Getting ready to build your gas tank for wrestling season? Before you lace up and start pounding pavement, check out this underrated alternative to the typical road work options, along with some ideas on:
- What you get out of aerobic training versus high intensity interval-based methods
- If slow and steady aerobic work is even a good idea for combat sport athletes
- Where aerobic base training could fit in an annual plan
We’ll kick things off by explaining the random guy with a backpack in the image above.
WHAT IS RUCKING?
Rucking is an underutilized form of cardiovascular exercise. Rooting from military training, it involves grabbing a ruck sack, weighted vest, or even just a heavy backpack and going for a walk or hike.
WHAT TYPE OF CONDITIONING IS THIS?
Rucking generally puts you at 60–70% of your maximum heart rate (conversational pace). Also known as Zone 2, or steady-state training, this type of long-duration work is a sometimes overlooked (and sometimes overused) part of reaching peak potential in conditioning.
WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT RUCKING IN COMPARISON TO OTHER ZONE 2 OPTIONS?
It Builds Stamina
Carrying a weighted pack builds endurance, particularly in the back and shoulders (which can take a beating from wrestling).
It Won’t Beat You Up
Rucking is easy on the joints (and the heavyweights), allowing you to feel and perform better overall.
It’s Great for Body Composition
If you’re on the thinner side, rucking can add some muscle to your frame. If you’re carrying extra body fat, it can help you out there as well.
It’s Accessible
Not everyone has access to bikes, rowers, or special equipment for steady-state work. However, just about anyone can ruck. You can even do it after school with a backpack full of books.
It’s Social
Since this can be done outdoors and at a conversational pace, it can be a great team building activity. (And since it’s totally scalable, parents and friends might actually want to jump in on this one as well.)
HOW TO RUCK
Just wrap weights, sandbags or something heavy in towels and stick them in a backpack, ensuring that the weight is evenly balanced.
For loading, start with 10-20% of your bodyweight.
Now, go hit the open road.
HOW LONG SHOULD A SESSION BE?
You’ll need a minimum of 30 minutes for Zone 2.
Just like anything else, you’ll want to progress over time by adding a few extra minutes each week, moving from the street to the terrain, climbing hills, adding more weight, or increasing your pace (while staying within your target heart rate range).
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT INTENSITY ZONE?
Most people can get by with a simple ‘Talk Test’. You’re probably in the right zone if you can still carry on a conversation while being slightly winded, but without too much strain.
You could also use the following method (which is just an estimate and works best in conjunction with the Talk Test):
1. FIND YOUR TARGET HR FOR ZONE 2
- First, find your max heart rate (MHR) by subtracting your age from 220.
- Your estimated range for Zone 2 will be between 60-70% of this number.
Example: An 18-year old athlete’s MHR would be 202 bpm (220 -18 = 202), and his target range would be 122-142 bpm.
2. CHECK YOUR HEART RATE
You can use a heart rate monitor, or just do it the old fashioned way:
- Set a timer for 15s.
- Place your finger under your jaw and count the beats.
- Multiply that number by 4 to get your current heart rate.
WHEN SHOULD I DO THIS?
Prioritize Zone 2 work early in the preseason, or late August to early September to widen your aerobic base.
Stick with it 2-3 times per week for a period of 4-6 weeks, dropping to 1-2 sessions per week thereafter as you dial up the harder conditioning.
BUT ISN’T STEADY-STATE TRAINING USELESS FOR COMBAT SPORTS???
This is a hot topic.
I think that most people are probably in agreement these days that using distance running to condition in-season wrestlers is, in fact, stupid.
At the same time, some think that doing ANY low-intensity work EVER is pointless, since it is ‘not specific’ to the demands of an intense wrestling match.
While the best conditioning for wrestling is wrestling, preparing for a sport can involve more than simply mimicking the sport itself.
Here’s why we supplement:
ANAEROBIC TRAINING IS COSTLY
Wrestling, intervals, suicides, and hard conditioning are all anaerobic forms of training (aka short, high intensity bursts) which rapidly burn through fuel and energy. You’ve got a limited tank for this type of work. And once you exceed your capacity, you hit the wall.
You’re looking at a DECLINE in performance, injury prone-ed-ness, and burnout.
But what if there were a way to make your tank bigger?
AEROBIC TRAINING BUILDS YOUR GAS TANK (DEBT-FREE!)
If you picture conditioning as a pyramid, your aerobic gas tank would form the base, where your high intensity efforts would be at the peak.
The broader the base, the higher the peak.
Zone 2 aerobic training expands your tank/base, increasing your capacity to go harder for longer, and ultimately your potential on the mat. And the kicker here is that instead of beating you down, it actually helps you recover from intense training.
Were you getting burnt by the end of last season, or was your coach complaining that you were gassing out?
Your aerobic fitness could be at the root of that.
And lastly,
WRESTLING USES ALL ENERGY SYSTEMS
Traditionally, we’d say that the aerobic system kicks in after several minutes of activity. However, in a combat situation, it can be much sooner.
The better your slow-burning aerobic, the less fuel you’ll burn through on your gas guzzlin’ anaerobic.
Plus, in between those intense, explosive bursts, it’s your aerobic system that recharges you.
