The right workout regimen will give you the power you need to take down any opponent. Photo by Chris Chow on Unsplash

School will be back in session shortly and school sports will soon be in full-swing. If you’re serious about wrestling, whether you’re in college or high school, you need to be dedicated to a lifestyle change. Training hardcore to become the best wrestler you can be is about more than just the workout, it’s also about the right diet and getting plenty of rest. If you have the discipline and determination, you can go from weakling to powerhouse, capable of taking down almost any opponent in your path.

The Three Day Workout Regimen

Including some time on cardio machines will help build endurance to carry you through every round in every match.

There are as many different opinions about the frequency of workout days and where to fit in rest days as there are wrestlers and trainers. Although three days on, one day off-type workouts are popular, some trainers will put you on a six-day schedule that has you working out every other day and resting on the days between, while others prefer an alterntive 3-day workout, such as the one former pro-wrestler Ric Drasin favors, performing it in six consecutive days and taking Sundays off to rest.

Rest Up

Part of a hardcore training regimen includes getting enough sleep every night in addition to scheduling a rest day. Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

Working out hardcore means you’ll be tearing your body down to rebuild it, a process known as hypertrophy. Along with scheduling rest days from your workout schedule, you have to be conscious of getting enough sleep every night. Although the Sleep Foundation reveals that there is no magic number for everyone, their studies have shown that, on the average, teens require 8 to 10 hours per night and adults may need up to 9 hours, but some individuals may only need 7 hours of sleep nightly. As for the day before a meet, trainers don’t recommend taking the day entirely off. A light workout the day before you wrestle will keep your strength up.

Nutrition

Multivitamins formulated for athletes help ensure your body has the nutrition it needs to stay strong.

To stay lean while building muscle and having plenty of energy, most athletes including wrestlers follow diets that focus on high protein and low fat, and add a couple of snacks to their three-meal-a-day regimen. Healthy protein to include in your diet can come from egg whites, fish, chicken or lean beef, and protein supplements. Be sure to include fiber from whole grain cereals and breads as well as from fruits like apples. A complete multivitamin formulated for athletes will help round out your nutritional needs and give you what you might not be getting from food. Trainers and athletes alike attest to the value and effectiveness of giving yourself a “cheat day” to eat things not allowed on the training diet. By knowing that you can have a treat on a specified day, it won’t be as hard to stick with strict eating habits the rest of the time.

Commit or Quit

Training hardcore is a lifestyle, not something done on a whim. Consider what is involved and what will be required of you in order to be successful. Be realistic and decide whether or not you’re up to the challenge. It’s better to take on a hardcore training routine knowing what you’re getting into and being prepared to see it through instead becoming discouraged and quitting a few weeks in.