Associations Between Selected Training-Stress Measures and Fitness Changes in Male Soccer Players

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between accumulated global positioning system–accelerometer-based and heart rate–based training metrics and changes in high-intensity intermittent-running capacity during an in-season phase in professional soccer players. Methods: Eleven male professional players (mean [SD] age 27.2 [4.5] y) performed the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (30-15IFT) before and after a 5-wk in-season training phase, and the final velocity (VIFT) was considered their high-intensity intermittent-running capacity. During all sessions, Edwards training impulse (Edwards TRIMP), Banister TRIMP, Z5 TRIMP, training duration, total distance covered, new body load (NBL), high-intensity running performance (distance covered above 14.4 km·h−1), and very-high-intensity running performance (distance covered above 19.8 km·h−1) were recorded. Results: The players’ VIFT showed a most likely moderate improvement (+4.3%, 90% confidence limits 3.1–5.5%, effect size 0.70, [0.51–0.89]). Accumulated NBL, Banister TRIMP, and Edwards TRIMP showed large associations (r = .51–.54) with changes in VIFT. A very large relationship was also observed between accumulated Z5 TRIMP (r = .72) with changes in VIFT. Large to nearly perfect within-individual relationships were observed between NBL and some of the other training metrics (ie, Edwards TRIMP, Banister TRIMP, training duration, and total distance) in 10 out of 11 players. Conclusions: Heart rate–based training metrics can be used to monitor high-intensity intermittent-running-capacity changes in professional soccer players. The dose–response relationship is also largely detected using accelerometer-based metrics (ie, NBL) to track changes in high-intensity intermittent-running capacity of professional soccer players.

Accelerometry as a method for external workload monitoring in invasion team sports. A systematic review

“…Thanks to the Australian Centre of Microtechnological Research through the Project 2.5 “Technology of Communication to Athletes Monitoring” beginning to design a unique and non-intrusive device for sports monitoring in real-time in 2001 [ 14 ], the research topic has been centered on the most popular sports in this region (Australian football and rugby), developing specific variables such as impact/collision detection [ 92 , 100 – 103 ]. Later, from the results obtained and the high socioeconomic impact, this technology began to be used in the most popular sports in Europe and the United States such as soccer and basketball [ 6 , 27 , 29 , 40 , 50 , 51 , 63 , 64 ].…”

Pre-season training responses and their associations with training load in elite rugby league players

“…It is also possible that sRPE alone is unable to accurately reflect the intensity of the training approaches adopted by professional rugby league players during a pre-season period. Therefore, the adoption of multi-component approach using both internal and external measures is perhaps needed to provide a better reflection of training dose (Weaving et al 2017;Rabbani et al 2019). While a multi-component approach seems necessary it does deviate from the simplified method offered by sRPE-TL that requires greater resourcing and an ability to collectively interpret numerous data.…”

Dose-Response Relationships between Training Load Measures and Physical Fitness in Professional Soccer Players

“…Given that, using these metrics to analyze their dose-relationships with physical fitness of soccer players is a topic of interest. However, there is a lack of studies supporting these associations [8,18,19].…”