How to Build Muscle for Wrestling

Leg Muscles

• 1

  Perform squats. Squats are excellent at working thighs, hamstrings, calves, quadriceps and buttock muscles. Squats also improve balance. To safely perform these exercises, stand with you knees in a relaxed posture, with your feet slightly apart and turn your toes outward. Bend your knees as if about to sit in a chair. Make sure your back is straight, and focus on your movements, pressing your heels into the floor so that all of the work of returning to a standing position is focused in your legs. Attempt to perform three sets of five to 10 repetitions.

• 2

  Do lunges. Lunges work quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. Stand with your feet and legs in a relaxed posture. Step forward with one leg, not letting your knee pass the toes on the leg you are moving. Push your body up and back until you have returned to your beginning posture. Attempt to perform three sets of five to 10 repetitions.

• 3

  Work on your calf muscles. Calf lifts are a simple exercise that increase muscular strength. From a standing position, lift your heels off the floor, raising yourself onto your tiptoes. Hold for a moment and then lower your heels to the floor. Attempt to perform three sets of five to 10 repetitions.

Chest Muscles

• 4

  Exercise your chest through free weights. Although you may use weight machines for chest exercises, free weights -- because they are not guided by cables -- force other muscles to work to help control the weight, which adds to overall strength from various auxiliary muscles that assist the chest muscles.

• 5

  Perform bench presses. Laying on your back on the bench, use a natural grip on the bar. Your forearms should be pointing vertically at a 90-degree angle to the bar. Staying in control of the weight, bring it down to touch the middle of your chest. Still controlling the weight, raise it up to the starting position. If you are unsure of the amount of weight you are able to handle, err on the side of caution and start with a small amount, building your way up.

• 6

  Perform dead lifts. Depending on your fitness level and weight lifting capacity, bend from a standing position, and lift the barbell off of the ground using both hands until your body is fully extended. The dead-lift portion of this exercise is when you push from your heels and bring your hips forward. Do not pull with your lower back and be careful not to round your back when lifting.

• 7

  Use an incline bench. Use dumbbells on an incline bench to work the full range of chest muscles. Lay on the incline bench with your back completely flat. Have a spotter hand you the weights and hold on to them with your palms facing in toward each other. As your hands come together, squeeze your chest muscles together. Lower the weight back slowly, maintaining control, and not just letting them drop. Repeat until muscle approaches fatigue, and then stop.

Nutrition and Hydration

• 8

  Eat a well-rounded diet full of a healthful variety of foods. There is no one food to eat which will help you build muscle mass. Also, ensure that you remain well hydrated by consuming at least eight, 8 oz. glasses of water each day -- and more if you sweat while exercising.

• 9

  Devote a third of your diet to lean proteins. These can help your body feel fuller longer, without having to eat a ton of them. Eat lean proteins in fish, eggs whites, lean beef, poultry (with the skin removed) and low-fat dairy items.

• 10

  Dedicate a third of your diet to fruits and vegetables. These are full of vitamins and minerals which not only give you energy for your workouts, but which benefit your body in general. Most fruits and vegetables are low in calories and fat.

• 11

  Devote a third of your diet to healthy carbohydrates such as whole grains (found in rice, bread, and pasta) and potatoes. Carbs give your body much-needed energy for muscle training exercises.