Topic
The Squat.
1158 articles
Box squats, parallel squats, and the base of lower-body power. The BFS Magazine archive holds 1158 articles on The Squat, published from 1980 to 2020 — coaching how-tos, athlete profiles, and program stories drawn from five decades of the magazine.
Recurring themes include Squat, Football, Bench Press, and Speed. Coaches and writers featured here include Dr. Greg Shepard, Kim Goss, and Greg Shepard. Every story is free — read it online or open the original magazine layout as a PDF.
The BFS Approach - Preventing Knee and Ankle Injuries
How important is ankle mobility to injury prevention? One study of 10,393 Australian basketball players found that the “players who did not stretch before the game were 2.6 times more likely to injure an ankle than players who did.” Let’s look at another example. Many athletes believe that tendons are fragile and that they should wear high-top tennis shoes for added support – however, there is no research to support the idea that high-top tennis shoes reduce the risk of any injury. Further, in the sport of weightlifting (snatch and clean and jerk), the athletes wear low-top shoes. And although male athletes have lifted triple bodyweight overhead and women have lifted double, ankle and knee injuries are rare.
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10 Front Squat Factors
After the back squat, there are many other challenging leg exercises that can be a part of a coach’s weight training toolbox. The front squat is one such exercise, but is it for you? First, consider that the front squat is not a wimpy exercise. the front squat more effectively activates the quadriceps, increased quad strength is essential is the start of a sprint, whereas the hamstrings and glutes increase their importance as you move into an upright position.
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Six Squat Myths that Must Die
Back squats have been a key component of the BFS Total Program since Day 1, which translates into 40+ years. It is unquestionably one of the single most productive exercises that can be performed in the weight room to increase overall strength and power.
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The Squat in 2017
Because the squat was such a controversial exercise at the time BFS opened its doors in 1976, almost every article that appeared in BFS magazine about the squat included a section about how it could help prevent injuries, not cause them, and improve athletic performance. The BFS founder and his team of clinicians also took our message on the road, each year giving hundreds of clinics at schools and athletic training facilities promoting the value of squats.
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MONTANA STRONG AND TEXAS DYNASTIES! Did you miss these BFS summer issues? Free digital mags available now!
BFS Clinician and Coach, Jim Brown was in Texas and was honored to meet with Steve Wood, Head Football Coach of the 6 time, 5A Texas State Champions, Aledo Bearcats. After running the table at 16 - 0 The Aledo Texas Bearcats have been recognized by MaxPreps as one of the top 25 varsity football programs out of more than 1700 programs across the country and have received the National Guard National Ranking Trophy.
ReadThe Basics Help Timpview Win! “The BFS core lifts are the most important exercises for football: power cleans, squats, deadlifts, and bench presses,” Cary Whittingham
Fred Whittingham was a coach for the Los Angeles Rams from 1982-1991, his son Kyle is the head football coach for the University of Utah Utes, and Kyle’s younger brother Cary is the head coach for the Timpview High School Thunderbirds in Provo, Utah. This is Ca
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Rediscover Box Squats
In the early days of the Iron Game, bodybuilders trained hard on strength lifts such as the squat, deadlift, and bench press. Chuck Sipes, winner of the IFBB Mr. Universe in 1960, had massive muscles that enabled him to bench press 570 pounds and lift 250 pounds in the barbell curl. Sipes was a proponent of heavy partial movements, believing that their primary benefit is to increase tendon strength. That’s only one aspect of what partial movements can do for you.
