In the following article, Coach Myers explains a perfect workout program for youths in the age of COVID-19 and increasingly strict regulations about staying at home.

In this video, I show some great strength exercises that require no equipment and are perfectly safe for athletes of any age.

Your youth wrestler can even do this workout while watching TV.

BEGINNERS: do 1-2 sets of each exercise of the assigned reps or until form breaks down (whichever is first).

INTERMEDIATE (some training experience): do 3 sets of each exercise resting 60-90 seconds per set.

ADVANCED (or junior high age): perform as a circuit, do 1 set of each exercise back-to-back with no rest. Complete 3-5 rounds.

Split Squats — 5-10 per leg

Place one leg behind you with your foot on the couch or a step (laces down). Keep your chest up as you perform a single leg squat. Keep your knee behind the front of your foot.

Squats — 10-20

Stand with your feet at shoulder width. Initiate the movement by sitting back and squatting down to parallel. Exhale as you stand back up to starting position.

Lateral Lunges — 5-8 per side

Glute Bridge — 25 (or 10 single legs each side)

Lay on your back or across the couch with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Press through your heels as you bridge your hips up, squeezing the glutes at the top. 

Elevated Push-Up — 10

The elevated push-up can be done with your feet on the couch or a step. Make sure not to hinge at the waist.

Push-Up — 10

Keep your core tight and body straight as you lower your chest to the floor. Keep your head in a neutral position and exhale as you press your body back to starting position.

Cat Planche — 5-10 saws or 10-second hold

Start in a push-up position with your fingers pointed out. Round your upper back, pushing your shoulder blades away from the spine and engage your lats and abdominals. Drift forward just slightly keeping your arms locked. Drift back and forth 5-10 times (saws) or hold the extended position for 10 seconds.

Plank — 20-30 seconds

The most important thing to remember about a plank position is to keep your abs flexed and do not allow your hips to sag. If your abdominals relax and hips lower, you are putting your lower back at risk.

Side Plank — 10-20 seconds per side

A side plank is on one elbow with your feet stacked on top of each other. Keep your spine straight and your top arm extended towards the ceiling.

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.