Relationship between Workload, Psychological State and Recovery in Female Soccer Athletes.

This study assessed the multifaceted relations between measures of workload, psychological state, and recovery throughout an entire soccer season in female collegiate soccer athletes (19.8±1.2 yrs, 132±12.3 lbs, 63±3.2 in). A prospective longitudinal study was utilized to measure workload (GPS training load, Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE), psychological state (mental stress, mental fatigue, and mood), and recovery (sleep duration, sleep quality, and soreness), during 90 observations (59 training sessions and 21 games). Separate linear-mixed effect models were used to assess outcomes of RPE, soreness, and sleep duration. A linear mixed-effects model explained 59% of the variance in RPE following each session. Specifically, each standard deviation increase in GPS load and mental stress in the morning prior to training increased RPE by 1.46 (SE=0.08) and 0.29 (SE=0.07), respectively, following that day's training. Furthermore, a significant interaction was found between several predictor variables and chronological day in the season while predicting RPE. Specifically, for each standard deviation increase in GPS load, RPE went up by 0.0055 per day during the season suggesting that load had a higher impact on RPE as the season progressed. In contrast, the interaction of day by mental stress, sleep duration, and soreness continued to be stronger as the season progressed. Each linear mixed-effect model predicted a larger amount of variance when accounting for individual variations in the random effects.

A Biopsychosocial Model for Understanding Training Load, Fatigue, and Musculoskeletal Sport Injury in University Athletes: A Scoping Review.

ABSTRACT: McClean, ZJ, Pasanen, K, Lun, V, Charest, J, Herzog, W, Werthner, P, Black, A, Vleuten, RV, Lacoste, E, and Jordan, MJ. A biopsychosocial model for understanding training load, fatigue, and musculoskeletal sport injury in university athletes: A scoping review. J Strength Cond Res 38(6): 1177-1188, 2024-The impact of musculoskeletal (MSK) injury on athlete health and performance has been studied extensively in youth sport and elite sport. Current research examining the relationship between training load, injury, and fatigue in university athletes is sparse. Furthermore, a range of contextual factors that influence the training load-fatigue-injury relationship exist, necessitating an integrative biopsychosocial model to address primary and secondary injury prevention research. The objectives of this review were (a) to review the scientific literature examining the relationship between training load, fatigue, and MSK injury in university athletes and (b) to use this review in conjunction with a transdisciplinary research team to identify biopsychosocial factors that influence MSK injury and develop an updated, holistic biopsychosocial model to inform injury prevention research and practice in university sport. Ten articles were identified for inclusion in this review. Key findings were an absence of injury surveillance methodology and contextual factors that can influence the training load-fatigue-MSK injury relationship. We highlight the inclusion of academic load, social load, and mental health load as key variables contributing to a multifactorial, gendered environmental, scientific inquiry on sport injury and reinjury in university sport. An integrative biopsychosocial model for MSK injury in university sport is presented that can be used to study the biological, psychological, and social factors that modulate injury and reinjury risk in university athletes. Finally, we provide an example of how causal inference can be used to maximize the utility of longitudinally collected observational data that is characteristic of sport performance research in university sport.

Acceptability of technology-based physical activity intervention profiles and their motivational factors in obesity care: a latent profile transition analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to: (a) identify the acceptability profiles for three technology-based physical activity interventions (TbPAI) in obesity treatment (active video games, mobile applications, telehealth), (b) examine the issues of consistency or change in these profiles for the same individual across technologies, and (c) determine whether acceptability profiles are related to motivational factors. METHODS: Three hundred and twelve women (Mage = 30.7, SD = 7.1 years; MBMI = 34.5, SD = 7.8 kg/m²) using obesity services were recruited for this cross-sectional survey. They completed an online survey including sociodemographic data and measures related to physical activity: level, stage of change, motivation, and general causality orientations. The women read descriptions of the three technologies and rated their acceptability. We used a latent profile transition analysis (LPTA) approach. RESULTS: A 2-class model (high and low acceptability) best described the profiles for each technology. Intra-individual analysis revealed that the profiles exhibited both changes and stability across TbPAI. Women with high scores on impersonal orientation were more likely to be in the high acceptability telehealth profile, whereas those reporting high scores on control orientation were more likely to be in the high acceptability active video games profile. Women with high scores on control orientation and low scores on impersonal orientation were more likely to be in the high acceptability mobile applications profile. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that the causality orientations were factors related to the TbPAI acceptability profiles, suggesting that clinicians should consider these psychological characteristics in TbPAI counseling.

