103. Fitness Assessment, Exercise Training, and Performance of Athletes and Healthy People - sport science Scientific Abstract

196 - Soreness And Fatigue As The Key Perceptual Indicators For Previous Day Workload In Athletes

Abstract

PURPOSE: As monitoring of athletes has become prominent throughout competitive sport, objective and subjective methods have proven valuable in informing of an athlete’s physical condition and preparedness. However, it remains unclear how objective load metrics are reflected in self-reported subjective indices. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between objective markers of workload and subjective assessments of soreness, fatigue, and stress the following day. METHODS: Twenty-six collegiate male soccer players (mean±SD; 20±1y; 75.83±5.90kg; 178.5±6.8cm) wore GPS-enabled heart rate monitors during every training session and match within the 2017 season. Objective load variables (total distance covered (TD), number of sprints (SP), number of accelerations (AC), number of decelerations (DC), and training load (TL)) were collected each day. Subjective load (soreness, fatigue, and stress) were reported on a 1-10 Likert scale the following morning. Mixed models tested the relation between subjective metrics and the objective metrics of the previous day’s training or match. RESULTS: Training load and deceleration numbers from the day before showed significant relevance to reported scores of soreness and fatigue. Heavier training loads resulted in higher soreness and fatigue scores (TL P=<0.001), just as lighter training loads resulted in lower soreness and fatigue scores. A similar positive correlation was found with the number of decelerations to reported soreness and fatigue (DC P=0.023). CONCLUSIONS: Lasting physiological impacts of the previous day’s training load and decelerations were reflected in player-reported soreness and fatigue the following morning. This information may be utilized by coaching staff to; 1) adjust training based on subjective metric scores and 2) inform tapering strategies to maximize performance in matches.
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