Work to Rest Ratios in Collegiate Football

The competitiveness of major National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division IA college football has resulted in the employment of strength and conditioning professionals who work year-round in the development of performance characteristics such as strength, power, speed, agility, flexibility, and aerobic/anaerobic conditioning. There are debates among professionals as to the most appropriate and effective means for manipulating mode, frequency, intensity, and duration of each aspect of training. Therefore specificity of training is a critical concept to consider when developing athletic performance-enhancement programs.

Two NCAA Division IA teams were selected for each style of play based on their offensive production from the 2004 season. The average duration of a play was 5.23 seconds. Durations of Run (RUN) and Pass (PASS) plays were 4.86 and 5.60 seconds, respectively. Duration of rest between plays was 46.9 seconds, including extended rest periods such as time outs and injury attention. The average duration of rest between plays without extended rest was 36.1 seconds. The average duration of a PASS play was significantly different than that of a RUN play.

One of the greatest challenges of a Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Professional (CSCP) is to address the development of multifactor performance parameters (movement, maximal strength, strength endurance, power, speed, agility, conditioning, and skill) involved in the sport of football. Other challenges, such as training for position and limited training time, continually press a CSCP to be mindful of overall program design, training goals/purposes, and time management. The results found in this study can aid the CSCP in identifying the purpose of conditioning drills with respect to work-to-rest ratios.

Iosia M, Bishop P. (2008). Analysis of exercise-to-rest ratios during division Ia televised football competition. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(2): 332-340.