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Balance of Power
In this remarkable sequence of photos taken by Pam Tabone, Myles McKinney demonstrates tremendous jumping power. McKinney is the starting tailback and leading receiver at Churchville-Chili, a high school near Rochester, New York, which was featured in our September/October 2007 i
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Strong Beginnings: Amber Moss
One of the distinguishing aspects of today’s best athletes is that they tend to get an early start with sport skills and also conditioning. This trend prevails in women’s sports as well as in men’s – and one young woman who is benefiting from early sports preparation is Amber Mos
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Mike Carter Jr. Muscles Up at Rutgers
When we first interviewed Mike Carter Jr. for our September/October 2013 issue, he had just graduated from Bloomfield High School in Bloomfield, New Jersey. He finished his baseball career with a .450 batting average and became the all-time school leader in hits with 152, exceedi
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ACL Injuries and Women: What Coaches Need to Know
The incidence of ACL injuries in young women is a serious problem today. Depending upon the sport, women are far more likely than men to injure their ACL. In fact, it’s estimated that one out of 10 NCAA women will tear their ACL at some point in their college career – despite the
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Physical Superiority Made Simple
When the strength coaching profession was in its infancy in the 1970s, it was difficult to find information about periodization. Much of the material appeared only in articles published in expensive journals or a few hard-to-acquire books, many not available in English. All that
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Building Girl Power at Hayward High
Hayward High serves a student body that comes from a wide geographical area, quite rural. For some students, it’s a 30-minute commute via their parents to school; for others, it’s a 15-mile bike ride. So, when a student commits to playing sports as a Hayward Hurricane, it means t
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2014 National High School Power Clean Championships
National records were shattered once again at this major event The power clean is one of the fundamental exercises in athletic training, and in fact is one of the BFS core lifts. That’s why BFS has always had an interest in the National High School Power Clean Championships, held
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Olympic Legends: The Dufour-Lapointe Sisters
An unprecedented highlight of the 2014 Olympics was seeing the three Dufour-Lapointe sisters, Justine, Chloé and Maxime, dominate in mogul skiing. Justine won gold, Chloé came away with silver, and Maxime, the oldest at age 25, rounded out the trio by finishing an impressive 12th
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Upgrade Your Coaching with the Six Absolutes
In the coaching profession there is an overwhelming amount of information available about biomechanics. If you want to know the optimal position of your thumbs at the start of a 40-yard dash, you could probably find some research study on it. Although these details are important
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Boot Camp and Strongman Training on a Budget
Training and Equipment BXI racks and rigs are built with primarily 3-inch x 3-inch steel tubing for maximum durability. Boot Camp and Strongman Training on a Budget The BXI line of rigs and racks is revolutionizing an industry At the college level, strength coaches often purchase
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Multisport Powerhouse Sesely Omli
football and strength coach, Terry King. “Sesely is an amazing talent.” What makes this high school senior so impressive? Sesely is, first of all, a student-athlete. She carries a 3.96 GPA and plans to attend college to study kinesiology and dietetics. She also is involved in man
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BFS Goes Viral
A Message from BFS Editor Kim Goss, MS vide free, downloadable PDF files of every article exactly as they appeared in the magazine. We’ve heard from countless coaches who make many of these articles “bulletin board” material, along with health science instructors who use BFS arti
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The Safe Way to Get America's Youth in Shape
to Get America’s Youth in Shape Strong solutions to a growing fitness crisis Physical education departments in middle schools are facing a twofold problem: Fighting widespread childhood obesity while dealing with a staggering increase in injuries in PE programs. BFS has the answer
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Dollar by Dollar: Weightroom Upgrades
What’s the most satisfying aspect of coaching at the high school level? If you’re a coach, you know it’s not winning or even seeing your athletes move on to college and then the professional ranks. All that is exciting, but there is much more to coaching. Ultimately, the best par
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Justin Sacco Getting Back on Track
Justin Sacco performs an advanced balance exercise at the BFS Science Lab. Justin Sacco Getting Back on Track How this remarkable young man overcame a serious brain injury In the fall of 2013 Justin Sacco, an eighth grader at Mahopac Middle School, suffered a serious brain injury
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What's new with the BFS Online Learning Center
BFS Online Learning Center BFS’s ultimate social networking site for coaches BFS has a vast amount of information for coaches at all levels. In addition to presenting hands-on clinics and certifications, we supplement the learning process with books, study guides, posters, videos
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2014 BFS High School Female Athlete of the Year
Female Athlete of the Year Abby Lealaimatafao is the winner of our most prestigious award With athletic benchmarks being established every day in our high schools, it’s extremely difficult for students to excel at the state level in any single sport. It’s even more exceptional to
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Chinese Weightlifters: Why They Win Olympic Gold
FOR WOMEN ONLY 6XQ&DL\DQSKRWRE\%UXFH.OHPHQV The Chinese have dominated women’s weightlifting since it was introduced at the Olympic Games of 2000 in Sydney, Australia. Chinese Weightlifters: Why They Win Olympic Gold How the strongest women in the world train BY KIM GOSS, MS
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Big Men Can Squat
WHAT’S HAPPENING 3KRWRFRXUWHV\RI7UDYLV.ZRN)ORULGD Big Men Can Squat In the 1980s when BFS staff began training the Utah Jazz, they immediately found that these extremely tall athletes often had trouble performing basic exercises such as the squat and the power clean. It’s o
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Running Faster: The Tools You Need
than if they eing able had tested to run fast their vertical is a key jump before athletic quality that squat that virtually all workout. athletes want to Here’s how it develop, especially works. those who play Let’s say field sports such as an athlete is football and soclifting
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Build a Better Weightroom
Weightroom How to design weightrooms that look good and do good ou only pay for quality once!” is an essential motto for anyone who is designing a weightroom. After all, if you purchase poor-quality equipment, it will require more maintenance and will need to be replaced sooner.