Elite female athletes' experiences and perceptions of the menstrual cycle on training and sport performance.

The purpose of the current study was twofold (a) to examine elite female athletes' experiences of their menstrual cycle, with a focus upon the impact on training and competition performance and (b) the openness of conversation pertaining to the menstrual cycle with coaching and support staff. Following receipt of institutional ethical approval, individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 elite female athletes (25.5 ± 4.7 years) from multiple sports. Results revealed athletes' experiencing a natural menstrual cycle reported physical symptoms alongside mood disturbances and reduced motivation to train. The decision to actively control the menstrual cycle was often triggered by a desire to reduce the effect on competition, to lessen anxieties about making required weight or reduce distraction to manage during competition. Athletes indicated an openness to talk about the menstrual cycle to other females, however, there was variation in the comfort athletes experienced regarding talking to male coaches. Overall, the findings highlight the need to educate elite athletes and coaches on the menstrual cycle, considering it in the same light as other physiological functions in sport to improve health, well-being, and performance. Furthermore, providing education on how to construct positive conversations, equipping individuals with the correct terminology, and confidence to talk about the menstrual cycle will reduce some reservations identified through improved knowledge and understanding.

Impaired recovery is associated with increased injury and illness: A retrospective study of 536 female netball athletes.

Sport science and medicine practitioners are interested in the relationships between training load, injury, and illness. The extent to which training preparedness is associated with workload-related injury and illness risk is debated. Therefore, this study applied multi-level mixed effect logistic regression to investigate time-dependent (±7- and ±28-day) relationships between training preparedness (fatigue, mood, motivation, soreness, stress, sleep duration, and quality), training load, injury, and illness in 536 elite and pre-elite female netball athletes. Absolute risk (AR ± 95% CI) of sustaining an injury (0.98 ± 0.06%, n = 1122 injuries, N = 254 athletes) or illness (1.09 ± 0.10%, n = 2881, N = 432 athletes) was calculated. All training preparedness variables combined resulted in an absolute risk of 0.88%-5.88% and 0.87%-20% for injury and illness, respectively. Injury and illness had significant (P < .05) bidirectional (ie, both increased and decreased) associations with physical (soreness) and physiological (sleep duration and quality), while illness also had negative (mood, motivation) and positive (stress) associations with psychological training preparedness variables. Low sleep duration in the 48-h period prior was associated (P = .005) with increased injury risk (OR = 0.91 ± 0.03; AR = 4.00%), while "very poor" sleep quality (OR = 0.59 ± 0.02; AR = 7.83%) or extremes of too little (<5 hours, OR = 1.01 ± 0.03; AR = 3.13%-14.29%) and too much (>10 hours, OR = 1.01 ± 0.03; AR = 2.61%-10.98%) sleep had bidirectional associations (P < .001) with an increased illness risk. Changes in training preparedness variables demonstrated bidirectional associations with injury and illness. These outcomes suggest that sport science and medicine practitioners should monitor sleep, physical, and psychological recovery status, to aid early detection and intervention regarding injury and illness symptomology.

