Career-Best Changes in Body Mass and Physical Fitness Test Performance Among Division 1 College Football Players Encompassing 28 Years at the Same Institution.

ABSTRACT: Baur, DA, Johnson, JB, Giron-Molina, LG, Caterisano, M, Shaner, C, Caterisano, A, and Gentry, M. Career-best changes in body mass and physical fitness test performance among Division 1 college football players encompassing 28 years at the same institution. J Strength Cond Res 37(4): 806-815, 2023-Understanding typical changes induced by collegiate American football strength and conditioning programs is essential for optimizing program design and athletic development. The purpose of the study was to evaluate body mass and physical fitness test performance changes at a Division 1 program with 28 years of coaching stability. Initial and personal record results were collected from 1,102 players who were subdivided into 3 position groups: combination players (COMBO), skill players (SKILL), and line of scrimmage players. Players followed a linear periodized training program with biannual body mass and performance testing. Tested variables included body mass, strength (bench press, back squat, and front squat), impulse (power clean, push jerk, and vertical jump [VJ]), and speed/agility (10-yard dash [10YD], 40-yard dash, and 20-yard shuttle). The fixed effect of time and position group on the dependent variables was assessed using linear mixed models. If appropriate, post hoc tests using the estimated marginal means were used to evaluate the source of any significant effects. Significance was accepted as p < 0.05. Normative values were produced by descriptive statistics (i.e., weighted means). All players and position groups increased/improved across all tested variables ( p < 0.05). Improvements were 8.2%, 11.9-18.3%, 13.5-17.5%, and 3.6-6.0% for body mass, strength, impulse, and speed/agility, respectively. Line of scrimmage improvements were absolutely larger across most tested variables and relatively larger for back squat, VJ, and 10YD vs. SKILL and with VJ vs. COMBO/SKILL ( p < 0.05). These results reveal typical expectations for 4-5 years performance improvements and that position group differences in trainability may influence game readiness and training needs.

Strength training: what the team physician needs to know.

Strength training has become an integral part of preparing for and participating in sports. Strength is one of the four components of athleticism, along with power, speed, and agility. Optimal strength training and conditioning workouts are best directed by a coach with formal training in this discipline. Unfortunately, many high school and some college programs do not have access to certified strength and conditioning coaches. This task often falls to the individual sport coaches and medical staff (athletic trainers and physicians). In this article we present a framework for practical strength training knowledge including the concepts of specificity, prioritization, periodization, and progressive overload. We also discuss concepts of the sports medicine team and its approach to training and conditioning. This framework will give physicians and other athletic heath care providers the basic information needed to design and implement a safe and effective strength training program.