Background and Study Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in the anthropometrical, physical, neuromuscular and physiological markers between Freestyle and Greco-Roman elite male wrestlers. Secondly, this study was carried out in order to validate the crank-arm Wingate test to assess the anaerobic metabolism contribution during an official wrestling match. Material and Methods: Ninety two male wrestlers, comprising of 39 Freestyle and 53 Greco-Roman competitors took part in a wrestling tournament. Depending on their wrestling style and their body mass (light, middle and heavy weight), 6 competition divisions were formed: Light Weight (body mass between 55-68 kg) in Freestyle (n=16) and Greco-Roman (n=18) style; Middle Weight (body mass between 68-84 kg) in Freestyle (n=12) and Greco-Roman (n=24) style; and Heavy Weight (body mass between 84-100 kg) in Freestyle (n=11) and Greco-Roman (n=11) style. The finalists in each group were recruited to carry out physical fitness marker comparisons (n=36). Results: No differences were observed in any anthropometrical, physical, neuromuscular or physiological markers between Freestyle and Greco-Roman elite wrestlers in any weight class. The peak blood lactate values attained during the simulated tournament were significantly (p ? 0.05) higher than those detected following the crank-arm Wingate test in the six studied groups. Conclusions: The present results suggest that the current official rule differences between both wrestling styles do not promote any anthropometrical or physical fitness differences in elite wrestlers. The 30s crank-arm Wingate test may not adequately simulate the metabolism involved during an official wrestling match, but it may still be a reasonable indicator of wrestling performance.
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