It’s no secret. I love wrestling. Ask anybody who has ever wrestled, “What is the toughest sport you have ever done?” I can almost guarantee you that they will say wrestling. Not everybody can do it, but everybody can learn from it.

Before we go further, let me tell you a little bit about my background.

I began wrestling at age 4. I was a pretty dominant high school wrestler and went on to wrestle in college for five years in the Big Ten at Michigan State University. I went from being a walk-on to being named team captain during my senior season. Was I a national champion? Nope. All American? Nope. I never even won a state title, but I beat All-Americans and 3-time and even 4-time state champions. I won a lot of matches that I had no business winning. I did it not with talent, but with heart and mental toughness. That mental focus still burns inside me, and I apply it to every single thing I do every single day.

1. You are only as good as your practice partner makes you

Most of the time in wrestling practice, you get to choose who you want for your partner. Sounds like a simple task right? It’s not. You have the choice of the guy who will give you a fight for your life or the kid you beat with one arm. Choose the latter and you will not succeed. Trust me, you can be good to a certain point, but not at the higher levels.

I first heard this from my oldest brother R.J., on the way home from a youth practice. He saw me beating up on a weaker kid while I could have gone up against a state champ who was way better than me. He was so mad at me, and it broke my heart. I never let it happen again.

2. There are no shortcuts. If you fake it, everybody will find out

We have all been there. That moment during practice when you start to get tired and you find yourself looking for an easy way out. You know that if you take it, nobody will know except you. It’s so tempting, and after more and more fatigue—you do it. You skip a rep or jog through a sprint. You make it look like you’re tired, but really you could go harder. That’s what we call coasting.

Coasting is when you know you can work harder, but you settle for doing just enough to get by. Toward the end of my freshman season I was guilty of it a few times. Guess what happened? I got my butt handed to me!

I knew I was doing something wrong, so I went to my coach. We were watching the NCAA Championships from the stands, and I told him I wanted to be out there wrestling. He called me out and told me I had been coasting. It was right in front of my dad, too. Man, was I upset with myself! I made the change right then and there.

If you take it easy during your workout at the gym, you will not see the results you want to see. You know if you are pushing your body past the point of comfort. You can grunt and yell and act like you’re tired, but deep down only you know if you’re able to push out a few more reps. There are no shortcuts. Work your butt off every day, because if you don’t, everybody will soon find out.

3. Get comfortable being uncomfortable

Take your arm and put it behind your back. I don’t care how you do it. Now have somebody take that arm and crank on it until it feels like it’s about to rip off. Sucks, right? Try doing that after losing 10 pounds in a week with every muscle in your body sore and you can barely breathe because you’re inside an 85-degree room.

That, my friends, is just a glimpse of what wrestlers have to go through on a daily basis. It is extremely uncomfortable. As a young athlete, I had no choice but to learn how to deal with it and even love it! I found that the wrestlers who could look at that situation and embrace it were the ones on top of the podium at the end of tournaments.

Every time you train, you have to push your body past its threshold to reach progression. It could involve adding 5 pounds to your bench or shaving time off your mile run. Forget about how hard you are working and focus on getting as tired as possible. Learn to crave being exhausted. Don’t run from it. Embrace it!

4. You have to train every part of your body

Wrestling requires you to be in the best shape of your life from head to toe. You don’t realize how many muscles you use while wrestling until you truly attempt the sport. One second you’re using all legs, the next you’re using just your neck. It’s crazy. I was lucky enough to have some great strength coaches in college. We trained every muscle from head to toe in a balanced fashion, which allowed our bodies to adapt and become strong for our sport.

Don’t be that guy who never trains legs or only does bench for the upper body. Nobody remembers that guy. Find a coach who knows what he is talking about and have him write you up a balanced program. If you’re struggling with certain exercises, it most likely means you’re weak in that part of your body. Check out the video player above to learn more about improving your weaknesses to have full-body strength.