Self-reported sports injuries and later-life health status in 3357 retired Olympians from 131 countries: a cross-sectional survey among those competing in the games between London 1948 and PyeongChang 2018.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the self-reported prevalence and nature of Olympic-career injury and general health and current residual symptoms in a self-selected sample of retired Olympians. METHODS: 3357 retired Olympians from 131 countries completed a cross-sectional online survey, distributed by direct email through World Olympians Association and National Olympian Associations databases. The survey captured Olympic sport exposure, significant training and competition injury history (lasting >1 month), general health (eg, depression) during the athlete's career, and current musculoskeletal pain and functional limitations. RESULTS: 55% were men (44% women, 1% unknown), representing 57 sports (42 Summer, 15 Winter), aged 44.7 years (range 16-97). A total of 3746 injuries were self-reported by 2116 Olympians. This equated, 63.0% (women 68.1%, men 59.2%) reporting at least one significant injury during their Olympic career. Injury prevalence was highest in handball (82.2%) and lowest in shooting (40.0%) for Summer Olympians; and highest in alpine skiing (82.4%) and lowest in biathlon (40.0%) for Winter Olympians. The knee was the most frequently injured anatomical region (20.6%, 120 median days severity), followed by the lumbar spine (13.1%, 100 days) and shoulder/clavicle (12.9%, 92 days). 6.6% of Olympians said they had experienced depression during their career. One-third of retired Olympians reported current pain (32.4%) and functional limitations (35.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Almost two-thirds of Olympians who completed the survey reported at least one Olympic-career significant injury. The knee, lumbar spine and shoulder/clavicle were the most commonly injured anatomical locations. One-third of this sample of Olympians attributed current pain and functional limitations to Olympic-career injury.

Interval training causes the same exercise enjoyment as moderate-intensity training to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition in young Chinese women with elevated BMI.

This study examined the effects of 12 weeks of sprint interval training (SIT), high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) on cardiorespiratory fitness (peak oxygen uptake, VO2peak), body composition and physical activity enjoyment in overweight young women. Sixty-six participants (age 21.2 ± 1.4 years, body mass index (BMI) 26.0 ± 3.0 kg·m-2, body fat percentage 39.0 ± 2.8%) were randomly assigned to non-exercise control (CON), thrice-weekly SIT (80 × 6 s "all-out" cycling interspersed with 9 s rest), and HIIT (4 min cycling at 90% VO2peak followed with 3 min recovery for ~ 60 min) or MICT (~ 65 min continuous cycling at 60% VO2peak) with equivalent mechanical work (200/300 KJ). Compared to the CON group, all three training groups had significant and similar improvements in VO2peak (~ +20%, d = 2.5-3.4), fat mass (~ -10%, d = 1.3-2.1) and body fat percentage (~ -5%, d = 1.0-1.1) after a 12-week intervention. Similar high levels of enjoyment were observed among groups for most (~70%) of the training sessions. The findings suggest that the three training regimes are equally enjoyable and could result in similar improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition in overweight/obese young women, but SIT is a more time-efficient strategy.

Psychological responses to HIIT and MICT over a 2-week progressive randomized trial among individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes.

The purpose of this secondary analysis study was to examine the affective and social cognitive responses to low-volume high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) over a progressive two-week supervised intervention for individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes. Ninety-nine adults that were low-active and overweight were randomized into one of two exercise conditions and had affective and social cognitive measures assessed before, during, and after intervention. Increases over time in post-exercise enjoyment, attitudes towards exercise, and intentions to exercise were noted for both HIIT and MICT conditions (ps <.05). The patterns of change in acute affective responses over the two-week intervention were consistent for both conditions, with participants in MICT reporting more positive in-task affect and affective attitudes throughout (ps <.001). Positive correlational relationships between affective and social cognitive responses were revealed throughout the intervention (ps <.05), highlighting the relationship between reflexive responses and reflective cognitions. Research is warranted to determine whether findings are a consequence of familiarization with exercise, whether such findings are translatable to real-world environments and non-progressive exercise protocols, and whether these reflexive responses and reflective cognitions are predictive of future exercise behaviour for individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes.

Analysing the predictive capacity and dose-response of wellness in load monitoring.

