Top 3 Wrestling Strength Exercises

Here I go over what I believe are the top 3 strength exercises that you should be doing as often as you can to dominate on the mat!
Instagram: / geoffkaminski
Twitter: / geoffkaminski
Facebook: / geoffrey.kaminski.39
Time Stamps
0:00 - Intro
0:57 - Exercise #1
2:40 - Exercise #2
3:50 - Exercise #3

[@daroom9854]

Female wrestler here, I recently started doing zercher deadlifts and noticed that it's helped with my wrestling alot

[@charlescrocco7896]

If my little one decides to take up wrestling (granted, it’ll probably be in a few years), I’ll be sure to show this to him!

[@geoffkaminski]

If he does, make sure he's having fun & has the movements down before worrying about the weight. Hope this was helpful!

[@rondemurphy4401]

Start him with body weight and range of motion strength and flexibility. The weights can come in later. IMHO

[@jeff-hh9mc]

@@geoffkaminski having fun and wrestling don’t go together. There’s literally nothing fun about wrestling.

[@sirmeeseeks7702]

He do it yet ?

[@Philadelphia19147]

Don't give the kids options. They don't know what's best for them

[@cassiussuissac]

im starting wrestling in highschool this year and ive been lifting weights for around 1 year and a half, these are some of my favorite movements in the gym so im hoping this will translate to strength on the mat even though im a novice 😂, this was a great video thanks!

[@geoffkaminski]

Of course, hope you have a great season!

[@daxisperry7644]

Fantastic reccomendations! Once you picked the Deadlift, and specifically a Conventional as our first pick, I knew this was gonna be a great video. Im a huge fan of alternating bent over barbell rows and weighted pull ups. The barbell row is a great way to get some more low back and hamstring work in without killing you too much.

[@geoffkaminski]

Glad you liked the video, those are all great exercises👍

[@antoinemalouf]

I would argue the RDL over the deadlift. Harder movement but less risk of injury and you can do higher reps because while you do need postural strength, postural endurance is also very important in your sport. I haven’t wrestled before but it seems like your sport is more endurance than any other

[@geoffkaminski]

Not a bad take, RDLs are great, but instead of an either or situation I would use them to teach athletes how to hip hinge properly and maintain posture under load. If you just do RDLs, you're missing out on the benefits of the full movement (since RDLs are just a deadlift variation). And you're right, combat sports are in a weird place because you have to have a good mix of endurance and strength

[@AnnaBalu-qh4ld]

I would argue the RDL over the deadlift. Harder movement but less risk of injury and you can do higher reps because while you do need postural strength, postural endurance is also very important in your sport. I haven’t wrestled before but it seems like your sport is more endurance than any other

[@minhquando100]

The Olympic lifts is where it’s at. The clean & jerk and the snatch and the lifts that help with the main Olympic lifts will benefit you the most. If possible, I would highly recommend joining an Olympic weightlifting club because a big part of your training will involve the lifts he talks about here in addition to learning the clean & jerk and the snatch.

[@geoffkaminski]

I absolutely love the Oly lifts and getting proficient at them will 100% make you a better wrestler, they're the reason I love the full depth front squat so much. But they're not on this list because they're more power developing exercises rather than strength builders

[@capthappy345]

Nice!

[@borgers7909]

I do BJJ and wrestled in highschool, I found that trap bar deadlifts were the best deadlift variation for me: they're easier on the back and a lot easier to recover form so I could do more volume/intensity without it interfering with my sport. There's a myth that it's a squat which was disproven by Greg Knuckles

[@LA_Native]

“Scary cat” had me rolling 😂

[@divad7137]

I have tried zercher squats 2 times, and both times my lower back felt absolutely fucked. How can I avoid that and why does that happen? Cause it seems like a movement that can give me a lot of strenght in general

[@geoffkaminski]

Zerchers are a more posterior chain dominant squat, so they'll primarily work your hammies, glutes, & lower back, which might be why it's sore. If it's more painful than sore, you're probably not breathing into & bracing your core properly. The first tip in this video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3nadqGcic6Vhq8si=TZeu8N1sQxCEyM0b) goes over that stuff & should keep your lower back feeling better. Hope this helps!

