Internal Load of Male Varsity Ice Hockey Players During Training and Games Throughout an Entire Season

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify the internal load of male varsity ice hockey players, using both sessional rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) and the heart rate–derived physiological measure of training impulse (TRIMP), during training sessions and competitions throughout an entire season. Methods: Twenty-seven male varsity ice hockey players (22.1 [1.1] y, 85.9 [5.4] kg, 181.3 [5.1] cm) were included in this longitudinal prospective cohort study. Results: The internal load was significantly higher (P < .001) for games (sRPE: 403 [184] arbitrary units [AU], TRIMP: 98 [59] AU) compared with training sessions (sRPE: 281 [130] AU, TRIMP: 71 [35] AU). The regular season had the highest internal load compared with the preseason and postseason. There was evidence of microcycle periodization with training sessions several days prior to game days having the highest internal load (both sRPE and TRIMP) and tapering down as the subsequent training sessions approached game day. For positional comparisons, the goalies had higher sRPE (346 [151] AU, P < .001) and TRIMP (99 [64] AU, P < .001) compared with defense (sRPE: 295 [130] AU, TRIMP: 65 [29] AU) and forwards (sRPE: 264 [123] AU, TRIMP: 70 [30] AU) for training sessions, but no significant differences were present for competitions. Finally, there was an overall moderate and statistically significant relationship between the sRPE and TRIMP internal load measures (r = .434, P < .001). Conclusions: Internal load was greater during competitions versus training sessions in male varsity ice hockey players, and the microcycle assessment demonstrated that training sessions were tailored to game day. Mesocycle assessment revealed the highest internal loads during the regular season due to dense game scheduling and a short season.

A Framework for the Standardization of Game Analysis in Ice Hockey

“…Understanding the game and training demands can lead to the development of game-replicating training programs and permit coaches to prescribe an optimal training dose that increases performance and minimizes risk of either overtraining or undertraining. Accordingly, research in ice hockey has utilized various methods of athlete monitoring such as video time-motion analysis, 2,4 heart rate (HR) monitoring, 3,[10][11][12][13][14][15] local positioning system technology, [16][17][18] and wearable sensor/ accelerometer technology. 1,[19][20][21][22][23][24] Primarily, these investigations have focused on the game demands, [2][3][4]16,18,19 but some studies have also included analyses on the training demands.…”

“…1,[19][20][21][22][23][24] Primarily, these investigations have focused on the game demands, [2][3][4]16,18,19 but some studies have also included analyses on the training demands. 1,[10][11][12][13][14][15][20][21][22][23]…”

“…For example, current ice hockey literature includes studies that have edited epochs to include only actual game play (ie, effective playing time), 1,2,4,16 studies that have edited epochs to remove only time between periods (ie, time positioned on ice), 3,[21][22][23] and studies that have included warm-up within the epoch. 11,[13][14][15] Furthermore, there are also studies that have altogether not reported what epoch was selected. 12,19,20 It is important to consider that game demands can differ drastically depending on the epoch analyzed.…”

“…In demonstration of the problem with inconsistent terminology and methodology around epoch selection, previous research has reported that full-length ice hockey games ranged from 116 to 125 minutes in duration. 11 Another study reported that official games lasted 58.9 (17.9) minutes. 14 These statements make little sense when an ice hockey game comprises three 20-minute periods of effective playing time, totaling 60 minutes of effective playing time (excluding overtime [OT]; see Section "Overtime").…”

“…HR has been measured in several ice hockey game analysis studies, where metrics such as the Bannister and the Edward training impulse have been reported in an attempt to describe the internal exercise volume (or so-called "internal load") during ice hockey games (eg, Ulmer et al, 10 Bigg et al, [11][12][13] Rago et al, 14,15 and Douglas et al 20 ). Furthermore, other studies have reported average and peak HR as well as the time spent in certain HR intensity zones.…”