Do elite endurance athletes report their training accurately?
Øystein Sylta1, Espen Tønnessen, Stephen Seiler
1Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.
Elite endurance athletes accurately self-report training duration and intensity. Daily self-reporting (SR) is a valid method for quantifying training load, though guidelines could improve accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Exercise Physiology
- Performance Analytics
Background:
- Accurate training load monitoring is crucial for elite athlete development.
- Self-reported (SR) training data is commonly used but requires validation.
- Understanding the reliability of SR data is key for performance optimization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the accuracy of self-reported (SR) training duration and intensity distribution in elite endurance athletes.
- To compare SR training data with objective measures like heart rate (HR) monitors and expert analysis (EA).
- To assess the reliability of SR training logs for elite cross-country skiers.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-four elite cross-country skiers self-reported training sessions over ~14 days.
- Training duration was compared between SR data and HR monitor recordings.
- Intensity distribution from SR data was compared with expert analysis (EA) of session data, incorporating HR and blood lactate.
Main Results:
- SR training duration showed near-perfect correlation (r = .99) with recorded duration, with a small underestimation of 1.7%.
- SR intensity distribution closely matched EA for lower intensity zones (1-2) but showed discrepancies in higher zones (3-4).
- SR training duration >55% HRmax was overestimated by 11.4% due to inclusion of lower-intensity periods.
Conclusions:
- Self-reported training data by elite endurance athletes is largely accurate for duration and intensity.
- Daily SR training is a valid method for quantifying training load in this population.
- Standardized reporting guidelines could further enhance the precision of SR training data.
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