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Character Education NOW!
BFS founder Dr. Greg Shepard is shown at one of his inspirational Be an 11 seminars, a character education program he created. Now! What coaches, athletes and parents will experience at a Be an 11 Seminar Those who know about the BFS organization associate it with strength and co
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2014 BFS High School Male Athlete of the Year
Braden Smith is a 6-foot-6, 294-pound lineman who is one of the most highly recruited football players in the country. 2014 BFS High School Male Athlete of the Year Braden Smith is this year’s winner of our most prestigious award Braden Smith is a wanted man. He is wanted by Alab
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The Education of a Pro Soccer Player
Pro Soccer Player How Anisa Guajardo turned her passion into a profession BY LAANNA CARRASCO, MA hen Anisa Guajardo started her junior season playing soccer at Pepperdine University, she decided it was time to go from being a bench player to a play maker. Guajardo says, “I analyz
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11 Practical Ways to Increase You Athletes' Vertical Jump
The power clean is considered a vertical jump with weights, so it’s a great exercise for improving an athlete’s vertical jump. Shown here is University of Florida’s Devon Walker, a 6-foot-6-inch sophomore for the Gator Basketball Team. As a high school senior, he was the Winter H
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Box Jumping: Do It Right!
BFS PROGRAM Austin John Ryf is the 2010 BFS Male Athlete of the Year. He is a graduate of Winneconne High School in Winneconne, Wisconsin. In these photos Ryf shows how vertical jumping ability is an essential athletic quality in both basketball and football. Box Jumping: Do It R
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Protein Powder Gets an Upgrade
If you’re serious about playing on the gridiron, you need high-quality protein – and lots of it! A new protein powder that helps athletes achieve physical superiority ince BFS was founded in 1976 our focus has been on strength, conditioning and character education. It still is, b
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Power Weight Training
A look back at the basic ideas that have made BFS so successful for nearly four decades BY DR. GREG SHEPARD, BFS FOUNDER 3KRWRE\%UXFH.OHPHQV Mike McDonald is a powerlifter who during the ’70s held world records in the bench press in four different bodyweight categories at the
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Training Smarter at Mountain View High School
wo years ago BFS magazine featured Mountain View High School, a D4 school in Orem, Utah, that has won 84 state championships and earned the title of “Utah Sports Program of the Century.” Some Mountain View graduates have competed in the Olympics, and some have gone on to play in
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Making Tight Spaces Work with the Space Saver Rack
Make It Work!” is the catch phrase of a popular TV fashion show called Project Runway. Due to the popularity of weight training in the US, coaches must find safe, efficient ways to work with a lot of athletes while having limited space. One piece of vertical equipment that can ma
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The Truth About Functional Training
TRAINING & EQUIPMENT 3KRWRVE\%UXFH.OHPHQV Muscle size is not necessarily an indicator of muscle function. Indonesia’s Erwin Abdullah and Bulgaria’s Yoto Yotov both competed in the lightweight (about 150 pounds) bodyweight division. Abdullah snatched 314 pounds and clean and j
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BFS High School Female Athlete of the Year
3KRWRE\&KULVWLQD:DOO&KULVWLQD:DOO3KRWRJUDSK\ZZZFKULVWLQDZDOOFRP Athlete of the Year Selena Haas is the recipient of our most prestigious award oung people face many distractions today, and sometimes their academics and sports take a back seat. Selena Haas is one amazin
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Keeping up with the Carters
At Bloomfield High School, Mike Carter Jr. was a multisport athlete who excelled at football playing quarterback and at baseball playing centerfield. Keeping up with the Carters How BFS helped high school baseball player Mike Carter Jr. earn his college scholarship t takes great co
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The BFS-Swedish Connection
On May 18 BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss (right) attended an Olympic lifting seminar by Anders Lindsjö (left). Lindsjö competed in the 1992 Olympic Games and today is the head coach for the Swedish Olympic Weightlifting Team. Lindsjö says there are three main qualities to mastering
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Weightroom 101: Olympic Plates
