Abstract
The primary aim of the investigation was to determine the daily load variations between the microcycles of an entire season of an elite group of professional soccer players. The second aim of this study was to determine the relationships between Foster’s rating of perceived exertion (RPE), the Hooper index (HI) and CK levels over the weekly microcycles of the season. Thirty-five male professional soccer players participated in this study (3 goalkeepers, 6 wide defenders, 4 central defenders, 9 midfielders, 8 wide midfielders and 4 forwards) (25.7 ± 5.0 years, 182.3 ± 6.4 cm; 79.1 ± 7.0 kg). Significant differences between months in the variables of HI (p = 0.001; ES = 0.052), minT (p = 0.001; ES = 0.066), IL (p = 0.001; ES = 0.052, minimum effect) and CK (p = 0.002; ES = 0.031) were found. Comparison of the HI (p = 0.044; ES = 0.002), minT (p = 0.001; ES = 0.045), and IL (p = 0.001; ES = 0.045) revealed significant differences between microcycles. No significant differences were found in CK (p = 0.710; ES = 0.001) across the period. A significantly higher internal training load and fatigue perception in microcycles with only one official match was found. The greater load occurred 3 to 4 days before the game. In addition, it can be concluded that the first quarter of the season seemed to induce a greater physical demand on elite professional players.
Highlights
Physiological stress can be accumulated during a competitive season, predisposing soccer players to an inability to deal with training and competitive demands, with possible consequences for their performance (Silva et al, 2014)
The findings indicate significant differences in the composite of training variables between the different months, match-day, type of a microcycle and playing positions
Regarding the differences found between particular months, two significant different clusters were revealed for the Hooper index (HI) and Internal Load (IL)
Summary
Physiological stress can be accumulated during a competitive season, predisposing soccer players to an inability to deal with training and competitive demands, with possible consequences for their performance (Silva et al, 2014). As a result, training monitoring and extensive monitoring through multiple blood samples may contribute to controlling the states of functional and nonfunctional overreaching (Drust et al, 2007; Heisterberg et al, 2013). Appropriate training load management and frequent monitoring of performance is a vital determinant in optimizing sports training (Halson, 2014). The rating of perceived exertion (RPE) is one of the most popular, low-cost, effective and easy-to-use controlling methods in sports (Borg, 1982; Foster et al, 2001). The reliability of the RPE in controlling the internal load has been confirmed in many different studies and sports (Alexiou & Coutts, 2008; Lambert & Borresen, 2010; Impellizzeri et al, 2004).
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