What the test looks like
The athlete stands on a force plate with the bar fixed at mid-thigh height. On the coach's cue, the athlete pulls upward as hard and as fast as possible for around 3-5 seconds. The bar does not move — only the force on the plate changes.
Why coaches choose IMTP over 1RM
- Lower joint stress — there is no eccentric phase and no failure point.
- Repeatable in-season — recovery cost is minimal.
- Quick — a full test, including warm-up, takes ~15 minutes per athlete.
- Sensitive to small changes that 1RM may not capture week to week.
- Lower technical learning curve once the position is established.
What a player does on test day
- Standard 8-10 minute warm-up — bike or row plus dynamic prep.
- Three to four sub-maximal pulls at progressive intent to establish the position.
- Two to three maximal trials at full effort.
- Approximately 2 minutes of rest between maximal trials.
How the data is used
- Tracked over the season to spot upward or downward trends in strength.
- Combined with countermovement jump data to estimate force-velocity profile.
- Used in return-to-play decisions, often alongside limb symmetry indices.
- Compared within position group rather than across positions.