How Young Athletes Should Program RFESS Basic starting point: Frequency: 1x time per week Sets: 3–4 sets Reps: 6–10 reps per leg Phase 1: Own Your Bodyweight 3 sets of 8 reps per leg with perfect control Slow on the way down, brief pause at the bottom When it feels stable and smooth on both sides, start loading Phase 2: Add Load Hold dumbbells at your sides or 1 heavy dumbbell goblet style 3–4 sets of 6–8 reps per leg Effort should feel like a 7–9 out of 10 on the last few reps Phase 3: Power Emphasis Slightly lighter load 4–6 reps per leg Control the way down and drive up fast with intent You can use RFESS as your main lower body strength movement on a day without heavy back squats, or as your secondary single leg strength movement after a primary lift like a squat or trap bar deadlift. **Common Mistakes and Quick Fixes** **Too much weight, bad control.** Fix: Own slow, controlled bodyweight reps first. Quality beats ego. **Front knee caves in.** Fix: Think “push knee slightly ...