12 Week Training Manual
Intro to the Workforce Fitness Performance Center
Wrestling is one of the oldest combat sports in the world. It is believed that it was a major sport in the ancient Greek & Roman Empires. The sport flourished in the middle Ages and remained popular with the masses as well as the monarchies. Over the years, wrestling has become one of the major sports of the world. Some of the most popular styles of wrestling today are Freestyle Wrestling, Greco-Roman & Professional Wrestling. Professional wrestling, also known as pro wrestling, is the most popular of them all, and is extensively aired on television.
Although professional wrestling has incorporated most of the moves that are used in freestyle wrestling, certain finishing moves and attacks can only be performed in a pro wrestling match. Also, unlike Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, the moves in pro wrestling are choreographed and the wrestlers have to ‘act’ according to the script. However, it does not mean that the moves performed in pro wrestling are fake. Pro wrestlers are required to be fit and athletic so that they can pull off those stunning moves.
The problem with this is that from the perspective of an audience, watching two men in a clinch can get pretty boring, especially in an arena where most members of the audience are far from the action. In a competitive wrestling match, most of the spectacle happens when one wrestler shoots a takedown on another. Once the wrestlers hit the mat, the action turns subtle. Boxing’s emphasis on strikes and punches thrown per round is more audience friendly. UFC adopted the round and scorecard system from boxing in order to prevent every match from ending in the manner of old-style wrestling matches.
Professional wrestling evolved another solution, which was to dispense with actual combat in favor of theatricality and storytelling. As in opera or Kabuki, the Physical style of the performers is readable from the rafters. Performers develop signature moves that are recognizable to regular audience members.
Here isThe 12 Week Training Manual:
Intro to the Workforce Fitness Performance Center and what you will be learning over the next 12 weeks of training with our Instructors.
- Respect & Trust in and outside of the ring.
- Wipe your feet on the apron of the ring before entering through the ropes.
- Shaking hands and introducing yourself to the Trainers & Trainees.
- KAYFAB A carny word that means “Fake”. This is generally used to describe the act of keeping the secrets of the wrestling business.
- Exposing the inner workings or secrets of the wrestling business is said to be “Breaking Kayfabe”. It is also used to describe the carny language wrestlers use to communicate with each other to avoid giving away the secrets of the business.
- Wrestlers also use the word Kayfabe to say to each other to warn them that an “outsider” to the business is coming near to let them know to keep quiet or change the topic of discussion to prevent giving away inside info or expose any secrets of the business.
- What you are about to learn is an art, so not exposing the business is of the utmost importance, and not showing or using any of the moves you are going to learn outside of the school is key.
- Showing respect to others by positive reinforcement & no negativity in the school.
- Showing respect to yourself by Eating Right, Sleeping Right, Taking in Plenty of Water and most importantly NO DRUGS & ALCOHOL WILL BE PERMITTED!
BODY KNOWLEDGE & NUTRITION
We would like to start out from the beginning by asking our students to pay special attention to a number of things throughout your training career and life that we have been looking at in order to help keep you as healthy as possible as you start your journey into the exciting world of Professional Wrestling.
Getting & Keeping your Body in the Best Condition Possible can help you reach your full potential as a wrestler. If you’re in shape and physically fit, you can better handle moves your opponent may try on you during a match. Here are some fundamental aspects of fitness and wellness that can help you stay fit during your wrestling career
Getting plenty of Good-Quality Rest is critical to your success on the mat. Take at least one day off a week during the season, and get 8 hours of sleep every night. Practices and training shouldn’t last more than 180 minutes. Next I would like to share with you a study that was conducted with thousands of participants over dozens of years in the united states on the effects of sleep depredation or lack of sleep. In short, this study concluded that missing one hour of sleep was Equivocate with taking one week off your life. The study concluded that missing one hour of sleep was like reducing your lifespan by one week. The study continued to explain that because our body works on a 24 hour cycle you could not sleep 7 hours today and 9 hours tomorrow to make up for that 1 hour of sleep you missed the night before, in other words the damage was already done. So please my dear students, drink at least 8 glasses of water every day and get at least 8 hours of sleep every night & remember a healthy body is a healthy mind.
Closely check your skin every day for discoloration, swelling, areas of tenderness, and changes in texture. Scrub your body with antibacterial soap and wash your practice gear daily. Never share shirts, shorts, towels, or headgear with teammates. Impetigo, herpes, and ringworm are just a few of the skin diseases common to wrestlers that you can prevent by following these simple steps.
