peak for one fight.

Wrestlers (may) have to cut weight multiple times per week for months at a time, while MMA athletes make weight 24 hours before a fight.

I’ll talk about the training in a future email/blog post, but for now check out the 2 MUST-HAVE tips for cutting weight (for both wrestling and MMA) that worked for Brad, and will work for anyone cutting weight intelligently:

Tip #1: Keep Strong While Cutting Weight With Protein Paste

Tip #2:  Water Manipulation To Keep Energy While Cutting Weight

Here is a video that you may or may not have seen.  It is truly inspiring!

Have questions? If you need to develop your inner-strength for wrestling Click Here!