The best full body workout I ever got was on my high schools wrestling team. In fact, wrestling is the best workout I ever got period! Of course if you’re a former/current wrestler reading this you’re nodding your head right now, but for the vast majority of people who never endured man’s first sport, my guess is that you’ll need a little convincing.
When you’re wrestling, you’re using virtually every muscle in your body at once and constantly. That’s right; it’s one big flex. Remember “Things Fall Apart” from 10th grade English; that scene of Okonkwo and The Cat mid-grapple with every muscle in their backs’ bulging out of proportion. Other sports training can match the cardio level: running, boxing, high level basketball, but no other sport uses all the muscles together. Check out a high school event sometime, the gym reeks of sweat and lactic acid.
But what’s the point? You certainly can’t waltz back into a high school gym and start tossing kids around, and there aren’t a lot of gyms around offering it. There is MMA, but the casual stuff is too weak and involves a bit too much technique training for a great workout. The answer of course is wrestling without wrestling. I’ve put together a list of some of the grueling drills my coach made us do day in day out (Pushups and Sit-ups are a given).
Work these drills into a quick exercise routine once or twice a week. Go for at least 30 minutes to grab the cardio benefits and have fun.
- Wrestler Pushups: The best way to describe these is in yoga terminology. Go from downward dog to upward dog backwards and forewords. Start at five, work towards 10 then 20.
- Bridge: The ultimate wrestling defensive technique. I knew a guy who never once got pinned because his bridge was so strong. Lie on your back, and lift your hips high and shoulders off the ground. You can use your neck or your arms to support your upper body. Start at twenty seconds and work towards holding yourself up for minutes at a time.
- Hop Overs: With your feet together, hop over an object that’s about the height and width of a person’s legs (if you have a partner, just use them). Don’t stop, when you land on the other side immediately jump back over, work towards hopping for a minute, count how many you can do, and don’t let your feet come apart.
- Hip Highs: Hard to describe this one, luckily there is YouTube for this sort of thing. Skip to 1:20 for the drill. Go for a minute straight.
- Leg Rises: Lie on your back and grab hold of something solid. Now with your legs straight bring them up all the way to a 90 degree angle. Let them fall back down and immediately bring them up again. If you have a partner, use them and let them fling your legs back down as they come up.
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