Balancing Club Wrestling and Strength Training: A Wrestler’s Guide to Staying Strong Without Burn Out

Written By Shaun Carroll

Club wrestling is an awesome opportunity to sharpen skills and stay competitive beyond the high school season. But without the right balance of mat time and strength training, athletes can end up spinning their wheels - training hard but not actually getting better. Worse, they might deal with burnout, overuse injuries or stalled progress.

So how can you balance club wrestling with effective strength work?

It starts with understanding what phase you’re in and designing your week around recovery, performance and smart training decisions.

Know What Season You’re In (Even If It’s “Off-Season”)

One of the biggest mistakes wrestlers make it treating the club season like it’s the true off-season. In reality, most kids are still going live multiple days a week, competing at weekend tournaments, and pushing themselves just as hard as they do during the school year.

If you’re wrestling year-round, you need to train accordingly. That means breaking the year into manageable blocks and asking questions like:

  • Am I ramping up for a major tournament?

  • Do I have several weeks before my next competition?

  • Is this a good time to push in the weight room?

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

  • Heavy competition phase -> focus on maintenance and recovery. Keep the lifts light, fast and low training volume.

  • Low competition phase -> Build strength, speed and muscle. Push the lifts harder and grow.

  • Transition / Recovery phase -> Pull back on both wrestling and lifting. Let the body rest.

Wrestlers who train the same way all year eventually hit a wall. Wrestlers who adjust intelligently get better and stay healthy.

Think Weekly, Not Daily (Training Smarter, Not Just More)

A lot of wrestlers and parents worry that they’re “not doing enough” if there’s not a practice or lift every day. But stacking too many hard training days in a row can lead to fatigue, poor performance, injuries and not enjoy the sport. Instead of judging progress by daily grind, start thinking in terms of weekly training loads.

If yo’re wrestling 3 times a week, you don’t need to lift 4 or 5 times. For most high school wrestlers, 2 solid full body strength sessions is plenty - especially if they’re well structured.

Sample Weekly Training Schedule:

Monday - Club Practice

Tuesday - Strength Training (Strength)

Wednesday - Club Practice

Thursday - Strength Training (Speed & Power)

Friday - Club Practice OR Mobility / Active Recovery

Saturday - Competition OR Optional Practice / Light Lift

Sunday - Complete Rest

This approach allows enough time to recover between lifts and keeps the athlete fresh for high-quality wrestling practices.

Keep Strength Sessions Short, Focused and Intentional

Your strength training should be laser-focused. That means no texting your buddies in between sets or watching videos (it can wait). Club wrestlers don’t need 2-hour workouts or complicated bodybuilding programs. Instead, every lift should have a purpose - building strength, power, stability and/or resilience.

Key Principles:

  • Keep Sessions 45-60 minutes: Any longer and you’re likely doing too much.

  • Stick to big, compound lifts: Squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, rows, presses, variations of carries.

  • Train movements, not muscles: You’re not a bodybuilder - focus on what translates to the mat.

  • Always warm up: Dynamic movement prep is essential for performance and injury prevention

Here’s what a smaple workout would look like:

Sample Strength Day (Full Body - Strength Focus)

  • Warm Up: Mobility + Dynamic Movement (10 minutes)

  • 1A: Trap Bar Deadlift - 2 warm up sets, 4 x 5

  • 1B: Chin Ups: 4 x 6-8

  • 2A: DB Split Squats: 3 x 8 each leg

  • 2B: DB Neutral Grip Bench Press: 3 x 8

  • 3A: Farmer Carry: 2-3 x 50yds

  • 3B: Deadbugs: 3 x 10 each leg

  • 3C: Hamstring Bridge: 3 x 5 each leg

Simple. Effective. Repeatable.

Prioritize Recovery Like You Would Practice

Recovery is the secret weapon of high performers. Wrestlers who don’t recover can’t adapt to the training - and end up going backward despite working hard.

Make a recovery part of your plan:

  • Sleep 7-8 hours per night - growth hormone and muscle recovery peak during sleep. The more the sleep, the better

  • Hydrate like an athlete - don’t wait until you’re thirsty. Drink water and electrolytes daily.

  • Eat - you can’t build strength or recover if you’re under eating. Food is Fuel.

  • Use mobility / recovery tools - foam rolling, walking/light movement flush out soreness and keep joints healthy.

Even 10-15 minutes of mobility work at night can make a huge difference.

Final Thoughts: Be Consistent, Not Perfect

Balancing club wrestling and strength training isn’t about finding the “perfect” schedule - it’s about creating one that works for you, week after week.

The wrestlers who win at the State Tourney are the ones who stay consistent through the summer and fall. They train smart, they train hard - and they don’t burn out. If you can stay healthy and make small gains in strength, power, and recovery all year long, you’ll show up to the next season bigger, faster and harder to beat.

Shaun Carroll