225 pound Rep Test

Coaches this is a guide for determing strength in the bench when wanting to save time. Coach CAmpbell

Coach Campbell -

thanks alot.

BTW, if anyone has a kid attending a high school combine I strongly recommend getting your hands on Joe DeFranco's video for improving combine results. He has tips and tricks for squeezing out every possible inch, rep, or tenth of a second on the 6 major combine events (40 yard dash, 3 cone drill, VJ, standing broad jump, bench press, 20 yard shuttle).

With athletes at high strength levels, I would say you're most likely correct in stating that there's not necessarily a direct correlation to a 1RM. The old standard we used was to roughly expect to add 40 lbs. to a 5 rep max. for a single. That might not be applicable any more than the 225 rep test though depending on the strength level of the lifter and the type of training employed.

Coming from a competitive powerlifting point of view, I'd be much more interested in a 5-8 rep max for football players. Single reps do indicate an individuals ability to recruit the muscle fibers necessary to complete the lift but do not demonstrate power that is sustainable for several seconds at a time as are needed to complete a set.

One discipline from powerlifting that would be very effective in conditioning football athletes to respond explosively would be to have them pause while benching and performing press movements. Less momentum, less cheating, more work with added efficiency. Just my opinion.

Dave Hartman
CYFL Coach

I just hit a 225 x 20… this thread hasn’t been posted on in 18 years