This study aimed to identify the predictive capacity of wellness questionnaires on measures of training load using machine learning methods. The distributions of, and dose-response between, wellness and other load measures were also examined, offering insights into response patterns. Data (n= 14,109) were collated from an athlete management systems platform (Catapult Sports, Melbourne, Australia) and were split across three sports (cricket, rugby league and football) with data analysis conducted in R (Version 3.4.3). Wellness (sleep quality, readiness to train, general muscular soreness, fatigue, stress, mood, recovery rating and motivation) as the dependent variable, and sRPE, sRPE-TL and markers of external load (total distance and m.min-1) as independent variables were included for analysis. Classification and regression tree models showed high cross-validated error rates across all sports (i.e., > 0.89) and low model accuracy (i.e., < 5% of variance explained by each model) with similar results demonstrated using random forest models. These results suggest wellness items have limited predictive capacity in relation to internal and external load measures. This result was consistent despite varying statistical approaches (regression, classification and random forest models) and transformation of wellness scores. These findings indicate practitioners should exercise caution when interpreting and applying wellness responses.

Team triathlon effects on physiological, psychological, and immunological measures in women breast cancer survivors.

PURPOSE: Exercise after breast cancer diagnosis and treatment improves cancer-related outcomes, although the mechanisms involved are not clear. This study evaluated the impact of exercise on body composition, strength, endurance, quality of life (QOL), fatigue, and endocrine and inflammatory biomarkers in breast cancer survivors participating in a highly monitored, clinically supervised, moderate-intensity exercise program. The association of hormonal and inflammatory biomarkers with the observed physiological changes was assessed. METHODS: Female breast cancer survivors (BCS; n = 46) who engaged in a goal-oriented 14-week triathlon exercise training program were compared to an untrained control group of female BCS (n = 16). Psychosocial metrics, QOL, cancer-related fatigue, and exercise self-efficacy were evaluated via pre- and post-exercise intervention questionnaires. Serum estradiol and inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein (CRP), sTNFR1a, estradiol, leptin, and adiponectin) were measured prior to the exercise training program start and after the completion of the goal triathlon. RESULTS: After exercise training, the exercise group had lower BMI and arm circumferences. Greater positive change was noted in the trained group for QOL, fatigue, and self-efficacy questionnaires. Functional endurance improved in the trained but not the control group. Knee and elbow strength were not different between the groups, except that knee flexion at 180 degrees∙sec-1 was higher in trained. The only significantly different biomarker was adiponectin, which decreased in the trained group. CONCLUSIONS: Group triathlon exercise training may be beneficial to BCS by significantly improving their psychosocial measures, functional endurance, and BMI.

Monitoring the swimmer's training load: A narrative review of monitoring strategies applied in research.

The high incidence of injury during swim training and the increasing demands of the sports make monitoring of the swimmer's training load a key concept requiring further investigation. Research has previously introduced numerous methods for the purposes of monitoring the swimmer's training load, but a narrative review discussing the strengths and limitations of each method is lacking. Consequently, this narrative review aims to summarize the monitoring strategies that have been applied in research on competitive swimmers. This knowledge can assist professionals in the field in choosing which method is appropriate in their particular setting. The results from this study showed that external training load was predominantly obtained through real-life observation of the swimmers' training volume. However, research has investigated a number of internal load monitoring tools, including blood lactate, training heart rate, and perceived effort of training. To date, blood lactate markers are still considered most accurate and especially recommended at higher levels of competitive swimming or for those at greater risk of injury. Further, mood state profiling has been suggested as an early indicator of overtraining and may be applied at the lower competitive levels of swimming. Professionals in the field should consider the individual, the aim of the current training phase, and additional logistical issues when determining the appropriate monitoring strategy in their setting.

Longitudinal emotional process among adolescent soccer player in intensive training centre.