hen it comes to sports equipment and training, good coaches always emphasize the importance of the basics. For a weightroom those basics include Wbars, plates and platforms. Beyond those, if your department budget permits, there is a place for machines; they are especially valuab
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Low Back Training for Athletes
TRAINING & EQUIPMENT %UXFH.OHPHQVSKRWR John Kuc was a three-time IPF world powerlifting champion (1974, 79, 80) in the 242-pound bodyweight class. He was the first man to deadlift 850 pounds and had a best of 870 pounds. Training for Athletes For a powerful core, bring the ere
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The BFS Rules of Engagement
FEATURE STORY 3KRWRE\-LP(OOLV0LDPL1HZV5HFRUG 2NODKRPD Rules of Engagement Three simple rules to ensure athletic superiority BY DR. PETER G. GORMAN, PRESIDENT, MICROGATE USA t’s summertime – ready, set, play! For many, the end of the school year means family vacations, fun
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The Rise of Youth
Youth A look back at how BFS can help young athletes catch the vision of athletic success Difference It has never been easier to win! BY DR. GREG SHEPARD, BFS FOUNDER A hands-on coach during his career, Dr. Greg Shepard believes that perfect technique is essential for athletic su
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Jacob Tompkins BFS Male Athlete of the Year
hen it comes to selecting a BFS Athlete of the Year, all the great qualities we look for can be summed up in one word: balance. There are many superb athletes who have excelled using the BFS program, and many athletes who have excelled in the classroom. What BFS is searching for
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Staying Strong at John Carroll High
hen Rich Stichel Jr. started coaching football at John Carroll High School five years ago, he had a tremendous challenge ahead of him. In the previous two Wseasons, the Patriots had won only three of their 21 games. Stichel, however, had never coached a losing team in the seven y
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BFS Goes to the Arnold
WHAT’S HAPPENING 3KRWRVE\6WHYH)DXHUZZZIDXHUSKRWRUHÁHFWFRP BFS Goes to the Arnold The Arnold Weightlifting Championships were held on March 1-3, and in attendance this year were BFS editor Kim Goss and BFS scholarship winner Brittanie Mastricola. Mastricola not only made
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Stop Hamstring Pulls
Now! Stop Hamstring Pulls 10 tips to prevent this frustrating injury BY KIM GOSS, MS t the Olympic Trials in track and field, an athlete must finish in the top three in their event to earn a spot on the Olympic Team – finishing fourth is essentially equivalent to placing last. At
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Forgotten Secrets to Improving Lateral Speed
TRAINING & EQUIPMENT %HFN\0LOOHU3KRWR Lateral speed is a key ingredient in many sports, even those performed on ice by skaters. Shown are Michelle Hyselle of the MedCity Mafia roller derby team pulling ahead of the Moose Lake Mafia; and football player Eric Corona of Fruitand Hi
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The BFS Difference
Here is Coach Shepard spotting a heavy squat when he was a strength coach at BYU. note: Although this article week developing their bench press by The BFS on the(Editor’s origins of Coach Shepard’s training doing many exercises and sets because Difference It has never been easier
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Finding a Way to Win at Mason County
BY DAVID BUCHANAN, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH MASON COUNTY HS, MAYSVILLE, KY t Mason County High School we have an old-school athletic program. By that I mean we still want our student-athletes to play multiple sports. We believe this approach is beneficial to the students and ethical a
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Three-Peat State Champions Ithaca High School
Ithaca High School Insight into a great football program that went 42-0! uild it and they will come,” that memorable line from the film Field of Dreams, brings to mind what happened at Ithaca High School in Michigan. In 2012 the school finished a $1 million renovation on their fo
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Tottenville Highs's Rise to Success
BFS clinician Ray Cosenza (left) with Tottenville’s head football coach, Jim Munson. Since adopting the BFS program, the football team at Tottenville High School (Staten Island, New York) has built a 41-6 record. BFS clinician Ray Cosenza, Jr., has worked with head coach Jim Muns
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Coach Andrea Hudy's Path to Basketball Greatness
Coach Andrea Hudy’s Path to… Andrea Hudy is a hands-on strength coach whose collegiate basketball teams have played in two Final Fours. How this D1 strength coach produces champions at the University of Kansas BY LAANNA CARRASCO, MA desire to motivate and improve those around her
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Which Squat Variation Is Best for Your Program?
