Upper Body Accessory Lifts

UPPER BODY ACCESSORY LIFTS

GRIP TRAINING

By: Dickie White

This manual is designed to provide information in regards to the subject matter covered. It is provided with the understanding that the author is not rendering medical advice or other medical/health services. You must consult your physician prior to starting any exercise program or if you have any medical condition or injury that contraindicates physical activity. These exercises and programs are designed for healthy wrestlers and the content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.

The author shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this E-book. Don’t lift heavy weights if you are alone, inexperienced, injured, or fatigued. If you experience any lightheadedness, dizziness, or shortness of breath while exercising, stop and consult a physician.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this E-book does not imply endorsement by the author.

This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2010 by Dickie White. Any unauthorized transfer, use, sharing, reproduction, sale, or distribution of these materials by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise is prohibited. No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, without the expressed written consent of the author.

Published under Copyright Laws of the Library of Congress of The United States of America, by:

Dickie White 198 Palmer Hill Road Port Crane, NY 13833 [email protected]

Intro to Upper Body Pushing Accessory

The upper body push accessory movements detailed below are all designed to strengthen your upper body and improve your bench press. Some of the movements are horizontal presses, like the bench press itself, some are vertical presses, and some are direct tricep exercises. When cycled correctly, the exercises below will help in your quest to bench press more weight.

I remember a story my coach told me about one of his wrestlers getting ready to step on the mat for his third place match at the Greco-Roman Junior Nationals in Fargo,

North Dakota. My coach said the wrestler looked at his opponent and then looked back at him and said, “This guy doesn’t bench 280.” He went on to win that match by technical fall. Is the bench press the best lift for a wrestler to perform? I would say no.

But, it is an excellent indication of upper body strength, and in many situations provides you with additional confidence.

There are four variations of dumbbell benching that I use with my wrestlers, all of which are used to increase the strength off your chest. Although the path is the same for any dumbbell benching movement, a higher level of shoulder stability and control are needed, so be sure that your barbell bench technique is solid first. Since the techniques for barbell benching and dumbbell benching are nearly identical there will not be as much detail in this section. If you have any questions I’d suggest you review all of the points in the bench press section. If you are regularly hitting a sticking point on your heavy bench attempts within a few inches of your chest, dumbbell benching will help you develop the strength you are missing.

Dumbbell Bench

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Shoulders (Anterior Deltoid), Triceps

Stabilizers: Lats, Rhomboids, Traps, Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Grab two dumbbells of the same weight, one in each hand, sit on the end of a flat bench and place the dumbbells on your thighs.

Execution: Lean back while simultaneously driving the dumbbells back with your thighs until your back is on the bench and the dumbbells are at the sides of your pecs in a similar position to where a bar would be at the bottom of a bench press. Place your feet flat on the ground and drive the dumbbells up until your elbows are locked with the dumbbells directly over your shoulders. Lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position and repeat for the predetermined number of reps.

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Shoulders (Anterior Deltoid), Triceps

Stabilizers: Lats, Rhomboids, Traps, Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Position a dumbbell bench at a 45-degree angle. From there follow the same setup as the

Dumbbell Bench.

Execution: Lean back while simultaneously driving the dumbbells back with your thighs until your back is on the bench and the dumbbells are at the sides of your pecs with your forearms perpendicular to the ground. Place your feet flat on the ground and drive the dumbbells up until your elbows are locked with the dumbbells directly over your shoulders (your arms should be perpendicular to the ground). Lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position and repeat for the predetermined number of reps.

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Shoulders (Anterior Deltoid), Triceps

Stabilizers: Lats, Rhomboids, Traps, Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Grab two dumbbells of the same weight, one in each hand, sit on the ground with the weights on your thighs.

Execution: Lean back while simultaneously driving the dumbbells back with your thighs until your back is on the ground and your triceps are against the ground with the dumbbells held in a position that resembles the middle portion of a dumbbell bench. Straighten your legs out to eliminate the possibility of using leg drive to press the weight. Press the dumbbells up until they are over your shoulders with your arms locked out. Return them to the starting position and pause on the ground so that there is a distinct stop between the lowering and pressing of the weight.

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Shoulders (Anterior Deltoid), Triceps

Stabilizers: Lats, Rhomboids, Traps, Muscles of Rotator Cuff, Core

Setup: Grab two dumbbells of the same weight, one in each hand, sit on a stability with the weights on your thighs. Lean back and walk your feet forward as you position yourself in such a way that your upper back is in contact with the ball. Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to keep your hips up and your core parallel to the ground.

