*Editor’s Note: This is an article I wrote back in 2011 for another website and first published here in 2012. The feedback has been amazing. This workout program has been one of the most popular articles on the entire Hunt Fitness site. I have received emails from wrestlers all over the country who have followed this program with great success. –

 

Hunt Fitness Offseason Wrestling Workout

The offseason program is designed to build strength, add lean muscle and improve upon the athlete’s conditioning. The bulk of the program is going to be built around basic compound movements because they are the best for developing both muscle and strength. The offseason training program is broken down into two six week phases.

Phase one is called “Basic Strength and Hypertrophy”. The beginning phase is to get the athletes used to resistance training and to prepare them for the more advance training to come in phase two. In phase one the emphasis is on leaning the movements and building a base to work with. Phase two is where the priority shifts to performance and sports specific training.

Phase two is called “Maximum Strength and Power”. As the title suggests this phase is designed to get the athletes stronger and more explosive. A focus is put on constant improvement and performance in this phase. Having the team work together or athletes partnering up in this phase can be very beneficial to promote competition. Muscular endurance and sport specific training will be added into this phase as well.

The aerobic conditioning is going to come from a mix of lower and higher intensity training throughout both phases.

The use of plyometrics is going to be incorporated into both phases of the training program.

 

Phase 1: Basic Strength and Hypertrophy

Weeks 1-6

Warm up – Fast walk or jog for 5 to 10 minutes followed by a series of dynamic stretches and mobility exercises. Do this before every workout, mon-fri. (Same every day)

Dynamic stretching– Arm circles 20 each direction, Arm swings 20, Side bends 20 each side, Lying scorpions 10 per leg, 10 Deep lunges, High knees across gym floor, “Butt- kicks” across gym floor, Straight legs across gym floor. More can be added to this.

Cool down– Light to moderate cardio for 5-10 minutes to help remove lactic acid build up followed by static stretches. Do this after every workout.

Static stretching– is to be done after the workout because research has shown that static stretching reduces strength if done before the workout and has tremendous recovery and flexibility benefits if done following the workout. For each day do static stretching for the muscle group that was worked. For example on leg day focus on leg stretches and on chest day focus on chest stretches. Only stretch to a point of mild to moderate discomfort and hold it for 15 to 20 seconds.

Cardio- After the resistance training sessions on Mon, Wed, Fri. – Do 25-30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio. Examples include jogging, biking, elliptical, stationary bike, treadmill. Hear rate should be around 60-75 percent of max. High intensity cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays combined with plyometrics.

 

Training Program:

Monday– Chest, Shoulders, Triceps, abs

Barbell Bench Press 4 sets 6-8 reps Incline Dumbell Press 3 sets 6-8 reps Barbell Military Press 4 sets 6-8 reps Barbell Upright Row 3 sets 6-8 reps Lying Triceps Extensions 4 sets 6-8 reps Cable Triceps Press down 3 sets 8-12 reps

 

Weighted crunches 3 sets 15-20 reps Hanging knee raises 3 sets 15-20 reps Twisting medicine ball crunch 3 sets 15-20 reps Plank holds 3 sets 45-60 sec

*25-30 minutes of cardio

 

Tuesday– Lower Body Plyometrics and High Intensity Cardio

*Same warm up every day.

Lower Body Plyometrics Workout

• Bodyweight lunge: Perform a lunge one leg at a time. Keep your back straight and make sure the knee is in line with your ankle. 3 sets 20-25 reps
• Squat Jumps: stand with your legs open at a shoulder width stance. Go down to a squat position and jump up in a fast and explosive manner. Perform each repetition without stopping. 3 sets 15-20 reps.
• Side to Side Hop: Stand in the same position then jump to one side and land on foot then jump to then next side and land on the other foot. Pretend like you are a speed skater and you get the idea of how to do it. 3 sets 15-20 reps
• Standing Jump and Reach: Stand in the same position and in front of a wall or a basketball rim. Raise your arms up and jump as high as possible. With each jump try to reach the highest point on a wall. 3 sets 10-15 reps.

High Intensity Cardio

– Light jog for 5 minutes

– 5 x 50 yard sprints (30 seconds rest in between sprints)

– Light jog for 5 minutes

 

 

Wednesday– Back, Biceps, Forearms, Traps, abs

Deadlifts 4 sets 6-8 reps Barbell Rows 3 sets 6-8 reps Pull-Ups 3 sets 8-12 reps Barbell Curl 4 sets 6-8 reps E-Z Bar Reverse Curl 3 sets 6-8 reps Wrist Roller 3 sets 8-12 reps Barbell Shrug 4 sets 6-8 reps

 

Machine crunches 3 sets 15-20 reps Bicycle crunches 3 sets 15-20 reps Leg lifts 3 sets 45-60 sec holds Side plank 3 sets 45-60 sec holds

*25-30 minutes cardio

 

Thursday– Upper body plyometrics and High Intensity Cardio

Upper Body Plyometrics Workout

• Plyometric pushup: Perform a push up but explode up so your hands come off the ground. 3 sets 15-20 reps
• Overhead throw: Using a medicine ball, stand about 10 feet in front of a wall. Pull the medicine ball over your head and forcefully throw it into the wall and catch it on the rebound. 3 sets 15-20 reps.
• Medicine ball slam: Using a medicine ball thrown the ball onto the ground as forcefully as possible. 3 sets 15-20 reps
• Squat throws: Holding a medicine ball, squat down and throw the ball into the air as you come up. 3 sets 10-15 reps.

