Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to compare what Indiana high school football coaches do in their in-season lifting program compared to scientifically proven methods of maintaining preseason strength levels. The researcher attempted to determine the following: do championship football programs in all five classifications of the Indiana High School Athletic Association meet the scientifically proven methods of maintaining preseason strength levels and are the schools in the higher classifications more apt to meet the methods than their small school counterparts.The researcher contacted twenty head coaches of teams that played in the final four of their in all five classes and administered a survey about their in-season lifting program. Sixteen surveys were returned. The survey took less than 30 minutes to complete.The research showed that championship football programs met the scientifically proven methods of maintaining preseason strength levels during a season. One-hundred percent of the programs surveyed trained with high intensity at least two days a week, primarily used a set-repetition program, and made sure their athletes complied with the workout.The researcher's second research question was proven to not be true. There was little difference between the schools in higher classifications compared to schools the lower classes in terms of how they trained compared to the scientifically proven methods of maintaining preseason strength levels during a season.