Most Physically Gifted Wrestlers of All Time

[Plasmodium 1,545]

I don't quite know how to describe Rulon.  In 2D - video or images - he looked pretty beefy.  Live and in 3D, he looked fit.

[AHamilton 407]

2 hours ago, Plasmodium said:

I don't quite know how to describe Rulon.  In 2D - video or images - he looked pretty beefy.  Live and in 3D, he looked fit.

I wasn't a big fan initially, but the drill I saw him go through left me pretty impressed.

[BadgerMon 169]

On 8/8/2020 at 8:23 AM, El lucador said:

Anyone remember Erlan Van Lidth. He was a pretty amazing individual.

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I remember him singing the Anthem to start the Northern Open back about 1979

[BadgerMon 169]

But what IS physically gifted? A great physique, or ability other than wrestling?

 

Randy Lewis could do phenomenal things on a trampoline/diving board, not to mention throw from any position.

Ryan Lord, who wrestled for the Badgers won the 100 and 200 at State in high school track. 

Laurent Soucie and Sgt Gibson made World Teams in both Freestyle and Greco.

Russ Hellickson could freakin run ALL DAY- amazing at 220 lbs, and beat at least half of us in the 5 mile run.

Curley Culp and Steven Neal won the NCAAs AND played NFL. Neal decided to tack on a WC while he was at it.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28 by BadgerMon

[JHRoseWrestling 145]

On 8/26/2020 at 6:02 PM, AHamilton said:

Rulon didn't look great, but had tremendous cardio.  The week of the 2000 Olympic trials, as he was putting the final touches on his preparation, I watched him drill hard and non-stop with two different wrestlers (the partners alternated on Rulon).  He would take one down, and the next would be in his face.  There was non-stop motion, non-stop attacking from Rulon,  and it was really pretty impressive.  This went on for 20-30 minutes and he wasn't particularly gassed after.

Friend of the forum @gutfirst once told me this cool story:

During a camp at the OTC they took the V02 max of all the athletes on campus.  Among his fellow wrestlers, Rulon had no peer.  His total was rivaled only by the cyclists at the training center.

 

[gimpeltf 1,395]

4 hours ago, JHRoseWrestling said:

Friend of the forum @gutfirst once told me this cool story:

During a camp at the OTC they took the V02 max of all the athletes on campus.  Among his fellow wrestlers, Rulon had no peer.  His total was rivaled only by the cyclists at the training center.

 

V does stand for volume doesn't it?

[BadgerMon 169]

VO2 can be important- depending upon your style of wrestling.

My teammate/same weight/opponent on the Badgers- the late Jeff Charland and a 3 time state champ, could run all day and had a VO2 of 5.0 L.  He was lean and mean. He wrestled very controlled matches and could take breaks by riding with the legs.

Mine was 3.5 L and could not run all day, but was stocky (stockier now). I wrestled chaotically and was constantly winded. Apparently 3.5 is the low side of the average for SEDENTARY ADULT MALES.  Yay.

Somehow we went 4-4 with each other in matches.

So how important is VO2, and does it outweigh other "gifts"? 

 

I understand that Jack Cuvo could run all day, was a college AA in XC, and a two time NCAA champ.THAT's physically gifted in my humble opinion.

 

[gimpeltf 1,395]

33 minutes ago, BadgerMon said:

I understand that Jack Cuvo could run all day, was a college AA in XC, and a two time NCAA champ.THAT's physically gifted in my humble opinion.

But he's twice the man he used to be!

[bnwtwg 390]

1 hour ago, BadgerMon said:

So how important is VO2, and does it outweigh other "gifts"? 

Ask a guy like Taylor or Metcalf. Both are probably high 70s-low 80s which translates to a nonstop torrid pace.

[Jim L 232]

22 hours ago, BadgerMon said:

But what IS physically gifted? A great physique, or ability other than wrestling?

 

..

Curley Culp and Steven Neal won the NCAAs AND played NFL as All-Pros. Neal decided to tack on a WC while he was at it.

