Fatigue score as a promising complementing training monitoring tool: a pilot study in elite rugby sevens players

Emna Makni; Taieb Bouaziz; Karim Chamari; Raghad Tarwneh; Wassim Moalla; Mohamed Elloumi

doi:10.5114/biolsport.2023.116011

eISSN: 2083-1862
ISSN: 0860-021X

Biology of Sport

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2/2023
vol. 40

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abstract:

Original paper

Fatigue score as a promising complementing training monitoring tool: a pilot study in elite rugby sevens players

Emna Makni

¹

,

Taieb Bouaziz

¹

,

Karim Chamari

²

,

Raghad Tarwneh

³

,

Wassim Moalla

⁴

,

Mohamed Elloumi

³

University of Sousse, Laboratory of Physiology and Physiopathology, Faculty of Medicine Ibn El Jazzar, Sousse, Tunisia
Aspetar, Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, Doha, Qatar
Prince Sultan University, Health and Physical Education Department, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
UR15JS01. Education, Motricity, Sport and Health, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education, Sfax University, Tunisia

Biol Sport. 2023;40(2):513–520

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2023.116011

Online publish date: 2022/07/21

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The aim of this study was to compare physical and hormonal responses of seventeen elite rugby sevens players over a 6-week intense training block (IT) and a consecutive 2-week tapering period (TAP), using a fatigue cut-off score of 20 as a potential moderating variable. Training was monitored by daily training load (TL) and strain (TS) (using the session rating of perceived exertion [sRPE]) and also the weekly total score of fatigue (TSF; 8-item questionnaire tool). Testing and 24 h urinary cortisol (CL), cortisone (CN), adrenaline (AD) and noradrenalin (NAD) concentrations were also analysed before (T0) and after IT (T1) and after the TAP (T2). Players were assigned to group 1 with a TSF above 20 (G1 > 20, n = 9) and group 2 with a TSF below 20 (G2 < 20, n = 8) according to the French Society for Sports Medicine guidelines. TSF (effect size [ES] from 1.17 to 1.75), TL (ES from 0.81 to 1.06) and TS (ES from 1.23 to 1.40) were higher in G1 > 20 than in G2 < 20 over IT. Likewise, performance standards (ES from 1.58 to 2.61) and AD levels were lower (ES = 3.20), whereas CL and CL/CN ratio (ES from 1.60 to 3.47) were higher in G1 > 20 than in G2 < 20. After the TAP, TSF, TL and TS returned to baseline values for both groups, with an increase in performance standards and normalization in hormone levels. We suggest that a TSF greater than or equal to 20 could be considered as a fatigue threshold generating hormone disturbance and performance decrement, making it a potentially useful preventive and complementary training monitoring tool.

keywords:

Fatigue score as a promising complementing training monitoring tool: a pilot study in elite rugby sevens players

Emna Makni 1 , Taieb Bouaziz 1 , Karim Chamari 2 , Raghad Tarwneh 3 , Wassim Moalla 4 , Mohamed Elloumi 3

threshold of fatigue, training load, catecholamine, glucocorticoid, rugby sevens, performances

Emna Makni

¹

,

Taieb Bouaziz

¹

,

Karim Chamari

²

,

Raghad Tarwneh

³

,

Wassim Moalla

⁴

,

Mohamed Elloumi

³