The "Hard Facts" on Youth Resistance Training

In a follow up to last weeks post on youth training, I was informed that I should present "Hard facts" and "Research" in regards to youth training. While I personally feel that Rippetoe and Kilgore present the subject matter in a more palatable manner, I feel obligated to follow through with this request.

The Updated National Strength and Conditioning Association

Position Paper on Youth Training

The National Strength and Conditioning Association is widely regarded as the leading authority on "Research" based strength training. Their 20 page tome on youth weight training is considered to be both the legal and professional reference for all practitioners in the industry.

(Avery Faigenbaum working teaching box squats to pre-teen children)

Avery Faigenbaum who campaigns many of the youth training efforts of the NSCA comes with highest credentials steep in awards, accolades and results. I personally respect Avery's work because he doesn't just research the effects of youth training, he PRACTICES youth training. Climbing down from the ivory tower of education and seeing what is really going on with this generation propels his work far ahead of anyone else.

In case you still have doubt regarding the work of Avery, attached is his bio and resume.

Faigenbaum Publications

Faigenbaum's Education Background

Hurray for youth training!

Thoughts on Youth Training

Nearly every day, it seems like I am approached by parents about whether or not weight training is "safe" for the youth population. Without a doubt the concept of training has been so clouded with the images of bulging muscles and massive amounts of weight.

Many parents ask for resources regarding the topic and I often refer to the following excerpt from Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore. The two legends put it best, so I'll let them speak for themselves.

Click Here to read "Misconceptions of Youth Training" by Lon Kilgore, PHD

WORDS FROM A LEGEND

Widely regarded as the godfather of strength and conditioning Boyd Epley is consistently ahead of his time. From developing the ground base jammer to creating he metabolic circuit he constantly defines the next generation of training. Being that the Sandbata Athletics training staff is a devote follower of the newly publicly released Epic Rating system; we asked Boyd to summarize in his own words what is EPIC.

He sent me an excerpt from his book...

"Nebraska has had a total of twenty national team championships in volleyball, gymnastics, bowling, and football since Coach Bob Devaney asked Boyd Epley to start a sports conditioning program. The five national titles for football allowed the Nebraska strength, conditioning, and nutrition program for athletes to be nationally

recognized as the premier program in the nation.

As head football coach, Tom Osborne won 255 games in 25 years and three national championships. 34 of Epley's 35 years as head strength coach Nebraska football teams won at least nine games in their respective seasons and played in a bowl game. One of the most impressive facts is during this 35 year period every football player that came to Nebraska for a four year period won at least one championship ring.

Dr. Chris Eskridge, a Nebraska criminal justice professor, helped the Nebraska Performance team regularly evaluate each component of the conditioning program to ensure its continual direct relationship with on-field performance. He looked for specific skills that were correlated with actual field performance. For example, it was determined many years ago the vertical jump had the highest correlation with on-field performance for power sports. Athletes in power sports have subsequently been given conditioning programs that improve vertical jump performance. An interest developed in identifying an athlete’s overall athletic aptitude. Nebraska analyzed over 20,000 cases of Division I athletic performance and developed a testing methodology, which measures baseline athletic aptitude along a standardized point scale, controlling for weight. The tests Nebraska uses correlate with on-field performance. They have been included in a composite indicator called the EPIC Rating.

The EPIC Rating is a general indicator of potential performance. It is an instrument that is very useful in identifying raw athletic talent. It should be noted that there are other elements related to on-field performance, such as practice field work habits (ala Jerry Rice), game day heart (ala Michael Jordan), level of skill development (ala Pete Rose), and the intangible intuitive feel for the game (ala Larry Bird). And like an ACT or SAT college exam score, the EPIC Rating indicates who is likely to do well, and reveals their baseline athletic talents, but it is no guarantee of on-field performance.

The EPIC Rating features:

1. It is based on a decathlon-type scoring system, where athletes receive points based on their performance. The higher they jump, the more points they receive. The faster they run, the more points they receive.

2. The EPIC Rating is scored on a 0 to 1,000 point system for each event. The index has been standardized so that a score of 500 is considered a solid, NCAA Division I performance standard that is not easy to achieve.

3. The EPIC Rating, which has been developed for both males and females, includes the vertical jump, the pro agility run, the 10 yard dash, and or the 40 yard dash. They are then combined for an overall s Index.