Execution: Press the dumbbells up until your elbows are locked with the dumbbells directly over your shoulders. Lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position and repeat for the predetermined number of reps. A smooth, even press, a stable core, and solid footing are all needed to ensure that you maintain proper form while you press. Additionally, keep in mind the fact that the higher the ball is on your upper back, the greater amount of core stability the exercise will require.

Being a reliable and knowledgeable spotter for dumbbell benching is essential for minimizing injuries in the weight room. I initially learned to spot at the elbows.

Shortly thereafter I began spotting my partner at the wrists. Both ways are dangerous and will in no way help the lifter if his/her shoulders start to give causing the dumbbells to fall in and come crashing down the lifters face or chest.

For years I have spotted and taught my wrestlers to spot the lifter on the inside of the dumbbells. It doesn’t provide as much assistance during the lift, but then again, if the lifter needs a tremendous amount of assistance to finish a rep, they probably shouldn’t have been going for it anyway. The big benefit of spotting on the inside of the dumbbells is that if at anytime the dumbbells begin to cave in toward the lifter’s head or body you can easily redirect them back into position. If the lifter really loses control forcefully throw the dumbbells to the sides of the bench. Obviously it’s important to let other lifters in the gym know not to be around the bench when someone is dumbbell benching. It is also important to let the lifter know you are going to drive the dumbbells away so they can let go after the dumbbells are far enough away from their body.

There are a few ways to release the dumbbells when you are done with your set.

You can have a partner take one dumbbell while you pull the other onto your chest and sit up with it. You can have a partner on either side take the dumbbells simultaneously.

If the bench is low enough and doesn’t stress your shoulders, you can lower the dumbbells to the floor by extending your elbows and lowering the dumbbells down by your hips (easiest way after floor pressing). Or, if there is no one around and the gym you are lifting at doesn’t have a policy against it, you can throw the dumbbells off to the sides after you’ve completed your set.

Like the bench press is today, the overhead press was once the measure of an individual’s strength. However, it has been under fire as of late by a few highly respected strength coaches. They claim, and with good reason, that the risks of injury far outweigh the benefits of the exercise. However, I feel that with a few changes and sensible weight selection that the overhead press can be kept safe and is effective for building strong shoulders that will overwhelm an opponent on the mat.

There are two big safety concerns that are extremely important to keep in mind when overhead pressing. First, never have a spotter around when you overhead press.

The reason being is the second key to safety when overhead pressing. If at any time you feel as though you are unable to complete an overhead press do not try to battle through it by leaning back and grinding through the rep. Simply return the bar to the starting position and rack the weight. If you feel as though you are unable to return the weight without injuring yourself, just push the weight forward and let go as you step away from it. Learning and practicing how to safely bail out on lifts is just as important as learning and practicing proper technique.

Muscles Worked: Shoulders, Triceps

Stabilizers: Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Set the barbell in the rack slightly below shoulder height so that you are forced to squat under the bar to un-rack it. Take a grip that is comfortable for you. Most of the wrestlers I train grip about a thumb length away from the start of the knurling on the barbell. Bend your knees and pull yourself under the bar so that it is close to your shoulders. Lift the bar off the rack and step back. Get into a solid stance with your feet just outside your hips.

Execution: Press the press the bar overhead. Almost as soon as you begin the press make sure that you lean back just enough so that your chin and head do not interfere with keeping a straight bar path. Once the bar is past your head stand upright again as you finish the press. Do not bend at the lower back to complete the press.

Muscles Worked: Shoulders, Triceps

Stabilizers: Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Grab a dumbbell and position it on your shoulder with your palm facing where you’re looking.

Execution: Press the weight in a straight line overhead until your elbow is locked out and the dumbbell is directly over your shoulder. Lower the dumbbell back to your shoulder and repeat for reps. Avoid leaning to one side as you press the weight in an attempt to finish a rep. Instead, focus on staying perfectly upright and press the weight with strict technique. Although I’m not strict on some lifting technique, I think it’s important to use perfect form when overhead pressing to avoid any unnecessary stress on the shoulders and, as a result, avoid potential injury.

Muscles Worked: Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves, Shoulders

Stabilizers: Core, Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Perform a log clean. This is the starting position.

Execution: You have more than likely seen this performed in the World’s Strongest Man competition on TV; however, I am fairly certain you have never performed this exercise before.

The log is a training tool that is difficult to find and, for the most part, is found only in hardcore gyms. But if you can get your hands on one, train with it regularly. The log is great for a few reasons. First, it is built to be pressed with a neutral grip, which is an advantageous grip for wrestlers because it minimizes stress on the shoulders. Second, it is a unique implement that will provide a new stimulus and challenge your body differently than a barbell or dumbbell.

