The Importance of Back Strength in Wrestling – How To Build a Stronger Back: Part 1

By Jason Shea MS, CSCS, PICP IV

Former powerlifting world champion Ed Coan, once said, “There is no such thing as a weak man with a strong back.”

In contact sports the hardest hitters and toughest guys to bring down often have the strongest low backs. The guys with the fastest shots in hockey and lacrosse often perform near the top in tests of back strength. For example, Zdeno Chara recorded the hardest slapshot in the NHL in 2012 (108.8mph) and was also capable of banging out 37 strict pull-ups at 6’9” 260lbs.

I remember seeing former a former high school All-American and Division I Lax player do 26 strict neutral grip chin ups. What does that have to do with lacrosse? Well, during his senior year in high school he was recorded hitting well over 100mph on his shot. Shooting that hard takes some serious back and rotational strength.

From staying in your stance to lifting or throwing an opponent, to fighting for a single or double, these all require tremendous amount of back strength. For an “extreme” example of back strength, check out the pics below of 3X Superheavyweight Greco Roman Olympic gold medalist Alexander Karelin doing his patented reverse body lift. Keep in mind, his opponents are 286lb+ world class Greco Roman wrestlers as well.

Looking back over his Hall of Fame coaching career, Coach Carmine Colace (Pages 10-11) of Franklin High School (Ma) and owner of New England Gold wrestling reflects back on the most dominant wrestlers he has coached. One of them in particular, 3X New England Champ Paul Davis, stands out for the way he handled opponents. Colace expresses “his back was so strong that guys would flatten out and he would just lock his hands and lift them, and there was nothing they could do about it.”

In personal conversations with Coach Colace through the years as well as interviews with several of the top high school wrestling coaches from around the country including St. Paris Graham, Easton, Apple Valley, St. Anthony’s, Timberlane, Brandon, St. Edwards, and more, (check out the book Building a Winning Culture in High School Sports and Beyond) it became apparent that performance in one exercise in particular had a strong correlation to wrestling success: the pull-up (or chin-up).

Several athletes who were winning league and/or state championships in the lighter weight classes excelled in non-kipping pull-ups/chin-ups, often exceeding 20-30 reps. Coach Colace’s son, CJ, committed to improving his pull-ups (along with his wrestling technique) heading into his senior year. By the start of that year he was hitting over 40 pull-ups. He went on to win a state and New England Championship, as well as a national championship. He also set a national record along the way by pinning every opponent along the way to his 45-0 record.

Legend has it that former U.S. Olympic team coach Bobby Douglas once told Cael Sanderson that if he wanted to become an Olympic Champion, he would need to do 50 pullups a day. Sanderson eventually got to 30-40 in a row. According to his Wikipedia page, Alexander Karelin’s coach challenged him to train hard in both wrestling technique and physical strength. “As a result, over the years Karelin progressed from 0 to 42 pull-ups.”

While prepping for the Olympics, Dan Gable “greased the groove” by doing 10 chin-ups every time he passed through a door frame. Tom Brands is said to have broken the Virginia Tech record of 51 pull-ups while dressed in khakis and a polo shirt. Former Oklahoma NCAA champ Byron Tucker has reportedly said that a wrestler is strong and conditioned enough to win in the NCAA’s if they could do 10 sets of pull-ups for 10 reps each set, with one-minute break between sets.  

Researchers have done studies on the physiological profiles and strength levels in successful wrestlers. A 2009 study on Elite Iranian Junior freestyle wrestlers found (4):

• 50kg (110lbs) wrestlers averaged 40.7 pullups (and 69.3 pushups in a minute)
• 55kg (121lbs) averaged 34.7 pullups (and 70.4 pushups in a minute)
• 60kg (132lbs) averaged 34.6 pullups (and 68.0 pushups in a minute)
• 66kg (145lbs) averaged 34.3 pullups (and 69.6 pushups in a minute)
• 74kg (162lbs) averaged 32.3 pullups (and 67.0 pushups in a minute)
• 84kg (184lbs) averaged 29.1 pullups (and 64.9 pushups in a minute)
• 96kg (211lbs) averaged 21.0 pullups (and 67.6 pushups in a minute)
• 120kg (264lbs) averaged 19.5 pullups (and 54.2 pushups in a minute)

Interestingly, in that same study the researchers also found the highest grip strength in the 50kg weight class, followed by the 66kg, 60kg, and 55kg classes (4).

