Training Load Distribution Across Weekly Microcycles According to the Match Schedule During the Regular Season in a...

Background. This study aimed to quantify differences in the internal training load (ITL) of an elite rink hockey (RH) team across days within and between three types of microcycles: pre-season, in-season regular, and in-season congested, to provide insights to optimise microcycle scheduling. Methods. One international-level male RH team comprising seven outfielders (29.6 ± 4.7 years; height, 178.9 ± 2.3 cm; body mass, 77.8 ± 5.7 kg) and one goalkeeper (32 years; height, 180.4 cm; body mass, 83.6 kg) was monitored for 21 microcycles. The ITL was assessed using the session rate of perceived exertion (sRPE) and quantified as time based on a triphasic classification commonly utilised in team sports: low-intensity training (LIT, <80% heart rate maximum (HRmax)), medium-intensity training (MIT, 80-90% HRmax), and high-intensity training (HIT, >90% HRmax). Generalized estimating equations were used to examine differences across within-microcycle training days and between seasonal phases, with linear mixed models applied as sensitivity analyses. Results. Across all phases, significant day-to-day variations in ITL were observed within microcycles (all p < 0.001), with both subjective (sRPE) and objective (LIT-HIT) ITLs progressively decreasing as match days (MDs) approached, showing moderate-to-large population-averaged effects with 95% confidence intervals consistently not crossing zero. The pre-season exhibited the highest overall ITL (p < 0.001), characterised by a substantially greater sRPE and increased time spent across all intensity zones, with the largest magnitudes observed for LIT and MIT compared with the in-season phases. Conclusions. Findings suggest that an international-level RH team progressively reduced the ITL as MDs approached with the highest loads scheduled earlier within microcycles. Moreover, the pre-season had the highest ITLs. This ITL distribution may provide useful guidance for RH coaches and support staff in optimising microcycle planning.