Hey Chad, I am actually very glad you asked me this question. You see, there is an inverse relationship between strength training and extracurricular activities. The more extracurricular activities you do, i.e. practice, skill work, games, etc, the less time you can devote to strength training. Think of it like driving a car. You only have so much “gas” in the tank, and with each physical activity performed you tap into that “gas” supply. When you are training over the summer, you can lift and run a lot, because that is all that you are obligated to do. During the season, you will quickly be OUT of gas if you maintain this type of workout. But don’t worry, maintaining strength in season is really quite simple, provided that you are consistent with it, and don’t overdo it.

Since you play a lot on Saturdays, Sundays will be a day when you are not asked to practice hard, and perhaps go over some film. This is also a great day to get in a full body lift. The volume needs to be relatively low, and the lift itself should not take more than 30-45 minutes to complete, after a 5-10 minute warmup. Pair 1A and 1 B, 2A and 2B, etc…

 

Tuesday will be another great day to perform an upper body lift, since your legs will be placed under a heavy demand from practice, and need to be as close to 100% recovered as possible by Saturday.

 

 

1A- Box Squat- Work up to a 5 Rep Max on the Parallel Box Squat. I recommend performing “build up sets” of 5, 4, and then 2 reps before attempting this lift. Progress in weight from set to set, but be careful not to choose too heavy of a load on your final warmup set. You want to “feel” a heavy load, but you do not want to see your bar speed suffer on this set.

 

1B- Neck Harness- 4 X 15- Perform a set of flexion using a VERY slow tempo after the first set of box squats. Perform a set of extension after the second set. Repeat once more, so that 2 flexions and 2 extensions have been completed.

 

2A- Incline DB Bench Press- Perform a light warmup set of 5 reps. Perform 2 X 8-10, working sets.

 

2B- Chinups- 2 X 8-10

 

3A- Glute Ham Raises- 2 X 8-10 (Use Weight if Needed)

 

3B- Incline DB Row- 2 X 10-12 (Use Weight if Needed)

 

4A- Plank Hold- 2 X 1:00 (Use Weight if Needed

 

 

1A- Bench Press- Work up to a 5 Rep Max on the Bench Press. I recommend performing “build up sets” of 5, 4, and then 2 reps before attempting this lift. Progress in weight from set to set, but be careful not to choose too heavy of a load on your final warmup set. You want to “feel” a heavy load, but you do not want to see your bar speed suffer on this set.

 

1B- Box Jumps- 4 X 3. After warming up on a smaller box, perform 4 sets of 3 reps on the box jump. Choose a box that will require you to exert a significant amount of effort, but keep safety in mind; now is not the time to PR’s in this movement.

 

2A- 1-Arm DB Row- Perform a light warmup set of 5 reps. Perform 2 X 8-10, working sets.

 

2B- DB Bench Press- Perform a light warmup set of 5 reps. Perform 2 X 8-10, working sets.

3A- DB Upright Row- 2 X 10-12

 

3B- Weighted Hex DB Pushups- 2 X 12-15. Use any external resistance available, i.e. chains, bands, plates, and keep a very controlled tempo.

 

4A- Blast Strap Scarecrows/DB Rear Delts- 2 X 10-12

4B- Inverted Row/Reverse Pushup- 2 X 10-12 (Use Weight if Needed)

 

 

Hope this helps Chad!

 

-Matt

 

 

Brian, I honestly cannot tell you to do, or not to do, a certain sport. However, I can advise you that while cross country will help you get into shape for wrestling, it only addresses part of the puzzle.

 

You see wrestling entails a VERY high level of conditioning; it is one of the most demanding sports that there is. While cross country will effectively target aerobic capacity and cardiovascular endurance, it fails to prepare your skeletal muscular system for the demands of the wrestling season.

 

I liken this to going into a gun fight with a knife…sure, you have a weapon, but is that weapon really going to help you?

 

Metabolic Conditioning is a training style that targets your skeletal muscular system, your anaerobic and aerobic capacity, and your respiratory system. In short, it is VERY intense, and kicks your butt, but it also gets you into GREAT shape. I would highly recommend performing this type of training this fall, in order to get into the best shape possible.

 

Here is a sample Metabolic Conditioning Workout in the form of a barbell complex, which is a series of exercises done with the same load, and no rest:

 

-Military Press X 8

-Lunges X 8

-Squats X 8

-High Pulls X 8

-RDL’s X 8

-AB Rollouts X 8

-Bar Pushups (When securely racked at mid-shin level) X 16

Rest for 2:00

Repeat for a total of 2-4 “Rounds”

 

Brian, I hope this helps you out! Performing a Metabolic workout 2-3 times a week is definitely the way to go!

 

Matt