A separate study, this one from the 2017 Journal of Sport Medicine and Physical Fitness compared the physiological profiles of elite vs non-elite junior and senior Greco-Roman wrestlers (5). The elite senior wrestlers averaged 31 pull-ups while the non-elite averaged 26. The difference was similar in the junior wrestlers, with the elite averaging 23 pullups compared to 16.7 reps for the non-elite. Grip strength was also significantly greater (roughly 11-16%) in both the junior and senior elite groups (5).

What the back muscles do:

Spinal Erectors:

This group of muscles (medial, intermediate, and lateral) that run along the spine are responsible for straightening (and rotating) the spine. Think of the back muscles needed to reverse body lift an opponent.

Lats:

From the Latin words Latissimus Dorsi meaning “broadest back”, these are the major back muscles used in vertical and horizontal pulling movements such as chin ups, pull ups, rowing, and hand over hand rope pulls. The lats are also powerful rotators of the trunk…just look at the “wings”/wide backs of some of the greatest power hitters in baseball or power punchers in boxing.

Traps:

The traps are broken down into upper, mid, and lower (Trap I, II, III, and IV) trapezius.  Upper trap (I) elevates the shoulder (shrug), mid trap (Trap II) elevates, upward rotates, and retracts the scap, lower trap (Trap III) retracts, depresses, and rotates the scap. Shrugs and 45 degree bent over single arm trap-3 lift are examples of exercises that target the traps.

Rhomboids:

These are the rhombus shaped muscles about the shoulder blades located just below the traps. These are important muscles in upright posture and retraction/depression/stability of the shoulder/scapula. Face pulls, Kelso shrugs, and bent over rows with isometric scap retraction at the top are examples.

Multifidus:

Deep muscles located along the spinal column, the multifidi, while unilaterally contracting, aid in lateral flexion and rotation of the spine; bilaterally contracting the multifidus aids in extending the spine. Weakness or dysfunction in these muscles has been linked with chronic low back pain. The bird dog and modified side plank are two common exercises to train these deep spinal muscles.

And one deep abdominal muscle that impacts low back health….the Quadratus Lumborum

The QL is the deepest muscle of the abdomen. Unilateral contraction aids in lateral flexion of the lumbar spine and pelvic elevation, while bilateral contraction aids in extension of the spine. These muscles have been linked to the low back pain associated with prolonged sitting.

• Rounded back with lateral flexion and rotation (wrestling, lifting a stone, shoveling, carrying an asymmetrical object, throwing a bale of hay, etc)
• Arched/neutral back (conventional deadlift (although many records are set with a rounded back), good morning, back extensions, power clean, chin-ups, back squat, etc

Multi-directional vs linear movements:

• Movements requiring spinal flexion, rotation, and lateral flexion such as shoveling snow off a driveway or lifting a boulder off the ground are examples of multi-directional.  
• Rack pulls, deadlifts, low back extensions, etc are examples of linear movements.

Excerpt from upcoming book on building farm boy/functional strength called Hard Work Strength:

“In his excellent book, A Wrestling Life, Gable tells the story of how in the winter of 1962, he was reversed and pinned in a junior high wrestling match. The entire car ride home he was filled with anger. Later that evening that anger turned into pouting, sulking, and feeling sorry for himself.

He tells the story where the only problem with sulking, pouting, and feeling sorry for himself was that he was living in his parent’s house. That behavior was unacceptable. His mom went into his room, and rather than babying him and feeding into the pouting, she told him he was being a “Molly Putz”; a term his mom used when the kids needed a wake-up call because they were feeling sorry for themselves.

She then had him go outside on that cold winter night and shovel the snow on the driveway. He went outside and began shoveling the driveway, albeit, resentfully. According to the book, it was during that shoveling episode that he had awoken a monster of “anger and determination”.

