How important is oxidative work such as tempo for a anaerobic/lactic sport? Could a HR monitor be used for tempo and do more GS type work? Would intensive tempo be important?
In my experience, tempo work helps build the capacity to recover from LA work.
Wrestlers need not perform tempo in the form of running as the structural affects and biodynamic characteristics of running create an unnecessary stress.
As a means of recovery from the heavy glycolytic demand of sport practice and similar methods of physical preparation, as well as a non-specific form of stimulating the oxidative mechanism, the far more suitable meas would be executed on a elliptical, bike, rower, etcetera leaving the more specific forms of oxidative training to general specific and specific training performed at greatly reduced/sub-maximal intensities (ergo the tempo equivalent of running for a sprinter being the performance of any other sport act in the aerobic/oxidative zone in order to ensure that the oxidative capacity of the appropriate muscle fibers is trained).
what HR zone would u recommend the tempo be done at?
Wrestlers don’t have to run, but it doesn’t mean that it is a bad option. Our university has their wrestlers run all the time and I don’t see any problem with what they are doing. I don’t work directly with the program, but they have produced a number of Olympic gold medallists and numerous other medals. I do see some issues with the volume of work they do on the mat (leading to lots of soft-tissue injuries), but running is not the problem.
Problems I’ve seen with bikes, ellipticals and rowing machines is that they can lead to other over-use problems. Wrestlers have chronically tight hip flexors due to the position they are in most of the time (hunched over). Upright running at easy intensities and on soft surfaces can help to open up the hip flexors in a restorative manner. Stationary bikes and rowers can exacerbate the shortened hip flexor issue, and I’ve also seen lots of hip and knee issues with steppers and ellipticals that do not provide lateral floating (i.e. the foot does not track to the natural center line like in running. You are stuck in the track of the elliptical or stepper).
The pool has also been a good environment for mixing up tempo work to alleviate overuse issues. I think it is important to work different options into your higher volume, low intensity work. It is important to note that the term “tempo” work does not necessarily bind you to running. Charlie has discussed lots of options in the pool.
Forgot to mention the pool. That would be my first choice over the ‘machines’ for the reasons you mentioned.
I’d use running in the pool as the first option for supplemental work. Easy on the joints and covers the concerns of No2.
Machines aint the same as going hardcore. Talkin bout some boxing and old school pool work like rocky. Get your wind back.
No need to compound upon the demands of wrestling practice, and other demanding forms of SPP, with additional ‘hardcore’ activity.
At any rate, the idea behind the ‘machines’, pool work, etcetera is to assist in active restoration as well as improving the oxidative mechanism via non-specific activity.
Is there anything else possibly requiring less equipment (just free space really) you may have had success with? I have zero equipment at one location but would like to address a tempo variation and am concerned with the same issues mentioned above.
I just started working with a top level MMA athlete. When we sat down to look at his current program, it was:
- 5 minutes on, 1 minute off
For everything. Boxing, jiu-jitsu, muay thai, wrestling, etc. Even his weights were done in this manner. Needless to say, by the time the fights come around, he is pretty flat.
All of the combative sports could use some help with formulating their training programs to get the most out of different training elements. Lots of “medium” work, but not really any “high” or “low”.
I’ve done some low intensity work with various med-ball passes and throws, combined with easy runs. This can be done in interval style or over long durations (20-30 minutes).
Training exactly like comp eh? 
What did you change it to?
He had a fight the next week, so we only changed the durations of his training sessions. You want to change things for the better in these situations, but not so much that it throws them off. So, rather than go 5 min on, 1 min off, I had him subdivide his rounds into 90 seconds on, 30 seconds off for 3 sets, with a longer breaks between the 4.5 min rounds - about 3 minutes. And, instead of doing five rounds, we had him do three rounds. This was an example of how we tried to reduce overall volume, but increase intensity. In other cases, his boxing drills were cut from 5 min durations to 2-3 min durations with a higher level of intensity.
Also, we had him doing low intensity recovery sessions with jogging and stationary bike (similar to the tempo/aerobic actitivies noted by James Smith). And, I massaged him a couple of times in this taper phase leading up to the fight.
He just fought tonight and knocked out his opponent. We are meeting on Monday to revamp the overall program from scratch and work in some maximal strength weights and explosive power work with med-ball and jumps.
I’ll keep everyone posted on his progress.
I’m surprised none of the Canadians here have mentioned Jon Chaimberg or the work he does with numerous combative sport athletes (MMA/wrestling/boxing/etc.).
Well, he certainly gets Georges St. Pierre in shape, I’ve only seen bits of his methods. Weight circuits, lots of med ball stuff too.
Tempo runs, hurdle hops, … A guy on this forum has been up to Montreal and knows lots about the training… hopefully he’ll post.
Funny James Smith isn’t a fan of the old school work.
how has the fighter progressed No2? James for an exercise such as the zercher squat that correlates to wrestling better would you use this as one of the primary means (Stimulate CNS) such as your implementation of the squat and bench with American football? Or would you prefer it be put into a supplement roll? Also what would the best exercise be to stimulate the CNS close to a match such as charlies use of the bench in track or jumping/squating in siwmming. It appears wrestling relies on both the lower and upper extremities equally (throws vs holds).
for the sprinter it was recommended that HRs be checked during a typical tempo session and then using those same HRs in the pool once the weather turned. Since tempo isnt specific in the first place to wrestling and there 75% may be far less efficient therefore cannot be used as a means of regulating the work. How then would you regulate what is defined as tempo for the wrestler combat athlete? I am aware that cardiac development and restoration can be occur at 120-130, but where would the tradition tempo and oxidative capacity be at?
If you are completely clueless of the athlete’s level regarding a different sport or activity, I would suggest as your best guide of tempo intensity the way he progresses and finishes the session -the last rep should be at least of the same intensity as the first one. Others?