Grounded in Lazarus's (1999) cognitive motivational relational theory of emotions, this study aimed to explore longitudinal relationships between appraisals, everyday emotions related to the competitive environment and emotional regulation strategies during a competitive season. Forty adolescent soccer players (Mage = 15.8) involved in an intensive training centre from a professional club voluntarily participated to the study. A series of hierarchical linear modelling analyses were conducted upon the 9 measurement times to: (a) examine the relationships between appraisals (threat, challenge, loss), pleasant (happiness, excitement) and unpleasant (anxiety, dejection, anger) emotions, and emotional regulation strategies (adaptive and less adaptive); and (b) ascertain whether the relationships between appraisals and emotions were mediated by emotion regulation strategies. The results of the random coefficient regression models showed: (a) positive relationships between challenge appraisal, adaptive emotion regulation, and pleasant emotions as well as between threat and loss appraisals, less adaptive emotion regulation and unpleasant emotions; and (b) mediating effects of emotional regulation strategies in the appraisals - emotions relationships. As a whole, this study furthered knowledge base about the competitive environment in showing that appraisals, emotion regulation and emotions are intertwined psychological constructs in a dynamic relationship allowing athletes to continuously adjust to their constantly changing everyday demands.

Validation of the Acute Recovery and Stress Scale (ARSS) and the Short Recovery and Stress Scale (SRSS) in three English-speaking regions.

The Acute Recovery and Stress Scale (ARSS) and the Short Recovery and Stress Scale (SRSS) are well-established monitoring tools in German-speaking countries. This study aimed at validating them for English-speaking populations. Overall, 996 athletes (536 males, 24.9 ± 9.1 years) of Australia/New Zealand (n = 380), the United Kingdom (n = 316), and North America (n = 300) participated. The 32-item ARSS consists of eight scales. These scales constitute the eight items of the SRSS with the corresponding ARSS items as descriptors. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), internal consistency (α), and discriminatory power of the items (rit) were calculated for the total and subsamples separately. Satisfactory discriminatory power (rit > .30) for all ARSS and SRSS items and acceptable internal consistency (α > .70) was achieved. CFA indicated good fit indices for the total sample and subsamples, and strong measurement invariance was found across subsamples and gender. Correlations between corresponding scales and items (rs = .68 - .78) support theoretical congruency as well as independent usage of both questionnaires. Construct validity of both tools is shown through hypothesis-conforming correlations with the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes. Future studies may apply the ARSS and SRSS as monitoring tools in English-speaking regions worldwide.

Towards a science of the acquisition of expert performance in sports: Clarifying the differences between deliberate practice and other types of practice.

Ericsson, Krampe, and Tesch- Römer published their research on "The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance" over 25 years ago. Since then, hundreds of new articles have been published with findings regarding the effects of practice on performance in sports. The original paper searched for conditions underpinning optimal acquisition of reproducibly superior (expert) performance in domains, where methods for producing such performance had been refined over centuries. At an elite music academy, superior music students were found to have engaged for longer periods in solitary practice guided by their music teachers - an explication of the conditions of this type of practice led to a definition of deliberate practice. When other researchers in sports started searching for optimal practice, they could not find any practice activities meeting all the criteria for "deliberate practice", yet referred to somewhat similar activities using that same term. This paper shows that the effects of these different types of practice activities on attained performance differ from those of deliberate practice and should be given different distinct names. The paper concludes with recommendations for how future research on purposeful and deliberate practice can inform, not just athletes and their coaches, but all adults about how their achievements can be improved with individualized forms of effective practice.

A qualitative exploration of mentally tough behaviour in Australian football.

The primary aim of this research was to generate insight into observable mentally tough behaviours, or MTb, across different contexts (e.g., training and competition) in an Australian football (AF) environment. A second aim of this research was to explore the utility of MTb as a distinct concept, and identify common behavioural qualities associated with MTb that separate it from other similar constructs. In total, 10 experienced full-time football operations staff were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide, with inductive thematic analysis employed to analyse the data. Five main themes relating to MTb were identified: adaptive development, consistent training conduct, composed performance actions, responsible and accountable, and team supportive. Overall, the findings of the research provided preliminary support for the proposition that there exists a collection of MTb that are displayed more frequently by athletes considered to possess high levels of mental toughness compared to athletes who are perceived to have low levels of this psychological capacity. We propose a collection of necessary and sufficient behavioural qualities and a working definition of MTb to further our understanding of potential strategies to develop MT.