He attacked the shoveling, throwing the snow as fast and far as he could. Once he finished his driveway, determined to never be a “Molly Putz” again, he went and shoveled the neighbor’s driveway. Then once he finished that he went on to the next driveway and so on, until he shoveled all the driveways on his street.

Gable expressed in his book that throughout his childhood and youth, he never wanted to be called a “Molly Putz” again. That was one of the factors that drove him toward success.

In his book, Gable n fast forwards to the summer between his freshman and sophomore years of high school. Here he shares the story of when his father set him up with a construction job at Martinson Construction.

Martinson construction was, and still is, a construction company that installs the concrete walls in new residential homes and commercial buildings. His first day on the job he, along with another new employee, were tasked with shoveling and leveling two large piles of sand in the basement of a new construction project.

Just as he attacked the snow in his driveway, Gable attacked the sand piles in the basement. He worked so hard and fast that he finished the two-hour job in roughly 30 minutes. He then looked at the other pile and saw that the other new employee had walked out.

This left the other pile for Gable to attack. Seeing the value of hard labor and the challenges it provided physically, especially when used as a training tool for the upcoming wrestling season, Gable requested more challenges.

From carrying cement blocks to swinging a sledgehammer and digging ditches, this work was viewed as a means of training for wrestling. In his book, Gable writes about how his fellow older employees knew he was using the job as a way to train for wrestling. Because of that, they would keep him busy doing random work when there were lulls in the day. He would move cement block piles from one side of a house to another as fast as he could. Then bring them back. The harder the job, the better.

This went on from 7:00am to 5:00pm during the week. Three of those days were followed by grueling wrestling practices.

Then there were Saturdays in which Gable would often run to work, work a 17-hour day, then run home from work. He shares in his book that he gained seven pounds of muscle, became much more physical, and earned people’s respect that summer. He expresses “I have never gotten so strong in a short period of time as I did that summer (Gable Wrestling Life).”

                Take home point: Don’t be a “Molly Putz”! Get out and attack manual labor tasks. Treat them as challenges and tools for improving wrestling strength and fitness. At APECS/9D we had an entire sandpit dedicated to this. We used to test an athlete’s grit by having them shovel sand into a heavy Sterling paving wheelbarrow and pull it backwards through 75 feet of deep sand. If they dropped it, they had to load the wheelbarrow again and continue the drag. This was both physically and mentally exhausting for many athletes. Their backs, elbow flexors, and grips would fatigue, and they would break down mentally.

Former state champion and current New England Gold coach Cam Kelly is a great example of how this type of “work” benefits wrestlers.

 As soon as he finished his Junior year wrestling season, he came to APECs/9D to start his prep for the next season. Once the winter weather cleared, he was tested in loading and backward pulling sand-filled wheelbarrows. The objective was to complete 10 wheelbarrow load and drags. Each load was completed once the full wheelbarrow was pulled to the other side of the 75-foot sand pit.

There was one caveat was; if he allowed the wheelbarrow to tip over or dump during the pull, he had to empty the entire wheelbarrow, then refill it to the top with sand before he could continue the drag. For the athletes lacking spinal/core or hip stability, this meant that they might have to load the wheelbarrow several times per 75-foot drag.

Unfortunately for Coach Kelly, his first few tries ended in several dumps and far exceeded the 20-minute allotted time duration. Being the driven athlete he was/is, he began attacking the “wheelbarrow challenge”. By the October prior to wrestling season, he was loading and dragging the heaviest wheelbarrow with authority, completing up to 20 or more lengths in under 40 minutes. For more sand workouts ideas and the scientific benefits of training in the sand check out the book Sand Training for Sports.

A similar story is that of former NEG state champion Ryan Donovan. Before he could start his strength and conditioning workouts, he was required to grab a 10-foot rope and drag a 250lb tire backwards 30 yards across turf. In his first few attempts he could not complete one drag. By wrestling season, he was crushing the drag in under 20 seconds. Not to mention the beating he was putting on his opponents throughout the season.

