The practical solution for training large groups of athletes

Design The practical solution for training large groups of athletes hen it comes to training tools for athletes and anyone interested in physical fitness, strength and conditioning, there are limitless choices. Many of these devices can be extremely valuable – others, not so much. But before you buy any of them, especially if you are expanding into a larger facility, consider starting with the basics by investing in do-it-all stations. More than a dozen years ago Dr. Greg Shepard, BFS Founder/ WCEO, said this about the strength and conditioning industry: “The hottest new trend in weightroom equipment and organization is to have one station do it all for core lifts and some major auxiliaries.”

He was right. The first step in designing workout programs for large groups is to determine what core exercises should be performed. A core exercise is one that works multiple muscle groups, such as a power clean, squat or bench press. Here’s where it gets complicated.

“Each core lift has its own unique time constraints,” says Shepard. “For example, the parallel squat takes longer than the bench press to complete the same number of sets. Therefore, if you have four squat stations and four bench stations with a system of rotating from one to another, you can run into challenges. Athletes who are doing the bench finish their sets before the athletes who are squatting. What do you do?” Shepard’s solution is to provide MAY/JUNE 2012 workout stations that have everything you need to perform all your core exercises in one area. These do-it-all stations enable athletes to perform all their heavy core lifts and many auxiliaries in one relatively small area.

Shepard says, “With the one-stationdoes-it-all concept, there is more efficiency – your time management becomes more precise and controlled, and you save space.” One example of such a space-saving unit is the BFS Elite Half Rack with Platform.

The Time Saver Solution The BFS Elite Half Rack with Platform consists of a 6-by-8-foot weightlifting platform for Olympic lifting exercises and deadlifts, as well as a vertical half rack for exercises that require the barbell to be elevated off the floor, such as squats and military presses. What’s unique is the rack’s open design, which allows an adjustable bench to be placed on the platform so athletes can perform bench presses and incline bench presses. The open design also makes it easier for coaches and physical education instructors to supervise large groups of athletes. These racks are built to last, with massive 7-gauge steel tubing and a lifetime warranty on the frame.

For the platform, our most popular surface is a vinyl called Protect-All®, which is placed on top of two layers of heavy rubber for shock absorption. ProtectAll is an attractive gray surface that is easily cleaned and extremely durable – it also allows for the placement of logos. Protect-All is not sticky like some coverings and will not warp as wood can. From a safety perspective, consider that Protect-All doesn’t become slippery if water or chalk is spilled on it. The Elite Half Rack comes with the versatile BFS Flat Bench with Incline.

A stable, heavy-duty bench that is built to last, it is constructed with rollers so it can easily be placed inside the racks for performing bench presses and several angles of incline benches: 0, 30, 35, 45 and 85 degrees. How many half racks a gym needs depends upon the size of the gym and the number of athletes it services. Two years ago Utah State purchased 10 of these racks to service all their varsity athletes. In their facility, if there are three athletes per unit, one to lift and two to spot and help with loading the weights, 30 athletes can train the core lifts at the same time.

It follows that in a weightroom with 15 racks, 45 athletes can train; and with 20 racks, 60 athletes can train. Such efficiency is why the BFS Elite Half Rack with Platform has been, year after year, our best-selling rack by far. There are many more options as well. The Elite Half Rack can be purchased without the platform. We’ve found that coaches often purchase one unit without the platform for every Elite Half Rack with Platform so as to better accommodate their workout programs. This combination enables athletes to perform more sets of bench presses and squats in the same time period. Another option is to combine two racks and two lifting platforms and share the plate holder.

We call this the Double-Sided Half Rack with Platforms. Two attached chrome (not In addition to flat and incline bench presses, heavy-duty core lifts such as squats and power cleans can be performed on the BFS Elite Half Rack with Platform. A dip attachment is also available.

BFS PROGRAM plastic!) plate holders hold six sizes of plates and are placed in the middle of the racks for easy access by all users. The result is that this unit has a footprint that is three feet smaller, which saves 24 feet of workout space! That means three of these units will save a total of 72 feet of floor space and therefore will enable many more athletes to train at the same time in a facility. To help you decide what type of do-it-all station is best for you, BFS offers a 2D and 3D computer-aided weightroom design service.

Further, because we live in an era of tight budgets, especially at the high school level, keep in mind that these layouts can be used to help with fundraising efforts. Showing boosters and potential boosters a 3D plan of your new weightroom is likely to encourage their generous support. Coach Shepard’s vision has helped change the way coaches and physical BFS offers many types of racks to perfectly fill the needs of any strength training program. education instructors think about weightroom design today. If you’re interested in a future of progress for your athletes – and in saving time, space and money – consider switching to stations that do it all.

To help you decide what type of do-it-all station is best for you, BFS offers a computer-aided weightroom design service.

ELITE HalF Rack With Platform $2495 STARTING AT ONLY Perform all core lifts in one station "UILT TO LAST -ASSIVE GAUGE STEEL TUBING TEAM SOLUTION 2 BENCHES 2 PLATFORMS 2 HALF RACKS 1 AMAZING UNIT!

GTechnique Attachment - $255 Dip Attachment - $245 Expand Your Rack!

Add Body Weight, Rotational Training to your rack for only $249.99 Double Sided Elite Half Rack With Platforms DEDICATED TO HELPING ATHLETES SUCCEED SINCE 1976 "&3 STEEL EQUIPMENT IS proudly designed and manufactured in the USA ONLINE AT WWWBIGGERFASTERSTRONGERCOM s EMAIL US AT INFO BFSMAILCOM 7EST 3OUTH 3ALT ,AKE #ITY 54 s &AX

From BFS Magazine — May/June 2012. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).