Abstract
PurposeMonitoring training from a multifactorial point of view is of great importance in elite endurance athletes. This study aims to analyze the relationships between indicators of training load, hormonal status and neuromuscular performance, and to compare these values with competition performance, in elite middle and long-distance runners.MethodFifteen elite middle and long-distance runners (12 men, 3 women; age = 26.3±5.1 yrs) were measured for training volume, training zone and session rate of perceived exertion (RPE) (daily), countermovement jump (CMJ) and salivary free cortisol (weekly) for 39 weeks (i.e., the whole season). Competition performance was also observed throughout the study, registering the season best and worst competitions.ResultsSeason average salivary free cortisol concentrations correlate significantly with CMJ (r = −0.777) and RPE (r = 0.551). Also, weekly averages of CMJ significantly correlates with RPE (r = −0.426), distance run (r = −0.593, p<0.001) and training zone (r = 0.437, p<0.05). Finally, it was found that the CMJ (+8.5%, g = 0.65) and the RPE (−17.6%, g = 0.94) measured the week before the best competition performance of the season were significantly different compared with the measurement conducted the week before the season’s worst competition performance.ConclusionsMonitoring weekly measurements of CMJ and RPE could be recommended to control training process of such athletes in a non-invasive, field-based, systematic way.
Highlights
Training volume is not directly related to performance of elite endurance athletes [1,2,3], it seems clear that such athletes need to train several hours per week during their training cycle to increase their performance [4,5,6]
Comparing the values for the variables measured the week before the season-best (SB) and season-worst (SW) competition performances, it was found that the countermovement jump (CMJ) scores prior to the season best (SB) was significantly higher than the CMJ score prior to the SW (+ 8.5%, g = 0.65, p,0.001)
The results of our study have revealed that noteworthy relationships exist between salivary free cortisol and CMJ scores assessed throughout a whole season in elite middle and longdistance runners
Summary
Training volume is not directly related to performance of elite endurance athletes [1,2,3], it seems clear that such athletes need to train several hours per week during their training cycle to increase their performance [4,5,6]. Training volume, intensity and session-RPE are the most used indicators of the training load because they can be assessed every day without disturbing the athletes and have shown significant relationships with performance or fatigue [13,14]. Esteve-Lanao et al [13] recorded training volume and intensity of sub-elite cross-country runners for 6 months, discovering that the time expended training at low intensities (below the ventilator threshold) was significantly related to performance in a crosscountry competition. Garcin et al [14] measured session-RPE in 8 young, elite middle-distance runners for 8 weeks, proving that this indicator of training load was able to detect states of overreaching. The measurement of the vertical jump score as an indicator of neuromuscular performance has been used to assess fatigue in different kinds of athletes [15,16,17].
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