High Intensity Cardio

– Light jog for 5 minutes

– 5 x 50 yard sprints (30 seconds rest in between sprints)

– Light jog for 5 minutes

 

Friday– Legs, Calves

Barbell Squats 5sets 6-8 reps Leg Press 4 sets 6-8 reps Walking Dumbell Lunges 4 sets 6-8 reps Lying or seated Leg Curls 3 sets 8-12 reps Standing Calf Raises 2 sets 4-6 reps Seated Calf Raises 2 sets 12-15 reps

*25-30 minutes of cardio

Weekends- No scheduled training session. Rest up for next week

 

 

Phase 2: Maximum Strength and Power

Weeks 7-12

Note: Same warm up, dynamic stretching, cool down, static stretching and cardio as phase 1.

Warm up – Fast walk or jog for 5 to 10 minutes followed by a series of dynamic stretches. Do this before every workout, mon-fri. (Same every day)

Dynamic stretching– Arm circles 20 each direction, Arm swings 20, Side bends 20 each side, Lying scorpions 10 per leg, 10 Deep lunges, High knees across gym floor, “Butt- kicks” across gym floor, Straight legs across gym floor. More can be added to this.

Cool down– Light walk for 5 minutes to help remove lactic acid build up followed by static stretches. Do this after every workout.

Static stretching– is to be done after the workout because research has shown that static stretching reduces strength if done before the workout and has tremendous recovery benefits if done following the workout. For each day do static stretching for the muscle group that was worked. For example on leg day focus on leg stretches and on chest day focus on chest stretches. Only stretch to a point of mild to moderate discomfort and hold it for 15 to 20 seconds.

Cardio- After the resistance training sessions on Mon, Wed, Fri. – Do 25-30 minutes of moderate intensity cardio. Examples include jogging, biking, elliptical, stationary bike, treadmill. Hear rate should be around 60-75 percent of max. High intensity cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays combined with plyometrics.

 

Training Program:

Monday– Chest, Shoulders, Traps, Triceps

Barbell Bench Press 5 sets x 6,5,4,3,1 One arm dumbell Incline Press 4 sets x 8,6,6,4 Weighted or body weight dips 3 sets x 8,6,4 Clean and press 5 sets x 4,4,3,3, 1-2 Single arm dumbell snatch 4 sets x 6,6,4,4 Barbell High Pull 3 sets x 6,4,4 Lying Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 6,6,4,4

*25-30 minutes of cardio

 

Tuesday– Body weight workout and High Intensity Cardio

*Same warm up every day.

Body weight Workout

• 1 minute push up drill- 1 minute timed push up test
• 2 minute sit out drill- as many sit outs as possible in 2 minutes
• 1 minute sit up drill- as many sit ups as possible in 1 minute
• 2 minute stand up drill- as many stand ups as possible in 2 minutes

– Towel pull-ups 3 sets x failure

– Partner core twists 3 sets x 15-20

– Partner Turkish get up on back 3 sets 10-12 reps

– Partner flip overs 3 sets x 15-20

– Hanging windshield wipers 3 sets x 15-20 reps

High Intensity Cardio

– Light jog for 5 minutes

– 5 x 50 yard timed sprints (30 seconds rest in between sprints)

*Relay race style

– Light jog for 5 minutes

Another option is to do the sprints on stairs. Alternate flat ground sprints and stair sprints every other session.

 

Wednesday– Back, Biceps, Forearms

1. Deadlifts 5 sets x 6,4,4,3,1

2. Barbell Clean 4 sets x 4,4,2,2

3. T-Bar Rows 4 sets x 6,6,4,4

4. Weighted or BW Pull-ups 4 sets x 6,6,4,4

6. Dumbell hammer curl 3 sets x 6,6,4

7. E-Z Bar Reverse Curl 3 sets x 8,6,4

8. Wrist Roller 3 sets x 8,6,4

*25-30 minutes cardio

 

Thursday– Body weight workout and High Intensity Cardio

*Same warm up every day.

Body weight Workout

• 1 minute push up drill- 1 minute timed push up test
• 2 minute sit out drill- as many sit outs as possible in 2 minutes
• 1 minute sit up drill- as many sit ups as possible in 1 minute
• 2 minute stand up drill- as many stand ups as possible in 2 minutes

– Towel pull-ups 3 sets x failure

– Partner core twists 3 sets x 15-20

– Partner Turkish get up on back 3 sets 10-12 reps

– Partner flip overs 3 sets x 15-20

– Hanging windshield wipers 3 sets x 15-20 reps

High Intensity Cardio

– Light jog for 5 minutes

– 5 x 50 yard timed sprints (30 seconds rest in between sprints)

*Relay race style

– Light jog for 5 minutes

Alternate flat ground sprints and stair sprints every other session.

 

Friday– Legs, Calves

Barbell Squat 5 sets x 6,6,4,4,1 Zercher or front squat 4 sets x 6,6,4,4 Romanian Deadlifts 4 sets x 6,6,4,4 Dumbell Bulgarian split squat 3 sets x 8,6,4 Reverse Hypers or Glute Ham Raises 3 sets x 8,6,4

*25-30 minutes of cardio

 

Weekends- No scheduled training session. Rest up for next week

 

After both phases are complete the athletes should take a week off for recovery. Following the recovery week, start back with phase 1.

If you have any questions about this program or are interested in getting your own custom workout plan or personal training availablility feel free to email me (Kyle Hunt) at KyleHuntFitness@gmail.com

 

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