NFL-225 test to predict 1RM bench press in NCAA Division I football players. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • The National Football League (NFL)-225 test has gained popularity for assessing muscular performance among college football programs. Although the test is a measure of absolute muscular endurance, it was reputed to be highly correlated with maximum muscular strength. The purposes of this study were to assess the predictive potential of the NFL-225 test for estimating 1 repetition maximum (1RM) bench press performance in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college football players and to evaluate the accuracy of previous NFL-225 prediction equations. Players (n = 289) in a successful Division I program were assessed over a period of 5 years for 1RM bench press and repetitions completed with 102.3 kg (225 lb). Test sessions occurred within 1 week of each other during the off-season training period. In a validation group (n = 202), repetitions were significantly correlated with 1RM (r = 0.95), producing a prediction equation (1RM [kg] = 103.5 + 3.08 Reps) with a standard error of estimate = 6.4 kg (coefficient of variation = 4.3%). In a randomly selected cross-validation group (n = 87), the new equation nonsignificantly underpredicted by 0.9 7.2 kg produced a high correlation with actual 1RM (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.967), had a limit of agreement of -15.0 to 13.2 kg, and predicted 69% of the group within 4.5 kg of their actual 1RM. The best previous equation was that of Slovak et al., which was nonsignificantly underpredicted by -0.5 6.7 kg, produced a high correlation with actual 1RM (ICC = 0.975), and predicted 68% of the group within 4.5 kg of their actual 1RM. The new NFL-225 test seems to be a reasonable predictor of 1RM bench press in Division I players but should be further assessed on players from other high-level programs.

published proceedings

  • J Strength Cond Res

altmetric score

  • 3.25

author list (cited authors)

  • Mann, J. B., Stoner, J. D., & Mayhew, J. L.

citation count

  • 21

complete list of authors

  • Mann, J Bryan||Stoner, Josh D||Mayhew, Jerry L

publication date

  • October 2012