Final Repetition Velocity Can Estimate Repetitions-in-Reserve in Female and Male Australian Football Athletes During Bench Press

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the strength and reliability of the relationship between final repetition mean velocity (MV) and repetitions in reserve (RIR) during the bench press in elite female and male Australian football athletes, using a 0.5 RIR increment scale. Methods: 27 female and 35 male professional Australian Football athletes performed their final working set of bench press (prescribed as 4 x 6 at 80-85% 1RM) to failure with maximal concentric velocity on two separate occasions. Participants were diverse in terms of sex, experience, and strength levels. MV was measured using a linear position transducer. Results: A very strong MV-RIR relationship was observed (marginal r² = 0.78, conditional r² = 0.86). Athlete sex (p = 0.409), height (p = 0.391), absolute (p = 0.379) or relative load (p = 0.598), and experience level (p = 0.691) did not significantly influence this relationship. There was strong repeatability between sessions with no significant differences across all RIR values (p = 0.957 – 0.255) and low-moderate coefficient of variation (7.08 - 15.24 %). Conclusion: The MV-RIR relationship in professional football athletes was not affected by sex, training experience, or strength levels. Test-retest reliability was high between testing sessions. These findings provide important insights into how the velocity of the final repetition of a set can serve as an accurate estimate of proximity to failure, using a 0.5 step RIR chart. This relationship offers practitioners a valuable qualitative tool to monitor training intensity and manage proximity to failure in strength training programs.