Health and Wellness

The Ben C. Frank Human Performance Center (HPC) became reality in 2000 through the generosity of Ben C. Frank '64 and has continued to grow and add technology through his continued generosity and numerous research projects with outside companies. The sum of these investments in the Center has been over half-a-million dollars.

The HPC is a one-of-a-kind facility. It’s a 5,000-square-foot facility that includes over 25,000 pounds of free weights (not including dumbbells and bumper plates), multiple Olympic platforms, and free weight racks and stations. Along with the free weights, we have included the equipment necessary to start the Athletic Republic Acceleration Sports Training Programs. This equipment includes Generation II Super Treadmill (29+ mph, 40% grade), specially designed hardwood plyometric floors, and weight machines designed to target the muscles of the hip girdle, trunk, and legs.

We also work a unique strength training concept into our programs. During the summer of 2001, Dickinson State joined forces with Agaton Fitness of Boden Sweden and began using a piece of strength training equipment that can safely and effectively train targeted muscle groups with an eccentric overload. The machine was designed and built in Sweden and is currently being used by many Olympic-caliber athletes, numerous NBA teams, and Magnus Samuelson, a Swedish strongman who holds the record for reaching the World's Strongest Man finals 10 times.

The Frappier Acceleration Sports Training Program is the featured training program for our athletes. You will be introduced to the training program eight to 10 weeks before the start of your season. The intense program is six-to-eight-weeks and is designed to improve your quickness, agility, flexibility, dynamic sprint speed, muscle strength, and overall confidence.

You receive Acceleration Training through your elective HPE classes that fall under the Varsity Athletic Enhancement classification. All exercise science majors work as sport performance trainers on campus.

We have teamed with leaders in the sports performance training industry in their product and protocol development process. We typically conduct training studies to evaluate and validate new products and/or protocols, thus helping those companies grow their business. In return, the HPC has received training equipment as value-in-kind compensation from those companies. Results of these projects obviously benefit the development of our athletes but will also benefit 50,000 to 100,000 athletes worldwide each year with improved training technology and methodology.

• 3PQ (2001)
• Agaton Fitness: Eccentric Overload Training vs Traditional Strength Training (2001-2003)
• Implosion Power (2005)
• inForm Timing Systems (2006)
• Force Treadmill Validation (2007)
• Incline Treadmill vs Ground Based Sprint Training; DSQ (2006-2008)
• Individualization of Training Based Upon Receptiveness to Training (2009-)