Effects of an Eight Week Training Regimen with a Novel Bench Press Pad Compared to a Traditional Bench on Upper Body Strength and Performance in Collegiate American Football Players
August E. Blatney; Joshua A. Kidwell; Trent Yamamoto; Phillip Goldman; Kyle J. Hetherton; Brett A. Dolezal
DOI: 10.55860/RNUB8627
What Was Tested—and What Was Held Constant.
Randomize
Thirty collegiate football players were allocated to Launch Pad or Standard Flat Bench groups.
Embed the Block
Bench work was incorporated into the same eight-week off-season program.
Train
Three sessions per week for eight weeks; 24 total sessions.
Test Three Outcomes
1-RM, NFL-225 repetitions, and seated medicine-ball throw distance.
Raw Numbers First. Interpretation Second.
| Outcome | Standard Flat Bench | Launch Pad | Change | p-value | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-RM bench press | +9.7 ± 3.4 kg / +21.4 lb | +19.4 ± 4.3 kg / +42.8 lb | ~2.00× the average gain | < .001 between | Hedges’ g = 3.99 |
| NFL-225 repetitions | +4 ± 3.0 reps | +7 ± 3.8 reps | 1.75× the average gain | < .001 between | Hedges’ g = 3.67 |
| Seated medicine-ball throw | +2.0 ± 3.0 m | +2.7 ± 2.5 m | 1.35× the average gain | < .001 between | Hedges’ g = 4.10 |
All values are reported group means or mean changes from the published paper. Visual bar lengths are normalized within each row and are not a shared-unit scale across different outcomes.
What This Study Supports. What It Does Not.
Three Different Outcomes
The study did not rely on one strength test. Maximal strength, repeated-force output, and seated throw distance all improved more in the Launch Pad group under the tested program.
This is the strongest field-relevance study in the current portfolio because it follows trained collegiate players through 24 sessions and measures three different outcomes. It still does not prove every team, position group, or program will reproduce the same response.
Do Not Expand the Claim Beyond the Outcome.
Pain, injury incidence, joint forces, women, novice lifters, or direct on-field performance outcomes.
Group averages are not individual guarantees, and this study does not automatically establish outcomes for Joint Ops™.
Questions to Ask Before Programming From It.
Does my athlete match the sample?
30 male collegiate football players (15 per group) were studied. Apply more cautiously outside that population.
Does my program match the protocol?
Twenty-four sessions, three times per week, within an eight-week off-season program. The two periodized bench-training blocks differed by bench surface.
Am I using the right outcome?
1-RM bench press, NFL-225 repetitions to fatigue, and seated medicine-ball throw distance were measured. Do not substitute pain, hypertrophy, or on-field outcomes that were not assessed.
How will I preserve specificity?
Standard Flat Bench practice still matters when competition, testing, or technical specificity is the target. The Launch Pad can be programmed as a complementary surface.
The Finding Gets Stronger When the Boundary Stays Visible.
- Small sample limited to healthy, resistance-trained male collegiate football players.
- Participants also completed a broader off-season program, so the results belong to that full training context.
- The study did not include a third group completing the broader program without bench-specific work.
- The proposed stability mechanism was not directly measured in this trial.
- The seated medicine-ball throw is a field-performance proxy; it is not the same measure as barbell concentric power.
- Male samples only.
- Group averages are not individual predictions.
- Pain, injury incidence, and joint forces were not measured.
- Launch Pad findings do not automatically transfer to Joint Ops™.
- Read the full paper before citing the result in academic or clinical work.
Keep the Source Attached to the Claim.
Blatney, A. E., Kidwell, J. A., Yamamoto, T., Goldman, P., Hetherton, K. J., & Dolezal, B. A. (2026). Effects of an eight week training regimen with a novel bench press pad compared to a traditional bench on upper body strength and performance in collegiate American football players. Scientific Journal of Sport and Performance, 5(1), 10-21. https://doi.org/10.55860/RNUB8627