Perceived Wellness Associated With Practice and Competition in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Players.

Abstract

Wellman, AD, Coad, SC, Flynn, PJ, Siam, TK, and McLellan, CP. Perceived wellness associated with practice and competition in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I football players. J Strength Cond Res 33(1): 112-124, 2019-This study assessed the influence of movement demands resulting from weekly practice sessions and games, on perceived wellness measurements taken postgame (Sunday) and 48 hours pregame (Thursday) throughout the in-season period in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I football players. Thirty players were monitored using global positioning system receivers (OptimEye S5; Catapult Innovations) during 12 games and 24 in-season practices. Movement variables included low-intensity distance, medium-intensity distance, high-intensity distance, sprint distance, total distance, player load, and acceleration and deceleration distance. Perceived wellness, including fatigue, soreness, sleep quality and quantity, stress, and mood, was examined using a questionnaire on a 1-5 Likert scale. Multilevel mixed linear regressions determined the differential effects of movement metrics on perceived wellness. Post hoc tests were conducted to evaluate the pairwise differentials of movement and significance for wellness ratings. Notable findings included significantly (p ≤ 0.05) less player load, low-intensity distance, medium-intensity distance, high-intensity distance, total distance, and acceleration and deceleration distance at all intensities, in those reporting more favorable (4-5) ratings of perceived fatigue and soreness on Sunday. Conversely, individuals reporting more favorable Sunday-perceived stress ratings demonstrated significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher player load, low-intensity and medium-intensity distance, total distance, low-intensity and medium-intensity deceleration distance, and acceleration distance at all intensities than individuals reporting less favorable (1-2) perceived stress ratings. Data from this study provide a novel investigation of perceived wellness associated with college football practice and competition. Results support the use of wellness questionnaires for monitoring perceived wellness in NCAA Division I college football players.