5. Play the game, not the name

I’ll never forget it. I was wrestling a nationally ranked opponent from where else—the Iowa Hawkeyes, which is probably the all-time greatest team in college wrestling. Just before the match, my teammate and roommate on the road whispered to me, “Wrestle the match, not his name.” I heard that loud and clear. I wrestled the match with clear confidence because I knew that I trained harder than he did.

You can either wait for success to come to you, or you can chase it.

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1. Getting a big jump off the line

The trick: Stay low and explode through your hips.

How can I get better?

• Band-Resisted Med Ball Take Off Drill

How to:

• Wrap a band around a firm post or use a partner to resist you.
• Get a weighted medicine ball (preferably one you can throw without damaging it).
• Start in a low athletic stance with your power leg slightly behind your opposite leg.
• On “go,” drive your hips forward fast and punch the ball forward as far as you can.
• Use the ball’s momentum to carry you forward and sprint 2-3 yards.
• Repeat

Tip from the pros: The lower you stay, the better. Launch the ball with your hips and not just your arms. Your power will skyrocket.

Benefits

• Explosive power
• Hip extension
• Takeoff form

2. Make an ankle-breaking juke

The trick: Set your feet in the right spot at the optimal angle to drive force into the ground.

How can I get better?

Sprint-to-Ball Drop Reaction Drill

How to:

• Have your partner stand 10-15 yards in front of you with a tennis ball in each hand.
• Sprint toward your partner.
• Just before you get to him, your partner drops one of the tennis balls to the left or right.
• Plant your outside foot, make a break toward the ball and catch it.

Tip from the pros: It’s all about the bend in your knee and where you place your foot. Find the angle that works best for you to drive maximum force into the ground in the shortest amount of time by having a friend film you with a phone camera.

Benefits:

• Lower-body lateral power
• Faster reaction time for football speed
• Faster cuts on the field

3. Coming “downhill” to lay a hit

The trick: Quickly transition from your backpedal to a forward fast sprint.

How can I get better?

Band-Resisted Backpedal to Sprint Reaction

How to:

• Get a partner, a band and 3 cones.
• Face your partner with the band around both of you.
• Set 3 cones behind your partner about 10 yards away, one to the right, one to the left and one directly behind him.
• On “go,” start your backpedal with your partner resisting you.
• Your partner yells “left,” “right” or “middle.”
• Transition from the backpedal and sprint to the designated cone as fast as you can.

Tip from the pros: The more you use your hands, the better. Use your arms to switch your momentum from backpedal to going forward.

Benefits:

• Downhill quickness (huge for linebackers!)
• Ability to transition from backpedal to going forward
• Sprint Form

4. Breaking away from the pack

The trick: Developing the ability to punch through holes and sprint efficiently.

How can I get better?

Medicine Ball Slams to Cone to Sprint

How to:

• Set up 5 cones about 5 yards apart in a zigzag pattern.
• Get a weighted med ball (one that you can slam).
• Start on one foot at cone 1.
• Bound from cone to cone and slam the ball outside of your foot at each cone.
• On the last cone, slam the ball away from your body and take off in a sprint.

Tip from the pros: Use your upper body and slam the ball as fast as you can before taking off in your sprint. This habit will transfer to the field, allowing you to break away from the pack with ease.

Benefits:

• Lateral Power
• Running efficiency
• Explosiveness when carrying the ball (running backs, I’m talking to you!)

5. Setting the game-winning block

The trick: Move your feet in place and always stay in position.

How can I get better?

Ladder Drill With Med Ball Punches

How to:

• Perform the “Icky shuffle” through a speed ladder and keep your head up.
• As you move through the ladder, your partner randomly tosses you the ball at chest height.
• Catch the ball and punch it back to your partner while maintaining your footwork pattern.

Tip from the Pros: Start slow! It might take 5-10 reps until you can do this smoothly. Take your time and learn how to separate your upper body from your lower body while moving.