All wrestlers need to build their endurance if they want to be successful; in other words, you need to build your heart’s capacity for maintaining intense levels of exercise over time. To be ready for competition, you need to be able to run or ride an exercise bike continuously at moderate intensity for 40 minutes.
You and your coach need to develop training programs that increase the maximum amount of force your muscles can exert against resistance. Your muscles get stronger when you experience momentary muscular failure (the point at which you can’t accomplish any more repetitions of an exercise). The point of momentary muscular failure should occur on the 11th or 12th repetition of an exercise in the 2nd and 3rd set of a 3-set/12-repetition strength building plan. Some great fundamental strength training exercises include the bench press, shoulder press, triceps extensions, upright rows, pull-ups, leg extensions, leg curls, and arm curls
To become an agile wrestler with quick feet, you need to increase the ability of your muscles and joints to move through their full range of motion. You can develop your flexibility by doing light dynamic loosening exercises followed by stretching exercises before and after each practice. Dynamic loosening exercises include lunges, walking toe touches, high-knee jogging, lateral jogging, carioca jogging, and arm circles. As for stretching, focus on stretching the main muscle groups (hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, lower back, shoulders, gluteal muscles, and neck); hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds.
You need to understand how carbohydrates, proteins, and fats affect your wrestling ability and training during exercise, after exercise, and before exercise. While the dietary needs of each athlete depend on a variety of factors, including age and gender, a good rule of thumb is to try to eat a diet consisting of 50 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein, and 20 percent fats.
Approximately 75 percent of your body is water. Because of the weight classifications in wrestling, you need to make sure you get the right amount of fluids before, during, and after exercise. Drink 2 to 3 cups of water four hours prior to exercise, 2 cups two hours before exercise, 2 cups 30 minutes before exercise and 1/2 cup of water every 15 minutes during exercise. After exercise, drink 2 cups of water for each pound lost during exercise. First when you urinate always look for two things, first you should visually see that your urine is clear in color and not yellow, orange or brown which can be an indication of anything from dehydration to blood in your urine, and second while urinating smell your urine and make sure that your urine is not very pungent to the smell. So please always look and smell your urine and make sure if your urine is not clear in color to drink more and more water until it becomes clear in color. This will help cleanse and flush your system on a daily basis.
A head injury is a brain injury. So make sure to have a medical professional check you out right away after you suffer any type of head injury. Your doctor must also clear you before you can take to the mat again
Urine: We would like to ask our students to pay special attention to a couple of things throughout your training career and life that we have been looking at in order to help keep you as healthy as possible as you start your journey into the exciting world of Professional Wrestling.
First when you urinate always look for two things, first you should visually see that your urine is clear in color and not yellow, orange or brown which can be an indication of anything from dehydration to blood in your urine, and second while urinating smell your urine and make sure that your urine is not very pungent to the smell. So please always look and smell your urine and make sure if your urine is not clear in color to drink more and more water until it becomes clear in color. This will help cleanse and flush your system on a daily basis.
Sleep: Next I would like to share with you a study that was conducted with thousands of participants over dozens of years in the United States on the effects of sleep depredation or lack of sleep. In short, this study concluded that missing one hour of sleep was equivocated with taking one week off your life. The study concluded that missing one hour of sleep was like reducing your lifespan by one week. The study continued to explain that because our body works on a 24 hour cycle you could not sleep 7 hours today and 9 hours tomorrow to make up for that 1 hour of sleep you missed the night before, in other words the damage was already done. So please my dear students, drink at least 8 glasses of water every day and get at least 8 hours of sleep every night & remember a healthy body is a healthy mind.
KEEPING YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT OF WRESTLING
Because of the one-on-one nature of wrestling and the relatively brief length of a match, the mental approach to competition and the commitment you need to succeed are unique. The following list provides some keys to winning the mental game as a wrestler:
A wrestlers's Worst Fear: Botch
The worst thing that can happen to a wrestler is a botch – when he fails to perform the move properly. Sometimes, it is simply humiliating. at Wrestlemania 19, Brock Lesner botched a shooting star press (see picture above) in the main event match. His victim was too far away and he under-rotated the backflip, landing on his head. broch escaped with only a concussion, but fans and performers alike still refer to a major botch as “Brocking” the move
Botches can also lead to severe injuries. During a pay per View event, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin misjudged a pile driver from Owen Hart, causing Austin to land forcefully on his head. The resulting neck injury temporarily paralyzed him. Hart managed to drag Austin on top of him so that Austin could win the match, as per script. He regained feeling and movement, but remains semi-retired because of the injury.