Once the Log is in the starting position, the technique from here is the same as the barbell overhead press except that you have to lean back a little more with the log than you would have to with a barbell to maintain a straight bar path and keep the log from hitting your face. Make sure to keep your legs straight so you don’t use them to help press the weight!

The push press is a technique that can be used with any of the three types of overhead pressing detailed above. The only difference when performing the overhead press as opposed to the push press is the addition of a leg drive. Once you get into position to press perform a quarter squat and then drive up forcefully to initiate the lift. Carry the momentum you produced with your legs to the bar by beginning to press when you reach the peak of your leg drive. If you have a strong leg drive you should be on your toes when you begin to press. Don’t stay on your toes though. Let your heels naturally return to the floor as you press. A good leg drive will allow you to press the bar over your head before having to lock it out with your arms.

The push press may seem awkward at first, but practice it regularly and you will become smoother every training session.

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Anterior Delt, Tricep

Stabilizers: Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Place both hands onto the dip handles and straighten your arms. Bend at your knees in an attempt to touch your heels to your butt. Be sure to keep your chest tall and your upper body as perpendicular as possible to the floor throughout the movement.

Execution: The one technique point you must always follow (if it doesn’t cause your shoulders pain) is to lower yourself to a point where your shoulders are even with your elbows so that your upper arm is parallel to the floor. You can lower yourself more, but be cautious of your shoulders. If your shoulders are banged up from practice and hurt when you go low just don’t go as low and/or don’t do a lot, if any dips during the workout. Always remember, you know your body better than anyone else and there is a difference between pain/soreness that you will feel from a hard workout as opposed to an injury – work through the soreness the best you can and address an injury. Hopefully you have access to an adjustable dip station. More than likely you do not. Not a big deal, but you will need to make some adjustments to keep this exercise safe. The biggest safety issue with performing dips is the possibility of losing control and falling. If the dip bars are too high off the ground and you lose control and are unable to return to the ground safely you are at risk for a pec tear or a shoulder injury. You must take proactive measures in order to minimize the risk of injury when you dip, as you would for any exercise. If you are using a dip bar that is nonadjustable it is important that you construct some sort of a box (much like you would for squatting) near the dip bar so that you can put your feet on it at any time. Make sure the box is at a height that puts your upper arms at a 45-degree angle with the ground when you are standing on it while holding the dip bar. Because the box needs to be so high, you will need to bend your knees in order to dip without your feet

Copyright © 2010 by Dickie White. All Rights Reserved. 23 interfering with the lift. If at anytime you feel like you may fall, simply straighten your legs and put your feet on the box to catch yourself.

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Anterior Delt, Tricep

Stabilizers: Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: The setup for chain dips is the same as the setup detailed in the chain chin-up section.

First, figure out the range of motion of the dip and attach the chains accordingly to the weight belt. To save yourself a struggle attach a carabineer to the middle of the 5-foot lengths of 5/8” chain and attach those chains to the chain on the weight belt where at the top of the dip position there are only a few links of heavy chain on the floor. Place both hands onto the dip handles and straighten your arms. Bend at your knees in an attempt to touch your heels to your butt. Be sure to keep your chest tall and your upper body as perpendicular as possible to the floor throughout the movement.

Execution: The execution and safety concerns are the same as a standard dip.

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Anterior Delt, Tricep

Stabilizers: Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Loop a band around both ends of the dip handles. From there place one of your knees across the band, but leave the other leg free in case of emergency and to help you back to the ground after you’re done with your set. Follow the same setup from here as you would for a standard dip.

Execution: The execution and safety concerns are the same as a standard dip. I use bands to provide assistance for my athletes who are new to strength training and have very low levels of upper body strength. If you cannot perform more than 5 bodyweight dips, I’d suggest using the bands to help you get upwards to 15 reps to build base strength and technique. Setup is easy; simply loop the band around both dip handles. Use different bands and loop them accordingly to provide the right amount of support while still challenging yourself.

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Anterior Delt, Tricep

Stabilizers: Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Loop a band around both ends of the dip handles. From there place the band behind your neck. You can loop the band around more times if you need additional tension. Follow the same setup from here as you would for a standard dip.

