RESUMO
The aims of the study were to modify the training impulse (TRIMP) method of quantifying training load for use with intermittent team sports, and to examine the relationship between this modified TRIMP (TRIMP(MOD)) and changes in the physiological profile of team sport players during a competitive season. Eight male field hockey players, participating in the English Premier Division, took part in the study (mean+/-s: age 26+/-4 years, body mass 80.8+/-5.2 kg, stature 1.82+/-0.04 m). Participants performed three treadmill exercise tests at the start of the competitive season and mid-season: a submaximal test to establish the treadmill speed at a blood lactate concentration of 4 mmol . l(-1); a maximal incremental test to determine maximal oxygen uptake ([V]O(2max)) and peak running speed; and an all-out constant-load test to determine time to exhaustion. Heart rate was recorded during all training sessions and match-play, from which TRIMP(MOD) was calculated. Mean weekly TRIMP(MOD) was correlated with the change in [V]O(2max) and treadmill speed at a blood lactate concentration of 4 mmol x l(-1) from the start of to mid-season (P<0.05). The results suggest that TRIMP(MOD) is a means of quantifying training load in team sports and can be used to prescribe training for the maintenance or improvement of aerobic fitness during the competitive season.