Relationships between rating-of-perceived-exertion- and heart-rate-derived internal training load in professional soccer players: a comparison of on-field integrated training sessions

• Published in: International journal of sports physiology and performance 2015-07, Vol.10 (5), p.587-592
• Main Authors: Campos-Vazquez, Miguel Angel, Mendez-Villanueva, Alberto, Gonzalez-Jurado, Jose Antonio, León-Prados, Juan Antonio, Santalla, Alfredo, Suarez-Arrones, Luis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Athletes; Heart Rate - physiology; Humans; Physical Conditioning, Human - physiology; Physical Exertion - physiology; Physical Fitness - physiology; Professional football; Soccer; Soccer - physiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1555-0265; 1555-0273
• DOI: 10.1123/ijspp.2014-0294

To describe the internal training load (ITL) of common training sessions performed during a typical week and to determine the relationships between different indicators of ITL commonly employed in professional football (soccer). Session-rating-of-perceived-exertion TL (sRPE-TL) and heart-rate- (HR) derived measurements of ITL as Edwards TL and Stagno training impulses (TRIMPMOD) were used in 9 players during 3 periods of the season. The relationships between them were analyzed in different training sessions during a typical week: skill drills/circuit training + small-sided games (SCT+SSGs), ball-possession games+technical-tactical exercises (BPG+TTE), tactical training (TT), and prematch activation (PMa). HR values obtained during SCT+SSGs and BPG+TTE were substantially greater than those in the other 2 sessions, all the ITL markers and session duration were substantially greater in SCT+SSGs than in any other session, and all ITL measures in BPG+TTE were substantially greater than in TT and PMa sessions. Large relationships were found between HR>80% HRmax and HR>90% HRmax vs sRPE-TL during BPG+TTE and TT sessions (r=.61-.68). Very large relationships were found between Edwards TL and sRPE-TL and between TRIMPMOD and sRPE-TL in sessions with BPG+TTE and TT (r=.73-.87). Correlations between the different HR-based methods were always extremely large (r=.92-.98), and unclear correlations were observed for other relationships between variables. sRPE-TL provided variable-magnitude within-individual correlations with HR-derived measures of training intensity and load during different types of training sessions typically performed during a week in professional soccer. Caution should be applied when using RPE- or HR-derived measures of exercise intensity/load in soccer training interchangeably.