Execution: The execution and safety concerns are the same as a standard dip. This is a killer exercise that should be performed by only more advanced lifters (someone who has been lifting for 3-4 years). Loop the band on the dip bars like you would for an assisted band dip. Instead of putting your knee on the band, put the band on the back of your neck and dip from there. This version requires an incredible amount of lockout strength so press up as fast as you can from the bottom of the dip to minimize your chances of stalling out before lockout. If this setup makes you uncomfortable you can also set it up as you would for a band resisted chinup but instead double up the band around the dumbbell.

I know you do enough of these in practice, but I figured I’d give you a few new ways to tweak the common pushup to keep your interest level high and your strength level higher. If you have access to one, adding a weighted vest into the mix of the first three pushup variations is a great way to increase their intensity.

Board Pushups

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Anterior Delt, Tricep

Stabilizers: Muscles of Rotator Cuff, Core

Setup: Place a two or three board under your chest and get into a pushup position.

Execution: Perform a pushup. This is an excellent way to fry your triceps, give these a shot in place of triangle pushups which can place a lot of stress on the wrists. You can pause at the bottom or touch and go.

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Shoulders (Anterior Deltoid), Triceps

Stabilizers: Core, Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Position the straps in a power rack. The lower the handles are, the more difficult the exercise is and vice versa. Grab the handles and get into a pushup position.

Execution: Perform pushups for the prescribed number of reps. Focus on keeping your shoulders, hips, and ankles in a straight line throughout the exercise. Also focus on maintaining smooth execution of the exercise and not allowing the unstable nature of the exercise to get the better of you. You can buy suspended pushup handles, or you can make them by running two chains from the top of a power rack and attaching an eight inch piece of PVC pipe with a carabineer so that it resembles the setup below.

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Shoulders (Anterior Deltoid), Triceps

Stabilizers: Core, Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Position your hands on a stability ball and stabilized your core so your ankles, hips, and shoulders are in a straight line.

Execution: Perform pushups for the prescribed number of reps. Focus on keeping your shoulders, hips, and ankles in a straight line throughout the exercise. Also focus on maintaining smooth execution of the exercise and not allowing the unstable nature of the exercise to get the better of you. This is a great pushup alternative I’d suggest doing regularly, especially during the wrestling season to help promote shoulder stability which will help to minimize the risk of injury.

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Shoulders (Anterior Deltoid), Triceps

Stabilizers: Core, Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Get into a pushup position and hold it while your partner drapes chains over your back.

Execution: Perform pushups for the prescribed number of reps. The chains are sometimes tough to keep on your upper back when you push, so you may have to have your partner hold them in place while you perform the exercise.

Muscles Worked: Pecs, Shoulders (Anterior Deltoid), Triceps

Stabilizers: Core, Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Place a band across your back while holding each end in a hand. Make sure the band crosses at least once across your back to prevent it from slipping up onto your neck or down your back as you perform this exercise.

Execution: Perform pushups for the prescribed number of reps. Loop the band around your hands once or twice to increase the tension if you’d like.

Tricep exercises or any single-joint, isolation exercise should not be the focus of any strength training program for wrestling. While these exercises do not have the strength carryover to the mat that bench pressing or overhead pressing, they will help to strengthen some of the muscles that will better support you in your quest for a bigger bench and more wins.

Lying Dumbbell Extension

Muscles Worked: Triceps

Stabilizers: Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Grab two dumbbells of the same weight and position yourself on a bench as though you were going to perform a Dumbbell Bench. Press the weights until your arms are locked out and then rotate your palms in so they are facing one another.

Execution: Lower the weights to the tops of your shoulders while keeping your triceps perpendicular to the ground. Once you’ve touched the dumbbells to your shoulders press them back up. Focus on keeping your elbows as close together as possible in an effort to keep them from flaring out. Remember to keep your triceps locked in a perpendicular position throughout this exercise which will prevent you from using momentum to press the weight.

Muscles Worked: Triceps

Stabilizers: Muscles of Rotator Cuff

Setup: Grab two dumbbells of the same weight and position yourself on a bench with your arms extended as though you had just performed a Dumbbell Bench.

Execution: Bend at the elbows and lower the weights to your pecs while keeping your elbows out the entire time. Once they touch, press them back up. Keep your elbows in the same position throughout and avoid rotating them toward the ground in an effort to press the weight with your pecs/shoulders. This will take the load off of your triceps and defeat the purpose of the exercise.

Muscles Worked: Triceps

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Choke a band around the top of a power rack and grab it with both hands with your palms facing one another. Your hands should be near your chest with your elbows tight to your sides.

Execution: Press the band down toward your hips until your elbows are locked out. Return the band under control to the starting position. Make sure to keep your elbows tight to your sides throughout the exercise and also avoid heavily leaning forward to create momentum to complete additional reps.

