Training in All Three Planes of Motion By Chris Gorden
Most fitness level clients train in the sagittal plane of motion (Bench Press, Squat, Box Jump Sprints), while in athletics, especially wrestling, a wrestler’s strength and conditioning program needs to address training specific to not only the sagittal but also the frontal (lateral movements) and transverse (twisting at thoracic plane).
Wrestling, along with most combat sports, is unique due to the application of all three energy systems (ATP/CP, Non oxidative, Oxidative) throughout the match. There is a need to switch between slow twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers on a split second notice. Athletes must be able to move forward, step back, and move laterally while fighting opponents’ pressure. In order to defend a reshoot leg pass and apply control from top in one sequence, wrestlers benefit from specific training, not only situational wrestling but strength training, mobility, plyometrics, and SAQ (Speed,Agility,Quickness) that have a targeted approach to train in multiple planes of motion.

Plane	Motion	Axis	Exercise
Sagittal	Flexion/Extension	Coronal	Bicep curl,tricep pushdown, squats,front lunge,vertical jump
Frontal	Abduction/Adduction,Lateral Flexion,Inversion/Eversion	Anterior/Posterior	Side lateral raises,Side lunges, Side Shuffling
Transverse	Internal/External rotations, Left/Right spinal rotations, Horizontal Adduction/Abduction	Longitudinal

Progression for plyometric stabilization exercises
Exercise	Plane	Exercise	Plane
Box Jump with stabilization	Sagittal	Depth Jump	Sagittal
Lateral Box Jump	Frontal	Lateral Depth Jump	Frontal
Lateral Box Jump with Twist	Transverse	Depth Jump with Turn	Transverse

I try to use the light before heavy,simple before complex approach when deciding when is the best time to efficiently and safely increase difficulty of movement. Depending on the number of participants,how many months out of the year the weight room is available,and the skill levels of my athletes.Typically I will adjust the programming every 4-6 weeks as long as I don’t see any stagnation or regression.
Here is an example of how I would take this approach during the load and stabilization phase of training

Progression Speed,Agility,Quickness and with external resistance
Exercise	Plane	Exercise	Plane
Front to Back Line Hops	Sagittal	Med Ball Chest Pass	Sagittal
Lateral Line Hops	Frontal	Med Ball Scoop Toss	Frontal
Diagonal Line Hops	Transverse	Med Ball ½ Kneeling Rotational slams	Transverse

One of the biggest challenges I’ve encountered, especially when I first began designing programs specific to wrestling, was applying these techniques while not “getting too cute” with the programming and or add too much variation which could take away time needed for core lifts. Our athletes need structure and consistency with their conditioning programs but there also needs to be room for creativity and growth.
For example, while a newer wrestler is still adapting to tumbling on the mat, you may consider using plate jumps with a twist and alternate lateral plate jumps into the workout – this covers both the frontal and transverse planes and helps the wrestler develop body awareness. For more experienced athletes, the conditioning coach could add more height to the plate jumps or add 24 inch box jumps to add a sagittal plane as well as a more challenging movement into their program.
For larger groups, there is a need for more uniformity to run the room. With this in mind there are a couple different approaches that can be applied. You can begin by identifying the developmental and veteran lifters then having all athletes complete movement prep and dynamic warmups together. The room should then be split so there is a group focused on basic technique for developmental athletes since veteran lifters don’t not need as much supervision.
Another approach, very similar to how we would run the wrestling room early in the season, is where more experienced lifters are paired with less experienced lifters. This approach benefits not only the newer athlete but allows veteran wrestlers to also improve their lifting techniques by teaching others.
Below are a couple examples on dividing the room by skill of movement.Below is an example of dividing and progressing groups of 3-5 athletes.Testing at the end of each cycle not only benefits morale and participation but also with a series of skill and strength test to move up to the next level of training.

Strength training progression sagittal plane
Devo 1	Devo 2	Advanced	Elite
PVC/BB Squat	BB Squat to parallel	BB Squat below parallel 4 count tempo descend with 1 sec pause	As Fast as Possible/ Heavy training loads/ Zercher Squats
PVC/DB Deadlift	Trap Bar Deadlift	BB Deadlift slow tempo with focus on hinge	As Fast as Possible/ Heavy training loads
30 sec-1 min Bar Hangs	Banded Pull ups	Chin Ups	Pull Ups Chest to Bar
Plate RDL	DB RDL	KB RDL/Single Leg RDL	BB RDL/ Deficit RDL

Another consideration is that some wrestling programs have more accessibility to the weight room than others throughout the year and many top tier athletes have strength coaches off campus.So with this in mind it can also be a good idea to have programming set with the same training philosophy and progression of movements year to year.This can help athletes who are not able to attend every session (vacations,outside training,etc) so it can be helpful for them to have that level of consistency so their return the the weight room is seamless.