Biceps
Your bicep is located between your shoulder and elbow joint and is used to throw and pin opponents. Your biceps also help you effectively pull opponents down to the mat. An arm drag is a basic wrestling move that requires you to move to the left side of your opponent and pull him to the ground. While the bicep pull gets him down to his knees, you still must rotate around him, pushing your weight on his back to score a takedown. To increase muscle mass and tone, perform bicep curls using dumbbells. Do three sets of 10 if you are looking to build muscle mass. If you want to tone, reduce the weight of the dumbbells and perform three sets of 25.
Neck
Neck muscles in wrestling are used in conjunction with your back muscles to escape pins. In addition, your neck muscles can help you avoid a takedown by keeping you centered on the mat. The headlock is a common wrestling move that is used to gain positioning and pull you off balance. If your neck and upper-back muscles are strong, the weight of an opponent's arms coming down on your neck will not instantly knock you off balance or bring you to the mat. This strength buys time, allowing you to get out of a headlock and avoid a takedown. You can strengthen your neck muscles by using two dumbbells. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand with your arms at your sides and knees slightly bent. From this position, lift your shoulders up toward your ears. Hold this position at the highest point for a count of 10 seconds before relaxing. Repeat until fatigued.
Thigh
During a wrestling match, your thigh muscles, as well as your glutes, are used anytime you try to push or lift your opponent off the ground. To strengthen your thigh muscles, perform leg extensions on a machine in the gym. Start with three sets of 10. This exercise should be performed three times a week, with a day of rest between each session. If you are looking to perform a thigh exercise without a machine or unnatural resistance, try rotating leg lifts. Lie on your side with your legs extended and knees slightly bent. If you are on your left side, lift your right leg off the ground as high as you can. Hold the position for 10 seconds. Perform 10 repetitions per side.
Abdominal
Your abdominal muscles, often referred to as your core muscles, are engaged in almost every movement in wrestling. Abdominal muscles help you finish takedowns and escape possible pins. The core muscles help you escape a pin by giving you additional strength when lifting your body up and off the mat. The same muscles that lift your upper torso off the floor during a crunch are used when escaping a pin. Isometric exercises, such as planks, will help strengthen your abdominal muscles, along with crunches, situps and exercise ball crunches. Do these exercises five days a week, starting with 100 crunches or situps. Increase the number of repetitions as your strength improves.
