What is a 1 Repetition Maximum?
One Repetition maximum. One rep max. 1RM. They all mean the same. The world record for the bench press is a smidge over 1,000 lbs. That means that with one repetition, some behemoth of a man can press 1,000 lbs. That's right, his 1RM (or 1 rep max) for the bench press is 1,000 lbs. We didn't decide to call ourselves 1RM performance because we are looking for the next World's Strongest Man... we chose 1RM because it is the epitomy of mental and physical strength.
In order to move that amount of weight, an athlete must be trained both physically and mentally. It's about an attitude of training hard in order to perform better. We know that if you get stronger in the weight room and quicker during agility drills, then you will see huge gains in your sport. With that being said, we expect our athletes to challenge themselves during their training with one goal in mind - to become a better athlete on the field. If you improve your broad jump, then your home-to-first time will decrease. If your squat increases by 45 lbs, then your going to hit bombs instead of ground-outs. If your pro-agility time decreases, you will have no issues hanging with Lebron in a game of one-on-one (that one may be a slight exaggeration).
That's how we train at 1RM... with a purpose. If you improve your 1RM, your performance will also improve. If your coaches have ever had you do a vertical jump test, 40 yd sprint, med ball toss, or T-test, then you have basically done a 1 repetition maximum. Most people use a 1 rep max just to measure how much weight you can move in the weight room. However, we use it in our field tests as well because some things can't be tested in the weight room. Something is wrong if you can move lots of weight in the weight room, but can't toss a 6 lb med ball 20 feet. The transfer of this power is key to taking your performance to the next level... and that's what 1RM performance is all about.