40 Years and Growing Stronger
There is no shortage of social media outlets that promise you the best athletic training system for young athletes. There are good programs, and there are some that are…well, not so good. What separates BFS from all of them is our 40-year history of success. That’s right – four decades!
Dr. Greg Shepard founded BFS in 1976, and his vision has been carried on by CEO Bob Rowbotham and his son, BFS President John Rowbotham. Joining them are a team of clinicians that include certified teachers and active coaches. These clinicians know the difference between the type of optimal training used by Olympians and professional athletes, and the reality of working in the school environment with multi-sport athletes.
The mission of Bigger Faster Stronger is to encourage positive changes in the lives of young people, and it does this through a three-tiered approach to meet the needs of athletes, coaches and school administrators.
For athletes and physical education students, we offer seminars and clinics on character education and athletic fitness training. For coaches and physical educators, we offer certification programs and continuing education materials that teach how to increase the safety and effectiveness of their sports and physical education programs through the concept of unification. For administrators and gym owners responsible for making equipment-purchasing decisions, we offer the highest-quality exercise equipment that fits any budget along with a knowledgeable sales staff to take them facilities from concept to completion.
One key to our long-term success is our emphasis on unification. Unification is the concept that all high school and middle school athletes will adhere to the same basic training philosophy. This means that all athletes, from football players to basketball players to swimmers, perform the same core weight training exercises, the same speed and agility exercises, and the same flexibility and plyometric exercises. Such organization improves athletic performance and reduces teaching time, as well as preventing many administrative hassles and personality conflicts.
One aspect of unification is our promotion of Six Absolutes, which are training principles that are amazingly effective in teaching perfect technique not only in the weightroom but also in any sport. One reason the BFS Six Absolutes are so effective is that they encourage all coaches to use the same terminology when teaching weight training and sport skills.
Another important part of our organization is the BFS Readiness Program. This is a complete strength and conditioning system designed for those who are not yet ready to engage in weight training programs performed by more physically mature athletes. The focus of the BFS Readiness Program is on developing perfect technique in all the basic components of athletic fitness, giving athletes a head start when they graduate to the BFS Total Program.
To help young people fulfill their potential in all areas of their life, BFS offers a character education program called Be an 11. This program is designed to inspire student-athletes to set worthy goals, both athletic and personal, and then help them develop action plans to achieve those goals. Along the way, they learn about the importance of making positive choices, maintaining their self- respect, and being team players and role models for others.
In the world of social networking, since 1980 Bigger Faster Stronger has been the official magazine of our company. A bimonthly, full-color print publication, BFS is full of inspirational success stories, advice from top coaches and sport scientists, and the latest information on liability and safety. BFS also has an outstanding website that answers all your questions about our programs and athletic training equipment, and also provides a link to the BFS Online Learning Center for the latest in multimedia education for strength and athletic fitness training.
For strength training, athletes need free weights: power racks, benches, barbells, and dumbbells. For speed, must-haves included plyometric boxes, pulling sleds, and systems for measuring speed and jumping ability. At first, our single line of equipment was enough, as the focus was on providing high school coaches with quality equipment at the lowest price. Later, we expanded our products to serve the needs of all athletic and physical fitness programs. We have our highest quality D1 line, our heavy duty Elite line, the functional Varsity line, our bold Absolute Oval line, and most recently our BXI line that includes the racks, rigs and strongman training accessories to accommodate the popular “boot camp” workouts.
There’s a vast number of strength and conditioning programs available currently, and coaches no doubt will be exposed to many more programs during their careers. But with its proven track record that spans four decades, BFS stands apart as the leading company in helping young athletes succeed.