TRAINING & EQUIPMENT 3KRWRE\%UXFH.OHPHQV Which Squat Variation Is Best for Your Program? Antonio Krastev of Bulgaria snatched 476 pounds in 1987, a record that has yet to be broken. Although it seems that Krastev is squatting high, this is deceiving because his legs are so l
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The Quest for Physical Superiority
Physical Superiority How Paul Gagné uses the OptoJump to guide his athletes to winning ways Paul Gagné is a strength coach and posturologist who uses the OptoJump in his practice. He is shown here testing the effects of a compression suit on his balance. aul Gagné is a Canadian s
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Frequently Asked Questions about BFS
BFS is a company dedicated to helping young people succeed on and off the athletic field. about BFS Information for our readers about the company and its program FS is a unified program designed to get all the coaches in a school working together to improve the overall physical an
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A closer Look at the Be an 11 Program
At a BFS clinic in Snowflake, Arizona, BFS clinician Jeff Scurran inspires young men and women to set high goals and develop action plans to achieve them. Be an 11 Program Why young athletes need this great character-building program more than ever BY DR. GREG SHEPARD, BFS FOUNDER
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Fast Track to Success at Edgar High School
to Success at Edgar High School Hard work has paid off for these outstanding student athletes hey say you can’t go home again, but Greg Streit knows better. For the past seven years Streit has been a track coach at Edgar High School, the school he graduated from in 2000. As a stu
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Staying Strong: Frederica Academy
Coach Clint Morgan and Coach Travis Absher celebrate during the obligatory Gatorade shower after their 34-30 state championship victory. Staying Strong: Frederica Academy How a great prep school created a championship football program from scratch n November 30, 2012, Frederica A
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More Awards for Jared Abbrederis
WHAT’S HAPPENING 3KRWRE\'DYLG6WXND:LVFRQVLQ$WKOHWLF&RPPXQLFDWLRQV Jared Abbrederis, starting wide receiver for the University of Wisconsin, was selected first team to the 2012 All-Big Ten Conference football team. Abbrederis was the 2009 BFS High School Male Athlete of the
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Don't Let the Deadlift Die
BY KIM GOSS, MS 3KRWRE\.DULP*KRQHP3ROLTXLQ3HUIRUPDQFH A former strength coach at Miami University of Ohio, Ryan Faehnle is a strength coach who still “walks the talk” by staying in shape with heavy deadlifts. ften a specific weight training exercise is associated with o
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Power Clean Problems and How to Fix Them
How to Fix Them Easy coaching tips to get the most out of this great exercise BY KIM GOSS, MS 3KRWRE\%UXFH.OHPHQV n a perfect world, middle school athletes would begin with the BFS Readiness Program. They would learn how to stretch, run, lift and spot properly. By the time the
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Balance Control: A Critical Component of Sport
7LPHOHVV,PDJHV3KRWRJUDSK\ZZZWLPHOHVVLPDJHVFRP Chloe Van Tussenbroek displays the degree of balance control needed to perform at the elite level in gymnastics. As we guide our athletes along the road to optimal performance, we coaches emphasize power, strength, speed, quic
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Showdown at Sibley East
A section title and the first-ever nine-win season – 2012 was a great year for football at Sibley East High School. at Sibley East BFS training took a team from middle of the pack to champs BY CHUCK HARTMAN, HEAD FOOTBALL COACH, SIBLEY EAST very program wants to get to the next le
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Getting Young Athletes Off to a Strong Start
BFS PROGRAM Through his clinics Coach Shepard has personally inspired countless young athletes to achieve their goals in all areas of their lives. A look back at how BFS helps young athletes catch the vision of athletic success (Editor’s note: Although this article on the origins
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The Science of Strength Curves
Strength Curves The evolution of variable resistance training Kristel Ngariem shows how to vary resistance in squats by using lifting chains. Ngariem represented Canada in the 2012 Junior World Championships, where she placed 12th with an 83-kilo snatch and 104-kilo clean and jer
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Monitoring Athletes for Physical Superiority
n weightlifting and powerlifting it’s natural to assume that the athletes who lift the most weight have the best training program. At the last two Olympics in weightlifting, the Chinese lifters dominated both men’s and women’s lifting, so obviously they know what they are doing.