Muscles Worked: Triceps

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Choke an attachment (preferably a rope for the added grip challenge) to a high pulley cable machine. Grab the rope with both hands in the same position as you would grab the band for a Band Pressdown.

Execution: Press the rope down toward your hips until your elbows are locked out. Return the rope under control to the starting position. Make sure to keep your elbows tight to your sides throughout the exercise and also avoid heavily leaning forward to create momentum to complete additional reps.

The upper body pull accessory movements detailed below are all designed to increase your pulling strength. It has been said time and again that wrestling is a sport of pulling. Therefore, it would make sense that developing your pulling strength to compliment your technique should be of the utmost importance. The horizontal pulling

(rowing) exercises will improve the pulling strength you will need in a match. Horizontal pulling strength is essential for holding tightly onto your opponents leg(s) to prevent a sprawl, for increasing the pressure of your tight waist and gut wrench, and for bone crushing body locks ensuring more takedowns and successful mat returns. For these reasons, increasing your horizontal pulling strength is equally, if not more important than increasing your vertical pulling strength. In fact, the only reason the weighted chin-up is the exercise that is tested is because I feel they are easier to keep consistent.

Chest Supported Row

Muscles Worked: Lats, Rhomboids, Shoulders (Posterior Deltoid), Biceps

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Position the footplate at a distance that puts the top of your chest at the top of the chest pad when your feet are flat against the footplate.

Execution: Get into proper position on the machine and grab the handles. While keeping your chest against the pad pull your hands toward your chest in an attempt to touch your elbows together behind your back. Your shoulders and chest should pull back slightly, but make sure to stay tight to the pad as much as possible. Once you’ve pulled back as far as the machine and/or your body will allow, return the weight to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps. A quick note on which grip to choose- I tend to favor more narrow grips for fighters because 99% of the pulling you’re going to be doing is going to be either with your hands locked together or pretty close to it. Very rarely will you be doing any pulling with your hands wider than your shoulders. Therefore, most of the time I have my fighters use the narrower grip on this machine. If the machine you use doesn’t have any options then you obviously don’t have to worry about this.

Muscles Worked: Lats, Rhomboids, Shoulders (Posterior Deltoid), Biceps

Stabilizers: Core

Setup: Position a bar in a rack at about hip height. Get a grip on the bar. You can use a pronated (palms facing the body), alternated (one hand pronated and the other hand supinated), or supinated (palms facing away from the body) grip. Lift the bar off of the J-hooks and step back into the middle of the rack. Assume an athletic stance with your feet shoulder width apart and even with one another. Bend at the hip until your chest is about 30-degrees to the ground. Make sure your back remains flat by keeping your abs and lower back tight.

Execution: Begin the barbell row as you would a chest supported row by squeezing the shoulder blades together as hard as you can. Continue by pulling your elbows up and attempting to touch them behind your back. Throughout the movement keep your arms close to your body to ensure the bar stays in a straight path from the starting position with your arms extended to the end of the row when the bar lightly touches your stomach. Make sure to perform the barbell row in a controlled manner, focusing on pulling with your lats and arms. Avoid creating momentum by lifting and dropping your chest and using your legs to jerk the bar into the end position on your stomach. Performing the movement correctly will keep your lifts consistent and your progress will be easier to monitor and record.

Muscles Worked: Lats, Rhomboids, Shoulders (Posterior Deltoid), Biceps

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Grab a dumbbell with one hand and place the opposite hand and knee on a bench at a distance apart that places your torso parallel to the ground.

Execution: Pull your hands toward your chest by focusing on pulling your elbow behind your back as far as it will go. Return the weight to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps. Avoid creating momentum by jerking the weight and/or raising your chest up.

Using a leg drive and torso twist are both ways to cheat on this exercise. It is important to avoid these cheating techniques most of the time, however, during the winter months and a month before important summer tournaments I’ll allow my wrestlers to cheat every now and again.

Lifting heavier weights will not only help build confidence, but cheating also makes this particular exercise more “sports specific.” The cheater version of the dumbbell row mimics all three movements - pulling with the arms, torso rotation, and leg drive - a wrestler must perform to cut the corner when shooting a single leg. For this reason “cheating” is actually advantageous when employed during specific times of the wrestling season.

Muscles Worked: Lats, Rhomboids, Shoulders (Posterior Deltoid), Biceps

Stabilizers: Core

Setup: Attach your handle of choice to a low cable system. Position your feet against the footplate, grab the handle, and lean back and lock your core into a position perpendicular to the ground.