Examples of Manual Labor Task Training

• Shoveling dirt, snow, sand, stones: In order to avoid muscular imbalances, make sure to train both sides. Switch after certain amount of reps achieved.
• Digging holes and trenches: Same rules apply as above
• Carrying stones: Carry for pre-determined distance. Use multiple stones and make a pile. Then bring pile back to start.
• Loading and Throwing hay bales: For height or distance. Depending on weight, can throw overhead, in front, and/or rotational.
• Carrying awkward objects such as furniture. Alexander Karelin was once asked who his toughest opponent was.  He told the interviewer it was his refrigerator that he bear-hug carried up several flights of stairs to his 9^th floor apartment. Instead of a refrigerator, try bear hug carrying a 30-50 gallon multi-purpose industrial barrel filled (to a manageable weight) with dirt, sand, leaves, etc.   

(Cati-Armour Condor Sentry Plate Carrier and Two 9lb Non-Ballistic Ergonomic Fitness Plates is the recommended) A weighted vest can be a simple, yet effective tool for improving upright stability, back/core strength, and fitness. A study from 2019 found that wearing a weighted vest during warm-ups potentiated athlete performance in repeated change of direction drills (10) and vertical/broad jump (2).

Adding a weighted vest to body weight exercises including pushups, lunges, squats, and jumping drills is a simple way to add resistance while increasing the spinal/core stability demands of those exercises. One study found that redistributing the weight from bar to weighted vest during the power clean led to better improvements in the power clean than bar weight only (3).

Studies have also shown that walking/working out with a weight vest on can also improve bone density (9) and balance (8). Uphill climbing with a weighted vest can also increase the demands on the cardio and musculoskeletal system. A study from Military Medicine found 2X greater improvement in uphill climbing and VO2Max in subjects wearing a weighed vest during uphill training (6).  Tip: If you have used an altitude mask (The Training Mask 3.0 available on Amazon.com is one of the best), try hiking uphill with weight vest and mask.

Don’t get carried away with wearing the vest all day as studies have shown that hypergravity (that’s what “they” call it when you wear a weight vest all day) doesn’t quite provide the athletic performance benefits one would hope (1,7). The reward may not be worth the risk as It may also lead to low back pain if wearing for prolonged periods of time. Stick with using the vest for training and fitness activity.

Stay tuned for The Importance of Low Back Strength in Wrestling Part 2 and 3. These will include  Modified strongman, partner/dummy carries, bodyweight training, prehab, conventional strength training methods, rehab protocols, and more.

Thx for reading!

References

1. Barr M et al. Effect of 8 days of a hypergravity condition on the sprinting speed and lower-body power of elite rugby players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 29(3); Pp 722-729. 2015.
2. Faigenbaum A et al. Dynamic Warm-Up Protocols, With and Without a Weighted Vest, and Fitness Performance in High School Female Athletes. Journal of Athletic Training. 41(4); Pp 357–363. 2006. 
3. Marriner C et al. Redistributing load using wearable resistance during power clean training improves athletic performance. European Journal of Sports Science. 17(9); Pp 1101-1109. 2017.
4. Mirzaei B, et al. Physiological Profile of Elite Iranian Junior Freestyle Wrestlers. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 23(8); Pp 2339-2344. 2009.
5. Nikoole R et al. Physiological determinants of wrestling success in elite Iranian senior and junior Greco-Roman wrestlers. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 57(3); Pp 219-226. 2017.
6. Onate J et al. Effects of Training on Physical Performance Wearing Personal Protective Equipment. Military Medicine. 175(9); Pp 664. 2010.
7. Rantalainen T et al. Effect of weighted vest suit worn during daily activities on running speed, jumping power, and agility in young men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 26(11); Pp 3030-3035. 2012.
8. Roghani T, et al. Effects of short-term aerobic exercise with and without external loading on bone metabolism and balance in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Rheumatology International. 33(2); Pp 291-298. 2013
9. Snow CM, et al. Long-term exercise using weighted vests prevents hip bone loss in postmenopausal women. Journal of Gerontology. 55(9); Pp M489-491. 2000.
10. Turki O, et al. Dynamic Warm-up with a weighted vest: Improvement of repeated change of direction performance in young male soccer players. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. 16; Pp 1-8. 2019.
11. Zafeiropoulos K. Acute effects of different loading conditions using weighted vest on running performance. Journal of Biology of Exercise. May 2014.