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The Evolution of Athletic Training Programs
Editor’s note: Although this article on the origins of Coach Shepard’s training methods was written 16 years ago, the ideas are still relevant today.) op coaches who desire state-ofthe-art strength and conditioning programs must be acutely aware of the importance of a total progr
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Girl Power at Leesburg High
Sydney McWilliams and Kendra Young have turned themselves into legitimate state-level weightlifters – and have the medals to prove it! Girl Power at Leesburg High A powerful program for strong women BY COACH JOSH BOYER t Leesburg High School I teach weight training and also coach
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2012 BFS High School Male Athlete of the Year
Male Athlete of the Year Nick Benhoff is part of a new generation of lacrosse players n the past most of the recipients of our annual award for exceptional high school male student athletes were multi-sport athletes who excelled in football. This year, our selection for this pres
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Womens's Training vs. Mens's Training
vs. Men’s Training 0DU\3LHU*DXGHWSKRWRE\.DULP*KRQHP3ROLTXLQ3HUIRUPDQFH Important findings on how to coach women to achieve physical superiority BY PAUL GAGNÉ, STRENGTH COACH AND POSTUROLOGIST hose of us who watched the televised gymnastics competitions of the London O
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The Look of a Champion
Team BFS athlete Chloe Van Tussenbroek, ready to train in customized athletic wear. ne thing is obvious from watching the Olympics – it’s not only important to perform well, you’ve got to look good while you’re doing it. With the eyes of the world watching, Olympians from every c
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Power Balance Drills Revisited
Overhead lifting is often avoided by many athletes due to shoulder injuries. Nikki Gnozzio was a Division I college field hockey player at Ohio University and is now a full-time weightlifter for Team BFS. Correct round shoulders with variations of these powerful exercises BY KIM G
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A few Words with David Lawrence
David Lawrence A look at this young strength coach’s rapid rise to success Lawrence working with Nick Bellore, a linebacker for the New York Jets. At the Jets’ camp this year Bellore, who has deadlifted 605 pounds for 6 reps, received his team’s “Defensive Lifting Award” for his
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The Power Clean for Athletes
Editor’s note: Although this article on the origins of Coach Shepard’s training methods was written 18 years ago, the ideas are still relevant today.] t BFS we believe the power clean is essential for athletes who want to achieve their full athletic potential. Moreover, athletes
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What is BFS
BFS? Here’s why the BFS program is so effective for young athletes ne statement BFS clinicians keep hearing over the years is “We did parts of your program and had some success, but it wasn’t until we decided to do the entire BFS Program that our program stepped up to the next le
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The Art of the Comback: Abbey Ristow
The Art of the Comeback: A serious knee injury was not going to stop her from achieving greatness hat other athletes may call extra work, Abbey Ristow calls opportunity,” says BFS program coach Chad Whalen of Ellsworth High School in Wisconsin. Enduring athletic energy, sheer int
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Records fall at Power Clean Championships
Las Vegas has earned another nickname: Power Clean City! On May 12th, strong male and female high school athletes from across the country came to Bonanza High School in Las Vegas to compete in the 10th Annual National High School Power Clean Championships. As happens every year t
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Breaking Barriers: Women in Strength Coaching
Breaking Barriers: Strength Coaching Strength coach Nikki Gnozzio is changing perceptions in her profession BY LAANNA CARRASCO, MA Nikki Gnozzio has worked hard to earn a position as a college strength coach. ou could call them your secret weapon. Or your quiet iron. They are str
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The ABC's of Box Jumping
TRAINING & EQUIPMENT /XVLD$QJLODXSKRWRE\6WHYH.LQVORZ Box Jumping The safest and most effective ways to perform this great exercise FS has been saying it for nearly four decades, and finally the message is going mainstream: “Box jumps work!” Not just a way to make athletes m
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Upper-Level Testing and Training with Optojump
FEATURE STORY 3KRWR 0DOFROP&DUPLFKDHO$OSLQH&DQDGD Alice McKennis rips to 8th in her first World Cup race since breaking her knee in December 2010. Optojump How technology is improving the way we train Olympic athletes BY ERNIE RIMER, BS, MED ptojump Next is a timing and measu
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The Right Track
BFS PROGRAM BFS Vice President John Rowbotham is carrying on Coach Shepard’s vision of teaching young athletes the right way to lift for physical superiority. The Right Track Timeless insight into the most effective way to train young athletes BY DR. GREG SHEPARD, BFS FOUNDER/CEO
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Conway Springs High Training with the Best
3KRWR 1DWH-RQHV:HOOLQJWRQ'DLO\1HZV n 1999 BFS published an article about the success of the football program at Conway Springs High School in Conway, Kansas. It was an amazing turnaround story, because when Mark Bliss stepped in as head coach, he inherited a program that ha
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2012 BFS High School Female Athlete of the Year
Female Athlete of the Year Jessica Marie Staggs is one powerful young woman 3KRWR -LP(OOLV0LDPL1HZV5HFRUG 2NODKRPD hat do cheerleading, track and field, basketball, powerlifting and academic excellence have in common? Answer: Jessica Marie Staggs, the recipient of our annu
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A Closer Look at Overhead Lifting
TRAINING & EQUIPMENT 3KRWRVE\%UXFH.OHPHQV The jerk is a total-body lift that helps athletes develop tremendous power. Here Ian Wilson is shown jerking a personal record of 423 pounds to win the 207-pound bodyweight division at the 2012 Senior Nationals. Overhead Lifting The va
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How Olympians Train: US Skiing and Snowboarding
FOR WOMEN ONLY 0DOFROP&DUPLFKDHO$OSLQH&DQDGDSKRWR Stacey Cook finished last season ranked 10th in the world in downhill skiing. How Olympians Train: US Skiing and Snowboarding An exclusive interview with strength coach Ernie Rimer BY LAANNA CARRASCO, MA rnie Rimer is a stren
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Balance of Power
