Here at Garage Strength, we get asked all the time by wrestlers about how to remain strong when traveling, away from the weight room, or even warming up for a wrestling match. With the idea in mind of minimal equipment, short on space and time, resistance bands sure come in handy to create an opposing force to train against. They provide the necessary stimuli to get the results when in need.  

Here are seven exercises that will not only make wrestlers stronger and more powerful, but will make them more dynamic on the mat!

We like to use a thick band for this movement. The athlete puts the band around their waist and drills through the movement, performing an outside step high crotch. Athletes can perform five sets for five to seven reps, taking a sixty-second rest between each set. Make sure to be hitting good positions when performing the movement. If the high crotch is a go-to move on the mat, use this exercise to warm up for a big competition to feel the positions and be nice and snappy on the mat. 

This time athletes use a more moderate intensity band and place it around the waist. Athletes start on all fours and try to continue their penetration step into a standing/finishing position. This movement can be performed for five to six sets of five to ten reps. If the athlete’s cardio is lacking, we recommend taking shorter rest periods of fifteen to thirty seconds. Just make sure the technique of executing the movement is spot on. While executing the doubles, mentally focus and visualize what it will look like on the mat to connect the work with the band to out on the mat.

On a single knee with the band around the waist, side shuffle, and finish the single off standing strong. One of the worst things to watch in wrestling is when an athlete is really deep on a single and can’t finish, losing the points. This movement will help eliminate that problem from occurring. Athletes can do five to ten sets of three to five reps to try to focus on finishing the single. Ingrain the positions into the body so that the single can be finished and points can be scored.

This is a really easy movement to utilize. Think of this movement from a defensive perspective. Grip the band with each hand. Alternate stepping the foot back as the band is pulled to the ground. This movement can be done for ten to twelve sets of four to six reps with a thirty-second rest between. This is a great way to improve the wrestler’s down block.

This movement is not as specific to technical movement on the mat but is great to get a nice pump and feel like something is being accomplished. Tie the bands around knee height. Have a band in each hand. Go ahead and pull and curl the band from hand to oppositive shoulder in rhythm, alternating arms each rep. Do four to five sets of twenty-six to thirty reps total and increase that pulling power.

Think about this movement from the perspective of having good mat strength. This movement teaches how to have tense muscles throughout the entire pummeling position.

Athletes need to grip a band in each hand and lean into the bands. The athlete will then pummel. They can alternate arms or they can duel pummel. Wrestling scrambles tend to be best trained through intervals of fifteen to twenty-second goes. We recommend doing banded pummeling for five sets of fifteen to twenty seconds.

Again, put the band around the waist to perform the drill. Oftentimes wrestlers forget how important their stance is. The stance can determine how well a wrestler can take a shot or how well they can defend a shot. The stance in motion and change in level will help improve the feeling on the mat. Hooking the band up will help the athlete to feel snappier and able to start to calculate when to execute takedowns.

We recommend four to five sets of up to one minute at a time. We think stance in motion is important and that this can be done almost every single day. Wrestlers need to make sure they are visualizing what their steps look like, how they will change levels, and how they will attack their opponents.

Bodyweight, bands, and an anchor point are all that are needed to perform these seven exercises and drills. Not only will the movements improve technical coordination, but they will strengthen mat positions and add power to movements to be performed. The bands will teach the body how to keep the muscles appropriately tense. In addition, the bands invite visualization exercises to accompany every movement being performed. Use these banded movements in training and see how the opponent’s on the mat feel when they are being dominated.