Dr. Squat - Dr. Fred Hatfield

I am a wrestler and am interested in the best program to follow. My technique is good because I have been at it a long time. I know how to wrestle but I wonder about the best strength and conditioning.

I am still confused by a lot of what I've read. Is aerobic base training a good idea before working into sprints and intervals?

### No. Not at all.

Because, Ian King and others seem to suggest aerobic base training is a waste of time. When Dr. Squat trained Evander Holyfield he didn't use any long running sessions. As far as I can tell, Evander's "cardio" consisted of the 3 minute drill that Dr. Squat came up with. So, why do some universities and trainers still say to build an aerobic base with some even suggesting to work up to a five mile run. But, even Charles Staley I think said that aerobic basic training might have some use. Does it build capillarization (whatever that means) and does it make the eventual anaerobic work even more successful?

### Go with Ian and Doc. They both know what they're talking about. Also, look in the archives, a few years ago there was a very long very extensive discussion on this topic and I detailed with studies, training theory and a little screaming, why an "aerobic base" is an incorrect assumption with regards to conditioning in general. I argued, and still argue that a degree of strength and anaerobic conditioning is needed as a base before aerobic work is undertaken if it is indeed useful to a specific athlete.

Are "grind matches" (that may last an hour) really doing anything for a wreslter?

### When performing sport specific work for conditioning purposes, the further away you get from the parameters of the actual sport, the less useful it is.

I read some articles by Barry Ross recently who greatly improved some sprinters' times by simply having them get stronger in the deadlift (very few sets) and sprinting (which itself was fairly modest in volume).

### Very possible! The deadlift works the posterior chain and in particular the lower back. The lower back is crucial in the start as the sprinters gets out of the blocks. Not a magic bullet for the sprinters, but certainly useful in the proper situation. E.g., high school.

He seemed to suggest that even in a sport like wrestling that simply getting stronger would lead to more fast twitch fibers, bigger motor units (?),greater endurance, and would create a phosphagen pool never-ending fuel supply (or something like that) and that deadlifts and a pressing movement would be all that one needed and forget about periodization. Just get strong and let wrestling practice take care of skills and endurance on the mat.

### He would be largely right. In wrestling, if you have greater relative strength than your opponent, you have a distinct advantage.

Will intervals, sprints, and Tabatas burn out the CNS and cause overtraining or is that untrue?

### No. Generally, in sports in which sprinting isn't a part of the sport, the quality of the sprints combined with incomplete rest intervals causes lots of fatigue which prevents significant CNS fatigue, in tabata protocols the intensity just isn't high enough. Furthermore, overtraining is hard to do and takes time.

It seems that if I have limited time that if nothing else staying strong (absolute strength) is the main thing.

### You're correct. Strength (arguably absolute and/or relative) is the basis for everything in any sport. As Doc said long ago, "You can't fire a cannon from a canoe."

What about strong man things like sledge hammer swings.

### They're fine, but I like farmers walks, sand bag carries, tire flips and sled dragging even more. Find something chest high to load a sandbag onto. Do 10 reps ground to platform with a 75 lb. sand bag. Get a cinder block and throw it in as many different ways as you can imagine. I had my first go at the Highland Games event of the Caber toss yesterday, CAN"T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN!!!!

Kettle bells?

### Nothing wrong with using Kettlbells, but the 200 rep snatches and the kettlebell clean and presses and stuff are all just wastes of time and energy for an athlete. Leave that type of stuff for the crossfit cultists. But, subbing kettlebells for certain dumbbell movements causes a new stimulus that can spur hypertrophy and/or strength.

Circuit training?

### Nah....

Linear periodization? No periodization?

### Read Doc's article, "The simplicity of periodization" Linear periodization is less desireable than most other forms, but "no periodization" is simply "NO PLAN." You don't want that, otherwise failure is inevitable. A good place to start would be to email Doc and see if you can get a copy of his wrestling ebook. After reading it and getting some months of good training under your belt, post again asking me about Undulating periodization.

Paralysis by analysis.

### HA ha... YES!

Sorry for a post that wasn't very straight forward and I probably don't have all the science right that I mentioned.

### You're not far off, trust in your own reasoning ability before you trust any "experts" advice. If you then find "experts" who seem to have come to similar conclusions, then start listening to them.

In short I want to be able to wreslte a hard 7 minute match and not run out of gas.