FEATURE STORY 3KRWRE\'HDQ$WNLQV7LPHOHVV,PDJHV3KRWRJUDSK\,QFZZZWLPHOHVVLPDJHVFRP Balance of Power How the OptoJump is transforming athletic and physical fitness BY BOB ROWBOTHAM, PRESIDENT, BFS alance of power” is an expression often used to describe political and m
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Periodization Analysis
BY DR. GREG SHEPARD, BFS FOUNDER/CEO (Editor’s note: Although this article for coaches was written 16 years ago, the ideas are still relevant today. The periodization methods that Dr. Mike Stone developed were used in many publications by the National Strength and Conditioning As
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The Do-It-All Solution to Weightroom Design
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
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2012 Power Clean Championships Set for Vegas
FROM THE EDITOR A Message from BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss, MS Confirm As Friend? section – it will be devoted to content of particular interest finally broke down and started a Facebook page. No, I to young women athletes, their parents and coaches. won’t use it to tell the wor
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Scholarships for Women: Come and Get ' Em!
FOR WOMEN ONLY $OORVVRDFWLRQSKRWRVE\3DW&RQQHOO\ Kiley Allosso was our 2007 BFS High School Female Athlete of the Year. She carried a 3.933 GPA in high school and earned a field hockey scholarship at Boston University. Scholarships for Women: Come and Get ’Em! How young women
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Free Weights 101: The Power Rack
lthough strength coaches are always looking for the next big thing to give their athletes an edge, they must consider that some pieces of equipment will never go out of style. One such item is the power rack. Sure, there are many accessories Athat can be added to a power rack, su
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The Health Care Community Meets BFS
he University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic has a policy of pushing the envelope by offering creative programs to enable its graduates to provide the best care for their patients. A recent example was the human performance lecture series that took place on January 28-29,
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Redefining Strength with Rob Adell
Rob Adell A look at one of America’s best hopes for iron game gold ne of the greatest venues for recruiting talent for the sport of weightlifting is the National High School Power Clean Championships in Las Vegas. Now in its eighth year, this meet has put several outstanding weig
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What's Your Goal?
During Be an 11 clinics, Coach Shepard has teams work to determine their goals and establish an action plan to achieve them. What’s Your Goal? Timeless insight into a proven mindset and training philosophy for success (Editor’s note: Although this article for coaches was written
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Answering the Critics: The Back Squat
BY KIM GOSS, MS ver since BFS was founded in 1976, we have been promoting the back squat as a core exercise for athletes – but it hasn’t been easy. On occasion the medical community has discouraged its use, thinking it was harmful to the knees and could stunt a young athlete’s gr
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Wide Receiver Jared Abbrederis University of Wisconsin
Jared Abbrederis University of Wisconsin A former BFS Athlete of the Year is making it big in college football espite the advances in sports medicine, when a high school football player tears their ACL, especially if they are in a skill position such as quarterback, that often me
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What's Happening
FROM THE EDITOR A Message from BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss, MS Game, Interrupted I would say that if Rabinoff were to compile a top 10 list he scandal at Penn State has been the focus of every of what Paterno should have done when he first heard major sports network and the gene
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How Women Athletes Should Eat
An interview with body composition expert Francine Savard chieving an optimal bodyweight and bodyfat level is a major concern among young women athletes, as well as for young women in general. Unfortunately, there is so much misinformation circu- Savard was a national champion in
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2011 BFS High School of the Year
High School of the Year How Dulaney High embraced the principles of the BFS Total Program BY LAANNA CARRASCO, MA eenagers who become physically fit and happier will always be a great thing to see. That’s what the students at Dulaney High School in Timonium, Maryland, have become
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The Swedish Approach to BFS
BY KIM GOSS, MS In the United States, football is football – but in other parts of the world, football is soccer and what we play is called American football. But American football is not a sport played exclusively in the United States, and interestingly enough, one of those othe
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Hoop Strong: Gator Basketball
BY KIM GOSS, MS he winningest coach in University of Florida’s history is Billy Donovan. His legacy includes three appearances in NCAA championships games, two of which were victorious. This year Donovan has another strong team – ranked sixth in preseason by Sports Illustrated –
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What's Happening
FROM THE EDITOR A Message from BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss, MS That’s Why They Play the Game! Every summer I head to the local bookstore and pick day this magazine reaches your mailbox, those predictions up several of the college football preview magazines might not hold up. One
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Hex Bar Squat Jumps for Ultimate Power
Jumping with a hex bar is biomechanically more specific than jumping with a barbell resting on the shoulders. Shown performing a squat jump is Lusia Angilau, a member of the women’s volleyball team at Southern Utah. Angilau appeared on our Sep/Oct 2009 cover, and had a 27.1 inch v
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The Next Level of Athletic Fitness Training
TRAINING & EQUIPMENT 3KRWR 7KRPDV$QGHUVVRQ The true test of an athletic program is in competition. Shown here is game-day action from the Arlanda Jets, a football program in Sweden that will be featured in our next issue. The Next Level of Athletic Fitness Training How OptoJump
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Rediscover the Overhead Press
Overhead Press Why you should take a stand with upper body strength training with these important exercises ne of the events in strongman competitions is the log press, which involves hoisting a log-shaped cylinder to the shoulders and then pressing it to extended arms. The world
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How Good is Good?