Benefits:

• Separation of upper- and lower-body movement efficiency
• Foot Speed
• Quickness
• Agility

The Moves

There are four moves in this bleacher workout. To keep things simple, you will go for 35 seconds at each move, then immediately go to the next movement. Each move is full-body and will light up your core. Be sure to take your time with each movement and regress where needed so you can maintain your form throughout the workout.

Here are the moves:

1. Back Lunge Hops

2. RFE Squat

3. Bleacher Mt. Climb

4. Burpee 10 Taps

How you do it:

Round 1: 35 seconds at each move

Round 2: 35 seconds at each move

Round 3: 35 seconds at each move

Round 4: 25 seconds at each move

Round 5: 25 seconds at each move

The first three rounds are longer so you can get used to the moves. In the last two rounds, the time is shortened so you can really go all out and get that high-intensity effect that this workout can provide.

If you like this bleacher workout be sure to head to benboudro.com for plenty of more workouts just like this.

Chase It!

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This workout solves that problem immediately. Virtually zero equipment is needed, it’s fun to do, and it allows you to sweat outside.

How to do it

We are going to bust out your true athleticism with this one! At each move:

• Go hard for 40 seconds.
• Rest 20 seconds.
• Go hard again for another 40 seconds.
• Take 20 seconds to get ready for the next move.
• Hit the same time sequence for the next move.

Simply put, it’s 40 seconds on, 20 off for 2 sets at each move. After you do that for each move, you will have completed 1 round. Hit 2-3 rounds minimum.

The Moves

• Falling Push-Up to Reverse High Knees (regress to regular Push-Ups/Burpees if needed)
• Side Plank 2-Way Toe Touch
• Icky Shuffle Over Mat
• Kaisa Jumps

As you can see, these moves are challenging. Take your time at first and really nail down your form. Practice them ahead of time if you need to.

One thing I want to comment on is the Falling Push-Up. Make sure you are ready for that move. If you don’t feel 100 percent confident, start with a regular Burpee or a simple Push-Up-to-standing up, then hit the Reverse High Knees. Sound good?

Chase It!

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This at-home leg and abs workout is simple to do and amazingly effective. It will get you sweating very fast. I use it when I travel on vacation or for the busy days when I only have 10 minutes to get a workout in.

Yes, there are days when I literally train for only 10 minutes, yet I still get my sweat on and stay on the path to my fitness goals.

There are only two moves that you have to master with this lower-body workout, and they are very simple to do. Here we go!

How to do it

• Start off with 30 seconds of Lateral Curtsy Lunges
• Follow up with 1 minute of Single-Arm Planks
• Jump up and perform a set of Lateral Curtsy Lunges with your opposite leg
• Finish with another minute of Single-Arm Planks using your opposite arm.
• Repeat this three times, taking as little rest as possible.

This equals a total of nine minutes. Add transition time between exercises and you will end up taking about 10 minutes to complete it.

Here’s how to perform the exercises.

Lateral Curtsy Lunge

Keep one leg planted the entire time. Perform a Lateral Lunge, but instead of bringing your leg back to where you started, take your leg behind you and perform a curtsy. Repeat for the entire time, making sure to keep your chest upright and your knee straight on your plant leg. This is a double move for your leg so your glutes will be on fire.

Single–Arm Plank

A small tweak to the highly coveted Front Plank. When you do the Plank using just one arm, you force your unassisted side to work overtime to keep your hip stable. A way to make this easier is to spread your feet wider apart to better engage your glutes.

There you go!  Keep this workout in your back pocket and you’ll never have to skip a workout because you’re “too busy.” You got this.

Chase It!

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If so, I have the perfect workout for you. You’ll need zero equipment and it’s a quick to-the-point workout. Just what you needed, right?

I incorporate this workout into my routine at least twice a week and it’s been a huge help for me and my clients with our goal to get shredded abs.

I often get asked when to do this in the workout. Is it a finisher? Do you start with it? Is this the entire workout? My answer is that it depends.

If I have a light lift that day, I’ll use this for my finisher. If I’m crunched for time and only have 15 minutes, I’ll use it as my entire workout. The timing of when you do it is not that important. What’s important is that you just do it! Try it out today!

