Relationship Between External Training Load and Session Rating of Perceived Exertion Training Impulse in Elite...

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Athletic Performance

Background:

• Monitoring training load is crucial for optimizing performance and preventing overtraining in elite athletes.
• Rating of Perceived Exertion Training Impulse (RPE-TRIMP) is a common method for quantifying internal training load.
• Understanding how different running velocities influence training load is essential for sprint training prescription.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the relationship between increased running distance at specific velocity ranges and changes in session RPE-TRIMP in elite sprinters.
• To determine the impact of low-velocity running (LVR), high-velocity running (HVR), and very-high-velocity running (VHVR) on internal training load.

Main Methods:

• Collected data from 18 elite sprinters (7 women, 11 men) over 681 training sessions during a 22-week preparation period.
• Utilized wearable GPS technology to measure external load (distance covered in LVR, HVR, VHVR) and RPE-TRIMP for internal load.
• Employed a linear mixed-effects model to analyze the association between running distance in different velocity zones and RPE-TRIMP.

Main Results:

• Increased running distance in all three velocity ranges (LVR, HVR, VHVR) significantly increased RPE-TRIMP (P < .001).
• A 50-meter increase in distance was associated with a 5 AU increase in RPE-TRIMP for LVR, 11.5 AU for HVR, and 22 AU for VHVR.
• The impact on RPE-TRIMP was most pronounced at very-high-velocity running (VHVR).

Conclusions:

• Internal training load, as measured by RPE-TRIMP, increases proportionally with greater distances covered across LVR, HVR, and VHVR in elite sprinters.
• RPE-TRIMP serves as a practical and effective tool for monitoring overall training session load in this population.
• These findings can inform evidence-based training load management strategies for elite sprinters.