Execution: Pull your hands toward your chest in an attempt to touch your elbows together behind your back. Once you’ve pulled back to the point where the handle touches your upper stomach, return the weight to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps.

Avoid heavily leaning back while rowing to create momentum in an effort to perform more reps than keeping a locked core will allow. Some leaning may occur and is part of an intensely performed set. Since this exercise doesn’t put your back at serious risk for injury, maintaining super strict form isn’t as important, however, it is important to adhere to some level of strictness when lifting no matter what the exercise is that you’re performing.

Muscles Worked: Lats, Rhomboids, Shoulders (Posterior Deltoid), Biceps

Stabilizers: Core

Setup: Position the straps in a power rack with the handles pulled almost as high as they can go.

Lie on your back and grab the handles. Put your feet flat on the ground and squeeze your glutes bringing your hips up until your shoulders, hips and knees are all in a straight line.

Execution: Pull your upper body toward your hands by squeezing your shoulder blades together and pulling your elbows back in an attempt to touch them behind your back. When you have pulled yourself up as high as you can go, lower yourself back down to the starting position and repeat for reps.

Exercises for the upper back are essential for maintaining balance between your chest and anterior (front) deltoid and your traps and posterior (rear) deltoid.

Performing these exercises will help prevent shoulder injuries and promote shoulder health through the grueling wrestling season.

Shrug

Muscles Worked: Traps

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Grab two dumbbells, one in each hand, and hold them at your sides while standing.

Execution: Pull your shoulders up to your ears by squeezing your traps. Once you’ve pulled your shoulders as high as you can lower the weights back down to the starting position and repeat for reps. Use the same execution for a dumbbell shrug as you would for a barbell shrug. The only difference is that the dumbbells are held at your sides.

Muscles Worked: Shoulders (Posterior Deltoid), Traps, Biceps

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Grab two dumbbells and hold them against your thighs while standing. Your arms should be straight and knuckles facing out.

Execution: Lift the weights up to your shoulders by bringing elbows straight up as though you were a puppet. When you’ve reached the top of the exercise, lower the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat for reps. The dumbbells should travel in a straight line perpendicular to the ground throughout the exercise. Make sure your elbows stay higher than the dumbbells throughout. Don’t focus as much on looking to increase weight on exercises like this, but rather just to get a good “pump” on the muscles of the upper back.

Muscles Worked: Shoulders (Posterior Deltoid), Traps, Biceps

Stabilizers: Core

Setup: Anchor a band on a power rack at about shoulder height. Grab the end of the band with an overhand grip and step away so that there is tension in the band when your arms are straight.

Execution: Pull the band to your face by squeezing your shoulder blades and attempting to touch your elbows together behind your back. If you are using quality bands there will be no risk of breakage. Jump Stretch bands are an excellent brand. I get many years of use out of them. But with any band you use make sure to check them for tears before each use.

Muscles Worked: Shoulders (Posterior Deltoid), Rhomboids

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Grab a band with both hands in an overhand position. The closer your hands are at the start, the more resistance you’ll get from the band as you pull it apart.

Execution: While maintaining a straight armed position, pull the band apart until you make a “T” with your arms in relationship to your body. Return to the starting position and repeat for reps.

The body works as a unit, and therefore, training it as a unit is the most effective way to gain overall strength that will be applicable in real world situations outside of the gym. However, occasionally incorporating isolation movements for smaller muscle groups, such as the biceps, is advantageous. Biceps act as assistors during pulling movements, so in addition to strengthening your back, it is also important to specifically strengthen your biceps to improve your overall pulling strength. Not only is there the obvious benefit of increased pulling strength, but there is the additional superficial benefit of having big arms. What wrestler doesn’t want big arms?

Barbell Curls

Muscles Worked: Biceps

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Grab a barbell with an underhand grip with your hands spaced about shoulder width apart. You should be standing in an upright position with your feet directly under your hips.

Execution: Curl the barbell to your shoulders. Once you’ve curled the barbell as high as your arms will allow (the less bulky your arms are the bigger the range of motion you’ll have and vice versa) return it back to the starting position. Make sure to keep your elbows tight to your sides throughout this exercise and avoid creating momentum by leaning back to help swing the weights up.

Muscles Worked: Biceps

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Grab two dumbbells, one in each hand, and hold them at your sides while standing.