How to Do It

• 40 seconds at each move
• 20 seconds of rest between moves
• Do all 4 moves for 40 seconds; that’s 1 round
• Rest 1 minute between rounds
• Repeat for 3 rounds

3 rounds of these grueling moves will only take you 15 minutes. 15 minutes!

The Moves

• Cross Toe Touch
• Plank Elbow to Knee
• Heel Grab Touches (these burn!)
• Burpee Double Mountain Climber

As you can see in the video, this shredded abs workout is advanced. Take your time and start slow if you need to. You are going to burn a ton of calories whether you do this fast or slow, so just take your time if you need to.

Chase It!

For more ab workouts, follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Website

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Here we go!

• 4 Moves
• 3 Rounds at each move

Each round is 30 seconds followed by 15 seconds of rest.

For example:

You will do Move 1 (10 High Knees to 5-second Squat Hold) for 30 seconds, rest for 15 seconds and then BAM! You repeat that Move for 2 more rounds.

The Moves

 10 High Knees to 5-Second Squat Hold

Get the knees up high and keep your back straight. You will get 10 High Knees per leg and then drop into a Squat Hold for 5 seconds. The amount of blood you accumulate in your legs makes this exercise a big-time burner!

Spiderman Push-Ups

Just because a regular Push-Up is too easy. Ha! Kidding. This is another way to vary the Push-Up, and it also incorporates hip flexibility. Moving the leg up adds more tension for your upper body to overcome.

Take your time with these! Your chest will be on fire.

10 Flutter Kicks to V-Up

Keep the small part of your back glued to the ground while you do these. Hold your arms straight back behind you and kick those legs to get your abs burning!

As soon as you hit 10 Reps (each side) drop your legs and fold your body to perform the V-Up. This will be a double hit to your low abs. Do 3 rounds of this and your abs will be screaming!

2 Double Mountain Climbs to 2 Push-Ups

This will be a lot of work for the front of your shoulders. You just came off the abs move where you were on your back, so your upper body should be well-rested and ready to go. Hit 2 Double Mountain Climbs and bring your knees up high near your chest. As soon as your feet land from the 2nd rep, knock out 2 Push-Ups.

Talk about an upper-body and ab burner!

Chase It!

Follow me for more on Instagram , Twitter, Facebook

PS. Do you like my content? If so, can you do me a huge favor and give me a vote in the Men’s Health Ultimate Guy Contest? Your support means the world to me.

18-Minute Total Body Makeover from Ben Boudro on Vimeo.

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The answer? Well, a lot of things need to happen.

You need a healthy diet. (You’ve heard the phrase “abs are made in the kitchen,” right? There’s a lot of truth to it.) You need to be consistent. Most importantly, you need a workout aimed at nothing but helping you strengthen your core (duh!)

While that last point sounds simple, people often get stumped when they try to come up with a quick ab workout.

In this workout video, I remove all of the guesswork.  You’ll see a fast, intense and unique way to tighten up your core using just bodyweight exercises. Try them out and get your friends to join you.

How to Perform This Bodyweight Core Circuit:

• There are 3 rounds total, performed for slightly less time each round
• Round 1 = 1 minute at each move
• Round 2 = 45 seconds at each move
• Round 3 = 30 seconds at each move
• Rest 1 minute between rounds

The Moves

Feet Elevated Sit-Up to Russian Twist

Keep your legs in the air with your knees bent at 90 degrees. That on it’s own would make your core work the entire time. But then from that position we add a Sit-Up and Russian Twist. BOOM! You’ve hit your rectus abdominus (the “six pack” muscle) and the obliques (the muscles at the sides of your torso), knocking out a lot of the core with a single move!

Plank Knee Drives

Whew! These are way harder than they look. Hold a stable Plank while driving your knees toward your chest quickly. Your rectus abdominus, already fired up from the last move, will go into overtime here. You’ll feel the burn big-time throughout your stomach.

