Int J Sports Med 2020; 41(07): 468-474
DOI: 10.1055/a-1087-2183
Training & Testing

External and internal Load and their Effects on Professional Volleyball Training

Ricardo Franco Lima
1   Escola Superior de Desporto e Lazer, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
2   CIDESD, Creativelab, Vila Real, Portugal
,
Ana Silva
3   Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Escola Superior de Desporto e Lazer, Escola Superior de Desporto e Lazer de Melgaço, Melgaco, Portugal
4   Polytechnic Institute of Maia, N2i, Maia, Portugal
5   CIDESD, Strong, Vila Real, Portugal
,
José Afonso
6   University of Porto, Centre for Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Porto, Portugal
,
Henrique Castro
7   Physical Education Department, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
,
Filipe Manuel Clemente
3   Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Escola Superior de Desporto e Lazer, Escola Superior de Desporto e Lazer de Melgaço, Melgaco, Portugal
8   Departamento da Covilhã, Instituto de Telecomunicacoes, Lisboa, Portugal
› Author Affiliations
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) characterize the external and internal training load of professional volleyball players with a focus on intra-week changes and (ii) test the relationships between internal and external load measures. Eight male professional players (age: 23.0±5.22 yo; body mass: 84.5 ± 7.58 kg; height: 193.0±9.71 cm; BMI: 22.0±0.02 kg/m2) were monitored daily over 15 weeks. The monitoring process included both internal (rate of perceived exertion [RPE] and session-RPE [s-RPE]) and external load variables, which were measured by an inertial measurement unit. Results revealed that, within-week variations revealed that RPE was significantly higher during MD-2 (d=0.59) and MD-3 (d=0.56) than MD-1. A significantly higher number of jumps was observed on MD-2 than MD-1 (d=0.69). Considering the relationships between internal and external load measures, small positive correlations were found between RPE and the number of jumps (r=0.17) and between s-RPE and the number of jumps (r=0.49). In conclusion, a tapering strategy was observed on the day before a match, as internal and external loads decreased. Both internal and external load measures are necessary to provide an accurate perception of the impact of training stimuli on players.



Publication History

Received: 00 00 2019

Accepted: 16 December 2019

Article published online:
14 February 2020

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