[@williamw3501]

what kind of strength do you need? answer. yes

[@geoffkaminski]

Fr tho

[@patsycards]

Thoughts on hexbar deadlifts? Get both quads and posterior?

[@geoffkaminski]

Not a bad pick, certainly easier to teach. It hits the quads pretty well but not as much of the posterior chain, so you could use it to still get heavy work in during the harder parts of season when everyone's lower backs are fried (since it won't hit that as much). I also love using hexbars for farmers walks. That being said, it'll never beat the front squat or conventional deadlift at the things they do well (developing quads/core/mobility & posterior chain strength respectively)

[@LuLzezRoflcopter]

You should check out hangboard training. They’re tools rock climbers use to build insane hand strength. Could be a interesting and unique accessory skill for athletes looking to build stronger hands. Having the ability to hold your body weight with just the very tips of your fingers, it’d be a new training stimulus for the hands, helping build an even stronger grip. And training is short, only fatigues the hand so can still train other stuff. Just a thought tho

[@geoffkaminski]

Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out!

[@saintoflastresorts2272]

Bulgarian squats might be worth a mention.

[@geoffkaminski]

perfect assistance exercise to help build the other, heavier movements

[@jrllanto25]

Zercher Deadlift Zercher Squat Zercher Lunges

[@YakubTheScientist8841]

Top 3 wrestling strength exercises: 1: live wrestling 2: live wrestling 3: live wrestling

[@geoffkaminski]

Def the most important part of in season training, but can't be all you do

[@jeff-hh9mc]

You should really look at what the Russian specifically Dagestani wrestlers do. Significantly different exercises.

[@ryanryan4716]

They aren’t very strong though mostly endurance

[@jeff-hh9mc]

@@ryanryan4716 and it’s obviously working.

[@momcilojabucilo9320]

Not strong? So why do Russian wrestlers dominate?

[@jeff-hh9mc]

@@momcilojabucilo9320 especially relative to how poor their nation is compared to America. I’ll say the exact same thing for Iran and Cuba.

[@TheDevourerOfPancake]

They don't dominate, Americans get gold medals over Russians all the time, and Iran sometimes. These nations all show a strong national style, and show that there isn't one best style. The Russians are generally known for their fluidity, advanced tie ups and handfight techniques. Raw strength and conditioning are what the Americans are usually known for@@momcilojabucilo9320

[@coffe2270]

Judo one please

[@geoffkaminski]

I'm not as familiar with Judo, but these exercises apply fairly well to all grappling sports. The main thing I would change for a judoka is probably even more grip work to help with grabbing the jacket

[@DinoEstoque]

"what about bench press?" 🤣 but on a serious note, no pushing exercises?

[@geoffkaminski]

Strength is never a weakness, but these 3 are definitely more important for wrestling than a strong bench

[@Dark-le3bn]

I am 19, i have never practiced wrestling or any combat sports, can i still get into them or is too late? I am assuming that i am going to get ragdolled by kids😂

[@geoffkaminski]

It's never too late to get into combat sports, but yeah, everyone gets humbled when they first start. If I were you, I'd go to a local BJJ gym or college wrestling club team to start since they're more open to beginners

[@Dark-le3bn]

@@geoffkaminski thx man Definitely will do so

[@michaeltaylor9306]

Why did you take a drink on camera before you started?

[@geoffkaminski]

Hydrate or diedrate

[@izman20]

When i deadlift i fart.

[@geoffkaminski]

The trick is to fart before you deadlift

[@dariusrana8487]

No love for any pushing movements? Presses?? I prefer farmers walks and RDLs to regular deadlifts.

[@geoffkaminski]

You should still be doing your presses but I believe these movements should take higher priority over them, especially since most people's pressing muscles are already more developed than their pulling muscles and we pull more than we push in wrestling. For striking sports, like boxing, that'd change of course. Farmers and RDLs are also great!