Reliability of the NFL-225 Test and 3 Repetition Maximum Test in College Football Players

Reliability of the NFL-225 Test and 3 Repetition Maximum Test in College Football Players

The purpose of this study was to assess the absolute and relative reliabilities of two commonly used methods for determine strength performance in college football players. At the conclusion of a 10-week winter conditioning program, Division II football players (n=54) were randomly divided into an NFL-225 group (n=29) and a 3RM group (n=25) for specific bench press testing. The NFL- 225 group was measured on the first test day for the maximum number of repetitions they could perform using a weight of 225 lbs; the 3RM measurement was the greatest weight with which the group could perform a maximum of 3 repetitions. Following 48 hours of recovery, the respective groups were tested under identical conditions as during the first test. There was a significant increase (p=0.03) in NFL-225 repetitions from trial 1 (11.9 ± 5.5) to trial 2 (12.4 ± 5.8). The increase in 3RM from trial 1 (118.1 ± 28.9 kg) to trial 2 (119.0 ± 23.1) was not significant (P=0.08). The interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for both the NFL-225 test (ICC=0.988) and 3RM test (ICC=0.997) indicated very high relative reliability. The smallest worthwhile difference indicates that a change of  2 repetitions or more in the NFL-225 tests and 4.7 kg or more in the 3RM test would indicate a meaningful change in performance had occurred. These results support the use of a single evaluation session for either the NFL-225 test or 3RM test to provide a reliable assessment of a football athlete’s strength performance and gauge of improvement due to training.