Being well-developed aerobically with strong Type 1 muscle fibers (yes, the ones that are often thought of as ‘wimpy’) can be the difference between being recharged in 30 seconds, or flopping around like a dying fish by the 3rd period.
SO… CAN STEADY-STATE TRAINING REPLACE HARD CONDITIONING?
NO.
Now we can cue the ‘that’s not specific!’ crew.
Long and slow develops the qualities that are responsible for… you guessed it – long duration and low intensity work. This is NOT what you want to prioritize when it’s time to be at peak power.
You 1000% need anaerobic work (and increasingly so as the season nears). Think sprints, EMOM weight room finishers, and of course, the gold standard – wrestling itself.
As far as timing, steady-state makes sense:
- Early in the preseason as needed, to broaden the base for the intense training.
- In limited doses during the season, for recovery or maintenance purposes. Luckily, the effect is easy to maintain and will likely be covered by your drilling.
- Throughout the year as needed. This can vary per person. A good rule of thumb is to keep a sprint and a low-intensity session in every week.
WHAT YOU GET OUT OF ZONE 2 (ONE MORE TIME FOR THE NERDS)
To further illustrate the unique benefits of aerobic base training, here’s a quick look at what’s happening under the surface:
MORE MITOCHONDRIA → MORE ENERGY
Endurance training causes your mitochondria (main energy production sites within cells) to multiply.
More mitochondria means… you guessed it. More energy.
You are using slow-burning fat as your primary fuel source, and can push harder and longer without having to tap too much into glucose. With more oxygen being delivered, you’ll also bounce back faster between bouts and matches, and be more resilient to burnout overall.
*Mitochondria is not stimulated to this degree in any other heart rate zone.
AEROBIC ENDURANCE → MORE STAMINA
The anaerobic systems are used for short, intense bursts of activity. They rely on fast-twitch (Type II) muscle fibers and can generate energy quickly – but along with a lot of fatigue.
By contrast, the aerobic system predominantly uses slow-twitch (Type I) muscle fibers and can provide sustained energy for long periods without tiring.
Building a bigger aerobic tank with strong Type 1 fibers means you can go further with less fatigue, thus extending your time to exhaustion.
LACTATE CLEARANCE → BETTER RECOVERY
Lactate build-up (and the accompanying hydrogen ion production) is the reason you feel heavy and drained when training hard.
While fast-twitch muscle fibers and intense training produce lactate, slow-twitch fibers can recycle lactate and use it for energy!
Developing the slow-twitch fibers through endurance training makes your body more efficient at this recycling process, allowing you to recover faster, and in turn, train hard more often.
THIS FEELS EASY. CAN I PUSH HARDER?
Nope.
If you start sprinting hills in the weight sack, your heart rate will go beyond Zone 2 and into an anaerobic zone (which you’re already training through wrestling, lifting, and pretty much everything else you’re doing).
Sure, any type of conditioning could be beneficial. But if you get too intense, you’ll miss out on the awesome benefits of Zone 2.
CAN I SWIM, ROW, OR USE THE ASSAULT BIKE INSTEAD?
Rucking is being promoted here due to it’s underrated awesomeness, as well as the accessibility factor. If you’ve got what you need for any of these other low impact options, go for it.
WHAT ABOUT RUNNING?
You could run.
Considering the amount of time needed for Zone 2, it’s probably a good idea to mix that up with rucks, airbike, or other modes that are easy on the body (particularly for the bigger guys or gals, or those doing a lot of practices).
*Do NOT go straight into 40+ minute runs if that isn’t something you normally do.
CAN I DO OTHER TRAINING ALONGSIDE THIS?
Of course. Ideally, you’ll also keep a sprint in there, strength train, and hit a few practices. A sample week in September could look something like this:
- Monday – Lift + Club Practice
- Tuesday – 35 Minute Ruck
- Wednesday – Lift + Hill Sprint or Mile Run
- Thursday – OFF
- Friday – Club Practice + 35 Minute Ruck
- Saturday – Lift
- Sunday – 40 minute Ruck
Steady-state is emphasized in the early preparation stage to expand the aerobic base.
After a month or so, you could transition one or more of the rucks to something that ranks higher on the intensity scale.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I NEED THIS?
- Firstly, don’t be out of shape. You can’t hold peak conditioning year-round, but should always maintain a base. If you’ve been pretty dormant throughout the off-season and you’ve got the time to dedicate to a base build, then get on it asap.
- If your resting HR is north of 65, or you sometimes feel wrecked after training, a couple of steady-state sessions per week could help you out there.
- If you never gas and feel amazing (awesome!), then it’s up to you as to how much time (if any) you want to commit to this.
- And if you’re already in decent shape, but want some extra capacity without the recovery cost (who wouldn’t?), then this is a great opportunity to raise the ceiling on that.
WRAP UP
When it’s time to prepare for wrestling season, most people will either overuse road work, or go the other way and think that the practice itself should pretty much cover everything. However, a bit of well-placed aerobic training can raise your potential on all the harder stuff. Rucking is one of the most underutilized (and pretty darned cool) options for building that base.
LINKS
If you’re looking for some great reads on conditioning, check these out:
If you’re in need of a sturdy tactical pack so you can ruck rain or shine, check out 3vgear.com.