BFS PROGRAM (Editor’s note: Having been involved with BFS for nearly a quarter of a century, I find it interesting that a lot of coaches I’ve talked to have kept every issue of BFS magazine. The reason is that much of the information, particularly the training physiology and idea
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A New Slant on Back Training
TRAINING & EQUIPMENT The glute-ham raise combines a hip extension exercise with a knee extension exercise. A New Slant on Back Training A look at great, but often overlooked, back extension exercises WRegarding athletes, if you focus on the strength aspect of this theory, a weakn
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Bench Pressing for Athletes
here are barriers in sports that, when broken, establish the athlete’s name in history. In 1954 Roger Bannister of the United Kingdom was the first man to run a sub-four-minute mile, and Tin 1968 Jim Hines became the first man to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters. In
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The Research Confirms It The Hex Bar Rules!
The Hex Bar Rules! A new peer-reviewed study of deadlifts compares the hex bar to the straight bar ell, it took a while for the sport scientists to catch up to what we at BFS already knew, but the data is in: The hex bar deadlift is superior in just about every Wway to the straig
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Building Champions at Brodhead High
BY KIM GOSS, MS irty Jobs is a reality show hosted by Mike Rowe on the Discovery Channel. Rowe profiles jobs that most people would consider undesirable, but these jobs are necessary for us to maintain our lifestyle. Although athletic directors don’t have to dig ditches in worm-i
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Whats Happening
FROM THE EDITOR A Message from BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss, MS Staying with It in a game? After all, you have a supportive audience watching ack when I was a strength coach at the Air Force your every move, your teammates and coaches encouraging Academy, I remember one summer in
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Barbell Basics: The Power Rack
Rediscover this versatile training tool trength coaching has evolved into a profession in which there are professional organizations, peer-reviewed journals, national conventions, and coaches who make sixfigure salaries. But along the way, the profession experienced a rough patch
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2011 National High School Power Clean Championships
Power Clean Championships It was another record-breaking day at this annual strength event Darryl Brown won the 187-pound bodyweight class and established a new national record. ord has gotten out about the National High School Power Clean Championships – every year the contestan
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The Three Rules of Speed Training
Speed Training Simple, proven methods to dramatically increase running speed arly in my career I spent my summers in the Los Angeles area training with track athletes. I was amazed at the size and speed of their throwers. There were about 30 of these men who weighed an average of
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Striving for SIXCESS: Panther Softball
BY KEVIN WERTH Head softball coach, Piedra Vista High School hen I took the job at Piedra Vista High School in the summer of 2004, I never imagined that seven years later we’d be six-time Class AAAA State Champions. Farmington, New Mexico, has a rich tradition of baseball and sof
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BFS High School Female Athlete of the Year
3KRWRE\'DYLG-HQQLQJVRI-HQQLQJV3KRWRJUDSK\ZZZMHQQLQJVURGHRSKRWRJUDSK\FRP Athlete of the Year Multi-talented cowgirl Megan White wins our most prestigious award hen we receive nominations for our male and female high school athletes of the year, coming down to a single w
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The Dark Side of Sports
Sports/liability consultant Dr. Marc Rabinoff has testified in two litigations involving rhabdomyolysis, one of which concerned an individual who had died. BY DR. MARC RABINOFF lthough sporting events happen through the efforts of numerous people, it’s the athletes and head coache
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