Wrestling, if you’re not aware, is the sport of grappling with an opponent with the aim to throw or hold them to the ground.

Although not as much of a well practiced sport in the UK, wrestling is huge in the US with high schools offering the sport as regularly as football in the land of the tea. What you may be surprised to learn that with this often barbaric sport, there are plenty of health benefits associated.

We’ve compiled a list of 5 key health benefits that wrestling has on the body - you’re welcome.

1. Increased cardiovascular endurance

If you’ve ever watched a wrestling match play out - or have grappled before - then you’ll understand the physical demands put on athletes within the sport.

Cardiovascular endurance is vital for success and with practice comes the development of the cardio system that you’ll need to progress. That’s not only great for performance, but your overall health with benefits to the heart, lungs and blood flow around the body.

2. Increase strength and muscle growth

You can’t go through session upon session of grappling, throwing and holding down opponents without building at least just a little bit of strength, and that’s exactly what you can expect if you venture into the world of wrestling.

With taxing workouts and practices, you’ll be pushing your body to the limit and it’ll respond the only way it knows how - by growing in size and strength to keep on pushing. That’s fantastic if you didn’t already know, and you’ll see a healthier CNS and increased joint health with the transition.

3. Increased flexibility and mobility

Speaking of being put and putting people in weird positions, your flexibility and mobility in gym will dramatically increase with the time and effort put into wrestling.

Working the muscles around the joints and building flexibility is great for reduces aches and pains around the body, including that infamous back pain that so many of us experience from a relatively young age. Focus on the mobility and the rest will come.

4. Increased ability to focus

When you’re matched up against someone that has the same intentions as you and you’re both standing in each other's way, it can be intimidating to say the least. This gets the adrenaline going and teaches the mind to focus.

Put yourself in this situation again and again through tournaments and training sessions and you’ll be seeing a much greater focus in no time at all.

5. Increased mental wellbeing

Last but not least, wrestling has been shown to increase the mental wellbeing of those taking part in the sport. With improved focus, self-discipline and the rush of endorphins from competitions and training - it’s no surprise that those who wrestle tend to be happier with a greater mental wellbeing than those who do not undertake any physical exercise.

So there you have it, it’s more than just The Undertaker making an appearance on saturday morning TV. Wrestling can prove to be a very beneficial ingredient to a well rounded training structure.