4. The EPIC Rating controls for weight differences, in an attempt to identify the elusive, “pound for pound,” who is the fastest, most powerful athlete. Lighter athletes are expected to run faster in the running events. For example, to receive an index score of 500 points, a 275 lb. athlete would have to run the 40 yard dash in roughly 5 seconds. For a 200 lb. athlete to receive an index score of 500 points, they would have to run the 40 yard dash in 4.8 seconds. In other words, the Index is internally consistent.

5. The EPIC Rating is externally consistent. In other words, after examining 20,000 cases over 25 years, Nebraska has concluded that 500 points on the vertical jump is equivalent to 500 points on the 10 yard dash which is equivalent to 500 points in the pro agility run, etc.

6. The EPIC Rating utilizes NCAA Division I championship performances and world records as the basis of standardization.

7. The nature of the point system is such that athletes receive more points the closer they get to the ultimate performance. If a 200 lb. individual improved their vertical jump from 10 inches to 11 inches, they would receive approximately 2 points. If another 200 lb. athlete were to improve their vertical jump from 34 to 35 inches, they would receive approximately 50 points. Note that the improvement in each case was the same - l inch, but person #1 received only 2 points while person #2 received 50 points. This is due to the fact that the closer to the ultimate performance the greater the number of points received for improvement.

8. The EPIC Rating is an instructional tool. By examining the scores received for the various tests, both athletes and coaches can easily see areas of needed improvement. If, for example, an athlete scores lower in one area, both the athlete and the coach can readily see the needed area of improvement.

The EPIC Rating is not only a solid indicator of potential on field performance, but also an extraordinarily powerful motivational instrument. Athletes of different sizes and even different sports compete with one another as they strive for the same goal of 500 (or more) points on the various tests. It takes very little time for the athletes to understand that 500 points is 500 points, regardless of the event and body size. There is a significant amount of mutual support and understanding as the athletes work together toward this common goal.

The EPIC Rating helps athletes of various sizes quantitatively see where they stand compared to their peers with respect to raw athletic aptitude. This has proven to be extremely useful as athletes and coaches set realistic goals to help the athletes move to the next level of performance capability.

The EPIC Rating can also be used to measure the effectiveness of overall conditioning programs and can serve as a warning of possible overtraining.

Nebraska utilized the Index for over 25 years as an integral aspect of both its male and female athletic programs. It must again be emphasized however, that while the Index can serve as a solid indicator of raw athletic aptitude and can motivate athletes in their workout programs, it does not measure, drive, determination, and technical skills necessary to achieve on the field or court.

Hall of Fame Coach Bob Devaney got it started and finished as the winningest active coach in the nation upon his retirement in 1972. Tom Osborne who was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame is the only collegiate football coach to retire as a reigning national champion after posting 255 wins in twenty-five years.

Frank Solich got off to a good start with a 9-4 record in his inaugural season, matching the wins of Devaney and Osborne in their first years. He posted a school-record 12-1 his second year (winning his first conference championship), a 10-2 record his third season, and an 11-2 record his fourth season after playing for the national championship. His four year total of 42-9 was the schools best.

Every Nebraska player who came to Lincoln during Epley's strength coaching career and competed four years won at least one conference championship ring and made four bowl trips."

Wow... so i'll give you a moment to pick your jaw off the floor [dramatic pause.....pause]. So in recap, we can conclude that this whole EPIC rating system is very effective at selecting talent and developing world class strength and conditioning programs. So why hasn't everyone started using it, you may be asking? Personally, I think it has a lot to do with the fact that many strength coaches and personal trainers aren't any good. With the latest profit driven fads in training, circling faster than your childhood merry-go-round, its no wonder so may professionals have embraced this with less than open arms.

Sandbata Athletics proudly steps up to this challenge of credibility and urges all consumers to have some means of validation before spending both time and money on training. Remember this day in history, because I am predicting that right now, September 27th 2009 that the EPIC rating system will become the international standard in athletics. With the economy in shambles and cost efficiency at a premium, just wait and see how every athletic institutions will mandate this for multitude of reasons. Simply put this will be the greatest evolution in the athletic training industry in our lifetime. You read it hear first at... Sandbata.com

- Thomas Newman