Performance, motivation, and enjoyment in young female basketball players: An interdisciplinary approach.

The purpose of this study was to examine the variation in accumulated basketball training experience, body size, functional performance, deliberate practice motivation, achievement and competitiveness motivation and sources of enjoyment among young female basketball players, partitioning the potential variation by individuals´ biological characteristics (menarche status) and contextual characteristics (competitive age group and competitive level). We considered 114 adolescent female basketball players aged 14.3 (1.8) years. We used multilevel regression and poststratification estimations. The adolescent female basketball players selected for state-level had more accumulated experience, were taller and with better functional performance. Conditional on the data, youth female coaches tend to value (probably overvalue) size and function when selecting/promoting players, even at early age groups, likely contributing to an overrepresentation of early maturing girls in at early age groups. Players from club- and state-level were similarly highly motivated for deliberate practice and to achievement. Only for competitiveness, state-level players had higher values than club level players. The sources of enjoyment were influenced by context (competitive levels) for self-referenced competencies and others-referenced competencies. Structured programs of training and competition in youth female basketball provide a nurturing environment for the development of players´ engagement and commitment to training and excellence attainment.

Achieving a desired training intensity through the prescription of external training load variables in youth sport: More pieces to the puzzle required.

Identifying the external training load variables which influence subjective internal response will help reduce the mismatch between coach-intended and athlete-perceived training intensity. Therefore, this study aimed to reduce external training load measures into distinct principal components (PCs), plot internal training response (quantified via session Rating of Perceived Exertion [sRPE]) against the identified PCs and investigate how the prescription of PCs influences subjective internal training response. Twenty-nine school to international level youth athletes wore microtechnology units for field-based training sessions. SRPE was collected post-session and assigned to the microtechnology unit data for the corresponding training session. 198 rugby union, 145 field hockey and 142 soccer observations were analysed. The external training variables were reduced to two PCs for each sport cumulatively explaining 91%, 96% and 91% of sRPE variance in rugby union, field hockey and soccer, respectively. However, when internal response was plotted against the PCs, the lack of separation between low-, moderate- and high-intensity training sessions precluded further analysis as the prescription of the PCs do not appear to distinguish subjective session intensity. A coach may therefore wish to consider the multitude of physiological, psychological and environmental factors which influence sRPE alongside external training load prescription.

Quantification of the Perceived Training Load in Young Female Basketball Players.

Otaegi, A and Los Arcos, A. Quantification of the perceived training load in young female basketball players. J Strength Cond Res 34(2): 559-565, 2020-The purposes of this study were (a) to compare training session, match, and weekly perceived training load (TL) between U15 and U16 female basketball players and (b) within the teams, to assess the relationship between perceived TL and the changes in physical fitness performance during an in-season 9-week period. Twenty-one female players from U15 and U16 female teams from the same Spanish club participated in the study. Before and after the study, players were tested to determine physical fitness performance (using Yo-Yo IR1, countermovement jump, T-Test, and 15 m sprint). Each player declared her perceived exertion (PE) for the whole training session and match using Foster's 0-10 scale. Training week perceived TL was higher for the U16 players than the U15 players; U16 players considered the training and matches to be more difficult. In both teams, the perceived TL of the last training session of the week was significantly lower (Effect sizes = large-very large) than the other sessions. Although substantial negative associations (r = 0.52-0.78) were detected between the changes in physical fitness performance and the accumulated volume, sum of PEs and perceived TL in the U15 players, these associations were unclear in the U16 players. The basketball coaches-periodized training goals are to attain the highest session perceived TLs in the middle of the week and to reduce it considerably in the last training session. The U16 and U15 players accumulated perceived TL in different ways. Although the practice volume was similar in both teams, the older players consider the sessions more difficult. The relationship between the perceived TL and the changes in physical fitness performance varied between teams. Based on our findings, we propose that the PE-based dose-response model should be applied with caution in young female basketball players.

