Coach Myers Wrestling S&C: The Band Reverse Lunge

Coach Myers Wrestling S&C: The Band Reverse Lunge

If you have trouble exploding through a shot, you need to try the Band Reverse Lunge.

Mar 10, 2020 by Dustin Myers
Myers Wrestling S&C: The Band Reverse Lunge
Do you have trouble exploding into a shot?

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Do you have trouble exploding into a shot?

Here’s the problem: poor leg drive and lack of horizontal force development.

Here’s the solution: the Band Reverse Lunge.

Sometimes an athlete may have strong legs and be proficient at applying force vertically — squatting and jumping — but may have difficulty applying power and speed horizontally when they attack an opponent’s leg. The solution is training for force production in the sagittal plane by using broad jumps, band reverse lunge, and heavy sled pushes. The key is concentrating on speed when performing these movements. In the case of the band reverse lunge, the weight must be light enough to move fast but still heavy enough to elicit gains in power. The band tension should be tight enough that the athlete must forcefully extend their hips at the top; if they just stand straight up the band will pull them back.

Technique

This is a great lunge variation to build concentric power in a single leg stance — crucial for wrestlers and sprinters. Hold a set of medium-weight dumbbells at your side and have a partner loop a thick band around your waist. Step back into a lunge as your partner stretches the band and anchors it down at a low angle. Step up forcefully through the band tension, concentrating on extending the hips and pushing through your glute on the post leg. 

Alternate legs for 2-4 reps per side. Concentrate on controlling your speed on the way back “down” and exploding on the way up. If your concentric moment begins to slow down, end the set.

When should I do them?

This is an ideal exercise to use midway through and late in the season to transition into a peak power phase.

Modifications

If you don’t have a partner to hold the band, try loping it around a low rack and stepping out until you find the right tension.

Youth wrestlers can start by holding a light medicine ball in a front rack or body lock position.


Coach Myers is the strength coach for the Ohio Regional Training Center at The Ohio State University. With the Ohio RTC since 2012, he served as Ohio State Wrestling’s primary strength coach from 2014-18, helping the Buckeyes win three Big Ten titles, their first-ever team NCAA championship, and two runner-up finishes.

A certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), Coach Myers owns the Old School Gym in Pataskala, OH, and is a founding partner of top supplement company Max Effort Muscle. Follow him on Instagram and Facebook, and learn more about his strength and conditioning programs for wrestlers of all ages here.