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty sure Neal was never All-Pro, so you need to add Carlton Haselrig with  6X NCAA championships plus Pro-Bowl and All Pro selection 

[BadgerMon 169]

14 minutes ago, Jim L said:

Pretty sure Neal was never All-Pro, so you need to add Carlton Haselrig with  6X NCAA championships plus Pro-Bowl and All Pro selection 

I should have double-checked. He was a starter on a 3 time Super Bowl winner, however. I shall edit.

 

Haselrig- Amazing!

[DROP 3]

I remember a story about Gibson going through Marine basic training with no intention of continuing his wrestling career and when he broke the record for the obstacle course at 200+lbs, the Marines learned about his wrestling background and got him back wrestling again.  
Also, He was still at the Olympic Greco Roman trials into his late 40s.

I still say Gibson


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[jchapman 1,049]

4 hours ago, bnwtwg said:

Ask a guy like Taylor or Metcalf. Both are probably high 70s-low 80s which translates to a nonstop torrid pace.

Absolutely not 70-80 ml/kg/min.  They might be in the 60s, maybe.  But probably have very high lactate thresholds, which can be just as, or more, important than VO2.

Edited August 28 by jchapman

[bnwtwg 390]

24 minutes ago, jchapman said:

Absolutely not 70-80 ml/kg/min.  They might be in the 60s, maybe.  But probably have very high lactate thresholds, which can be just as, or more, important than VO2.

Not sure we would ever find out about Metcalf, but I bet Taylor throws on the mask a couple times a year. I would bet $5 he is at least 70 and yes definitely high LT... most US senior level competitors are I would assume (based on our wrestling style).

[gimpeltf 1,395]

[jchapman 1,049]

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/47412691_Aerobic_fitness_of_elite_female_and_male_wrestlers

Just under 60 for elite male wrestlers.  

Edited August 29 by jchapman

[GoNotQuietly 833]

VO2 max is more important in wrestling training than wrestling competition. Wrestling is a largely anaerobic activity, so different blood buffering thresholds, shunting and neuromuscular efficiency are more important to in match performance. The technique portion of endurance is always underrated; the more you use leverage, the less you use strength from poor position, and the better you control your stress, the less tired you get. B. Saitiev could have had the lung capacity of an infant and won almost as much


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[jchapman 1,049]

1 hour ago, GoNotQuietly said:

VO2 max is more important in wrestling training than wrestling competition. Wrestling is a largely anaerobic activity, so different blood buffering thresholds, shunting and neuromuscular efficiency are more important to in match performance. The technique portion of endurance is always underrated; the more you use leverage, the less you use strength from poor position, and the better you control your stress, the less tired you get. B. Saitiev could have had the lung capacity of an infant and won almost as much


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To your point, Mark Schultz has stated on this forum that his VO2 max was in the 40s.  

[bnwtwg 390]

I stand by my wager

[Plasmodium 1,545]

Dan Gable's VO2 max was 146.

[Le duke 52]

22 hours ago, bnwtwg said:

I stand by my wager

I'm guessing that's 10ml/kg/min too high. Maybe more. 

6 hours ago, Plasmodium said:

Dan Gable's VO2 max was 146.

Which would be the highest ever recorded by about 50ml/kg/min...

[Plasmodium 1,545]

10 hours ago, Le duke said:

I'm guessing that's 10ml/kg/min too high. Maybe more. 

Which would be the highest ever recorded by about 50ml/kg/min...

I'll wager you are like me and not at all surprised by that.

[Le duke 52]

I'll wager you are like me and not at all surprised by that.

I’m guessing that number is ~2.5x too high.


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[jchapman 1,049]

13 hours ago, Le duke said:

Which would be the highest ever recorded by about 50ml/kg/min...

Not true!  Race horses have been recorded at up to 180 ml/kg/min and sled dogs over 200 ml/kg/min!!!!

[Plasmodium 1,545]

58 minutes ago, jchapman said:

Not true!  Race horses have been recorded at up to 180 ml/kg/min and sled dogs over 200 ml/kg/min!!!!

Are you certain of this?  I'm not calling BS outright, but surely Dan Gable has a higher VO2 max than a race horse!  Secretariat had a 10 kegger heart,  but it turns out Gable's is significantly bigger.