Execution: Curl the dumbbells up with your biceps while simultaneously rotating the palms of your hands up toward the ceiling. Once you’ve curled them as high as your arms will allow (the less bulky your arms are the bigger the range of motion you’ll have and vice versa) return the weights back to your sides. Make sure to keep your elbows tight to your sides throughout this exercise and avoid creating momentum by leaning back to help swing the weights up.

Muscles Worked: Biceps

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Grab two dumbbells, one in each hand, and hold them at your sides you’re your palms facing one another while standing.

Execution: The execution is the same as the Dumbbell Curl just keep your palms facing one another throughout the curl, don’t rotate them at all.

Muscles Worked: Biceps

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Grab a dumbbell and position your tricep against a preacher curl bench with your arm flexed as much as possible resulting in the dumbbell being as close to your shoulder as your arm will allow.

Execution: Lower the dumbbell to a near straight armed position (similar angle as a chinup, at least 135-degrees) and curl it back to the starting position. Avoid leaning back in a effort to aid your bicep in curling the weight and make sure to keep your tricep tight to the pad throughout and don’t simply dig your elbow into the pad.

Muscles Worked: Biceps

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Set up a low row station by attaching a rope to it.

Execution: Grab the rope with an under hand curl grip and lay on the ground so your entire back is flat. Perform a curl once you’re in the starting position. The benefit of this exercise over a standing curl is that your ability to swing with the weights is eliminated thereby making this the strictest way to perform a curl. Although you don’t need to perform it with a rope, it will benefit your grip to do so.

Obviously there are tons of other curl variations (on a ball, incline, 21s) out there that I won’t get into in this book. Ways to increase the intensity of your curls are the same as most other exercises – add towels or ropes, use a fat bar or fat bar adjustable dumbbells, or add a cut up squat pad to the handles of dumbbells.

Intro

How many of you have been involved in a match in which you have been completely overwhelmed by your opponents grip strength? It slows down your attacks, physically and mentally wears you down, and oftentimes is the determining factor of who will win a close match. I have yet to coach a wrestler who enjoys the grip training we do. However, it is a necessary evil that must be trained with consistency and intensity in order to make a noticeable impact. I can guarantee you though, if you train your grip like an animal you will wear your opponents down quicker, finish more of your shots, get off the bottom more, and ride more effectively on top. Not a bad trade off for less than 10 extra minutes of your time a couple times a week.

To make things easier as far as how to work your grip training into your program,

I've broken the grip exercises into three categories- finger, thumb, and wrist. This way you'll be better able to track and identify exactly what component each exercise is strengthening.

Towel Hangs

This is one of my favorite ways to challenge my wrestlers’ grip endurance. All you need is a towel or rope and a pullup bar or power rack. We use a double weave Jiu-

Jitsu Gi for all of our grip work as they can hold up to the usage much better than towels can. Hang whatever you're using over the bar, get a good grip on it, and start hanging for time. Keep records from week to week to see how you are progressing. The state champions who work with me can all hold themselves for over two minutes. However, we rarely hold for long durations, and instead look to increase the resistance (in the form of weight vests, weight on a dip belt, etc) you can hold for periods of 10-20 seconds.

Very similar to towel hangs is the towel hold. The only twist on this is that instead of holding your bodyweight you’re holding dumbbells or a barbell. Wrap the towels around dumbbells or a barbell and lift them off the ground. If you’re using a barbell set the bar in pins so you don’t need to deadlift the bar off the ground and instead simply concentrate on getting it off the pins and holding it as long as you can.

Towel holds are a great exercise to put your grip strength to the test. Load the weight on and see how much you can handle for a set amount of time; say 10 to 15 seconds.

Hand grippers are probably the most common way to train your grip so I won't go into much detail about them and instead just go over some different techniques

One way to use the grippers is a technique called overcrushing. Take the gripper and squeeze it together as fast as you can. Once you’ve closed it continue to squeeze with your best effort for five seconds. Overcrushing is a great way to train your hands to produce maximal force very quickly. Being able to clamp down on your opponent with such force is a great way to send an early message that you are ready to battle until the final whistle.

Another way to use grippers is to overload the eccentric phase of the exercise

(the eccentric is the second half of the exercise when the gripper is going from closed to open). For this exercise, use a gripper with enough resistance that you cannot close with a single hand. Use two hands to close the gripper and keep it closed with a single hand as long as possible. When it is no longer possible to keep the gripper closed, do not immediately release it, but rather keep squeezing as hard as possible and allow the gripper to open in a controlled manner. Good visualization for this exercise is to imagine there is short time left in a match and you need to hold onto a single leg to win.