Heels to Heaven

This one reminds me of Rocky IV, when Balboa is working out in that cabin off in the middle of nowhere. By straightening your legs and extending your body the whole way, you activate your entire core. This actually feels good for your low back as well.

2-Way Feet Jacks

Any time you’re in a solid top-of-the-Push-Up position, you are working your core. Then move your feet out-and-back, and throw in a double Mountain Climber. This is the finale of the workout so push hard!

There you have it: A quick, intense and unique workout to tighten up your core using just your body weight!

The question for many athletes is, “How much should I chill?”

Well, for average athletes, Thanksgiving looks a little something like this:

• Wake up
• Stuff face with turkey
• Watch football
• Pass out

That is for average athletes. For elite athletes, the process is a little bit different. It looks more like this:

• Wake up
• Eat a healthy breakfast
• Do a full-body workout
• Stuff face with turkey
• Watch football
• Pass out

You don’t want to be an average athlete, do you?

I know what you are thinking: “I’m won’t have any time to work out.” Well, I am about to take that excuse away from you.

From start to finish, this workout will only take you 20 minutes and it will set your entire body on fire, allowing you to keep your strength gains going and stay on the path to success in your sport.

Wake up, eat a solid breakfast, complete this workout and stay focused on becoming an elite athlete.

Warm-Up (2-3 minutes)

• Jump in place – x 1 min.
• World’s Greatest Stretch – x5 each side
• Dowel Overhead Squats – x 10

Circuit 1 (6 minutes)

Repeat for six minutes, resting only as needed.

• Deadlift – x 6
• Alpha Press – x 6
• Burpee to Med Ball Slam – x 6

Rest for 2 minutes

Circuit 2 (5 minutes)

Repeat for five minutes, resting only as needed.

• Strict Pull-Ups – x 6
• RDL with Bicep Curl – x 6
• Side Knee Tuck – x 6 each side

Rest for 1 minute

Circuit 3 (2 Minutes)

Do a set of each for 30 seconds, another set for 20 seconds and a final set for 10 seconds.

• Kneeling Tricep Kick Backs
• Tall-Kneeling Clutch Curls

Boom! 20 minutes. Your heart should be thumping in your mouth!

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That is, until you wake up the next day feeling like you gained 10 pounds.

But it’s OK. There’s still hope for shedding the extra calories.

The solution? The following workout features 5 full-body exercises that maximize the number of calories burned with every rep you perform.

Ready? Let’s go!

Guidelines

• Perform each movement for 1 minute straight, no rest. Choose a pair of dumbbells on the lighter side. Grab a weight that you can use if you were to easily knock out 25 reps of Shoulder Raises.
• After each movement, rest for 30 seconds before moving on.
• Rest for 1.5 minutes between rounds.
• Repeat for 4 rounds.

Bing, Bang, Boom! You will nail every muscle in your body, sweat your butt off and seriously get back in shape quickly.

The Moves

1. 2 Jump Squats to 2 Split-Squat Jumps

Start off by frying your legs right away. Be sure to keep your chest up the entire time and keep those knees straight!

2. Dumbbell Forward and Side Raise Combo

Now it’s time to fry your upper body. This move hits both the front and sides of your shoulders. Be sure to keep your chest up the whole time and use proper form. For real, Bro—if you can’t get the weights up to chin height, you need to drop down.

3. Wrestling Stance Push/Pull

Get in a low stance with both knees bent. As one arm pushes, the other arm pulls right to your abdomen. If your quads get tired, switch your forward foot. Have fun with this one.

4. Overhead Get-Ups

If your shoulders were not fried from Move 2, this will be the icing on the cake. Keep your arms straight the entire time and use your core and legs to get up and down. Big time abs burner right here!

5. Forward Lunge with Lateral Shoulder Raise

Just to make sure your legs, shoulders and core all get fried, end with this Lunge and Shoulder Raise combo. Switch legs at 30 seconds.

There you go. A killer workout that will without a doubt get you back into shape after Thanksgiving.

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