Examination of Coach and Player Perceptions of Recovery and Exertion.

Kraft, JA, Laurent, ML, Green, JM, Helm, J, Roberts, C, and Holt, S. Examination of coach and player perceptions of recovery and exertion. J Strength Cond Res 34(5): 1383-1391, 2020-Monitoring training and recovery are essential for exercise programming. Athletes can validly assess training load (TL) via the session rating of perceived exertion (SRPE) technique. However, it is unclear if coaches can successfully use this model. This study compared coach and athlete perceptions of effort and recovery, and it evaluated the efficacy of perceptually based TL monitoring. Participants included 56 athletes (Women's volleyball, soccer, and basketball and Men's basketball) and their coaches (n = 4). Perceived recovery was estimated via the Perceived Recovery Status scale. Scores of TL were calculated using the Edward's heart rate (HR) method and by multiplying SRPE by duration. Coaches provided an intended SRPE (SRPE-CI) before practice. Also, SRPE was independently estimated by coaches (SRPE-CO) and athletes (SRPE-A) ∼15-20 minutes after practice. Paired t-tests and Pearson's correlations were applied to make comparisons (α ≤ 0.05). Values of SRPE-CI, SRPE-CO, SRPE-A TLs were strongly correlated with Edwards' HR-based TLs (R = 0.74, 0.73, and 0.76, respectively). However, SRPE-CI (5.5 ± 1.9) and SRPE-CO (5.0 ± 1.9) was higher than SRPE-A (4.5 ± 1.9). Coaches estimated recovery higher than athletes (7.1 ± 1.3 vs. 5.8 ± 1.6). Estimates of TL strongly correlated with Edwards' TL regardless of information source (coach or athlete) or time point (SRPE-CI TL or SRPE-CO TL). Results suggest that coaches' perceptions validly indicated TL. Coaches' perceptions provide parallel information (correlated strongly with Edwards TL) but not identical information (demonstrated by differences in SRPE) as athlete perceptions. Differences in perceived recovery indicate that coaches overestimate recovery when compared with athletes' perceptions.

The Effect of Overreaching on Neuromuscular Performance and Wellness Responses in Australian Rules Football Athletes.

Campbell, PG, Stewart, IB, Sirotic, AC, and Minett, GM. Title: The effect of overreaching on neuromuscular performance and wellness responses in Australian rules football athletes. J Strength Cond Res 34(6): 1530-1538, 2020-This study seeks to evaluate the effect of periodized fluctuations in training load on wellness and psychological questionnaires, perceived exertion, performance, and neuromuscular measures in team-sport athletes. Thirteen amateur Australian rules football athletes completed 6 weeks of periodized training, consisting of 2-week normal training (NT), intensified training (IT), and taper training (TT). Training sessions were quantified using global positioning system devices, heart-rate, and session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), with wellness (general soreness, sleep quality/quantity, readiness to train, fatigue, stress, mood, and motivation) questionnaires collected daily. Psychological (Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes) and physical performance (countermovement jump, cycle ergometer peak power, 30-m sprint, and 2-km time trial) markers were measured after each training period. Perceived (sRPE) and mechanical loading were higher for IT than NT, and IT than TT (p < 0.03; d = 0.65-25.34). Cycle ergometer peak power, 30-m sprint, 2-km time trial, and countermovement jump height showed reductions in performance after IT compared to initial testing (p < 0.02; d = 0.51-1.46), with subsequent increases in performance after TT (p < 0.04; d = 0.66-2.27). Average wellness was higher during NT compared to IT (p = 0.005; d = 1.11). Readiness to train did not significantly differ from NT to IT or TT (p < 0.55; d = <0.59); however, readiness to train did improve during TT after the IT (p = 0.01; d = 1.05). The disturbances in performance, perceptual, and mood states may indicate a state of functional overreaching. The findings suggest that an averaged wellness score may be useful in potentially identifying overreaching. However, despite the popularity of wellness in monitoring systems, these measures overall demonstrated a limited capacity to differentiate between periodized fluctuations in load.