Long
Island Wrestling Association
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
John Gaglione's Post Season Wrestling
Training # 5 Trap Bar Training for Size and Strength for Wrestlers
The Trap Bar Deadlift The neutral handles allow a very natural and shoulder friendly position for a variety of exercises, which is super important for wrestlers to help reduce their chance of injury. The trap bar can also help reduce stress on the spine since the lifter get in a position where they are directly in the center of the bar. Wrestlers’ backs are often sore from drilling and always being hunched over in their stance so this makes the trap bar a great tool for both in season and off season training. When using the straight the weight has to be
slightly in front of the body. This is certainly not a knock on straight bar
training, but the trap bar has its advantages and disadvantages over the
straight bar. The straight bar is little harder on the body so it is better used
as a off season tool and the trap bar also has a lower learning curve, which
makes it a perfect entry level barbell lift for beginners. The trap bar deadlift is the most popular and common use of the trap bar. The trap bar deadlift has been advocated by many strength and conditioning programs and fitness professional as their main lift for build, leg, hip and back strength. It is a very basic exercise to teach for beginners and can be loaded quite heavily as well make it a great choice for building size and strength. As stated before the learning curve is slighter easier
than a straight bar because the lifter can position themselves directly in line
with the weight allowing a more advantageous position to lift from. The trap bar
is also great since the neutral handles allow the shoulder to be in a
comfortable position. With straight bar deadlifts most people need to go with an
over/under grip, which isn’t the most natural position for the shoulders. This
isn’t to say we don’t perform straight bar deadlifts in our program, but if I
had to pick one (especially for beginners) it would be the trap bar. Low Handle Trap Bar
Many trap bar models offer a high and low
handle setting. If a trap bar doesn’t have multiple grip option the lifter can
also stand on small boxes to create a lower set up. The lower the handles the
more he knees and ankles will need to move making the trap bar deadlift more
similar to the mechanics of a squat. I prefer the high handle setting for
deadlifting since the athlete can sit back more and place a greater emphasis on
the posterior chain. The low setting can also be difficult to maintain form if
there are any limitation in hip or ankle mobility as well as core strength. The
low setting is a good option for athletes who may have limitation whether it is
a shoulder or low back problem and they still want to do some heavy bilateral
lifting to strength their legs, back and hips in place of barbell squatting. Trap Bar Jumps
Trap bar jumps are a fantastic exercise to build some
explosive strength using the trap bar. This exercise will help wrestlers have
more explosive takedowns, stand ups and mat returns. This is also a great
alternative to a traditional jump squat. The trap bar will be easier on the
shoulders than when doing a traditional jump squat with the bar. This exercise
can be done for more reactive ability by doing continuous jumps or can help
improve starting strength by starting each jump from a dead stop. Trap bar Exercises for Core and Grip Farmer’s Walk The trap bar can be loaded up very heavy and can be used for farmer’s walks when traditional farmer’s handles are not available. This is a better option for farmer’s walks than dumbbells, but not quite as good as regular handles. This is especially true if your gym doesn’t have heavy dumbbells. It doesn’t train the grip and balance the same way traditional handles do, but allows the lifter to go very heavy and still train this event. Loaded carries are great for core strength, grip strength, and overall conditioning, which are all critical elements to wrestling. This exercise can be done for time or distance. I recommend walking slightly slowly than normal so the lifter doesn’t bang their shins on the front handles when utilizing this variation. Suitcase Holds Suitcase holds are great way to train the obliques and the
grip. This can be done for time or the lifter can perform suitcase deadlifts for
reps or do an unbalanced farmers walk. Core training is important for wrestling
since they need to have strong stable abs in order to control their posture. To
get the most out of this movement you want to really try to resist any side
bending to get the maximum core stability effect.
Educate, Motivate, Dominate If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at gaglionestrength@gmail.com or check out my website www.gaglionestrength.com To take your wrestling to the next level and ensure this coming wrestling season is your best one ever go to GaglioneStrength.com and e-mail Coach Gaglione for more information on wrestling training.
|