The dumbbell finger curl is a fairly uncommon, but it is an easy way to train your finger strength and all it requires is an easily accessible item, a dumbbell. Begin with the dumbbell resting on your finger tips with your hand as open as possible. Keep your arm in place and “curl” the weight up towards your wrist using only your fingers. Squeeze the dumbbell for a few seconds once you have curled it into your palm before beginning to slowly roll the dumbbell back to the floor until your fingers are extended as far as possible while still maintaining control of the dumbbell.

Using a kettlebell bottoms up is one of the most challenging things you’ll ever do in the weight room. Position a kettlebell in your hand with the bottom of it facing the ceiling. Clamp down hard and press the kettlebell overhead. You can also perform a floor press or bench press bottoms up as well as overhead squats.

Plate Pinches

Take any number of plates and put them side by side. Make sure that the outer two plates are both facing in so that you're gripping the smooth side of both of the plates. Pinch the plates, lift them up, and hold for time. You can perform plate pinches with a single hand or two hands. You can also pinch more than 2 plates. Be creative and find new thicknesses and weights to challenge your grip.

All you have to do for this one is screw a hook into a softball and run a chain from the hook to hold the plates. Keep your fingers from using the threads as support to really make this exercise difficult. I like my wrestlers usually hold this for 15-20 seconds.

Another great pinch exercise is the hex dumbbell hold. Just as it sounds, you need hexagon dumbbells to perform this exercise. All you need to do is grab the head of the dumbbell and hold. Much like the softball holds, be sure that your fingers are not on the numbers when you’re performing this exercise. The smoother the surface you are gripping, the more of a challenge you will get. Your success in this exercise is greatly impacted by your hand size. Bigger dumbbell heads may just be too big for you too lift and not too heavy. If you think you're running into this problem you can hang plates from smaller dumbbells with a chain or you can tack on a few magnetic Platemates to add more weight while not having to increase the size of the dumbbell head.

Wrist Roller

As a wrestler, you’ve probably done these at least once in your life, so I’ll be brief in the description. All you need to do is hang a weight from a plate holder and roll it up and down. Keep your arms straight out in front of you for some additional shoulder stability work.

Although you can buy wrist rollers, they are very easy to make. To make your own all you need is rope, chain, carabineers, and PVC pipes of various thicknesses, all of which can be purchased at your local hardware store. Drill a hole through one of the sides of the PVC somewhere near the middle and thread the rope through it. Tie the

Copyright © 2010 by Dickie White. All Rights Reserved. 87 end of the rope and use some heavy duty glue to really lock up the knot. Knot the carabineer to the other end and glue that knot as well. Then attach the chain to the carabineer and hang plates accordingly. Building your own will not only save you money, but will also allow you to select the thickness of the roller and, therefore, the difficulty of the exercise.

You can use the wrist roller on a cable machine and with bands as well. Hook up the chain to a low row station and you’re ready to go or attach the chain to a band anchored to a rack and do some of the most intense wrist rollers you’ve ever done.

In addition to a strong grip, it is extremely important to develop strong wrists.

You can have the strongest hands in the world, but if your wrists aren’t strong you won’t be able to control an opponent as effectively. Leveraging is a simple exercise that can be performed any time, all you need is a wrist roller made the way I detailed above in the wrist roller description. Clamp a weight between two adjustable clamps at one end and grab the PVC pipe as far away from the clamped on plates as your grip and wrist strength will allow. Grip the pipe with the weight both in front of or behind your thumb.

Using both grips will ensure your wrists are strengthened from every angle. Hold the lever at your side or out to the front. Move it up and down and side to side. You can also rotate the lever around like a windshield wiper in front of your body.

Another tool you can use to perform leveraging is a sledge hammer. Try to grab as far away from the hammer as possible and move it around the same, controlled way you would with the homemade lever.

The reverse curl is the exercise we use to train static wrist strength. All of the other wrist strengthening exercises involve movement at the wrist except this. Use either a regular bar or a fat bar if one is available to you. Take a pronated (knuckles facing away from you) grip and curl the weight up just as you would when performing a standard bicep curl. Keep your wrists tight throughout the entire curl; there should be absolutely no wrist movement during this exercise.

The plate curl is probably one of the easiest ways to train your wrists because any gym will have plates available. Sit on a bench and grip a plate with your fingers on the smooth side and your thumb on the opposite side. Make sure your fingers don’t go through the hole on the plate. Lower the plate so that your fingers are pointing toward the ground and then curl the plate back toward your body so that your fingers are pointing toward the ceiling. Be sure to get a full range of motion out of this exercise.