Internal workload in elite female football players during the whole in-season: starters vs non-starters

Blanca Romero-Moraleda; Jaime González-García; Esther Morencos; Verónica Giráldez-Costas; José Moya; Rodrigo Ramirez-Campillo

doi:10.5114/biolsport.2023.124849

eISSN: 2083-1862
ISSN: 0860-021X

Biology of Sport

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4/2023
vol. 40

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abstract:

Original paper

Internal workload in elite female football players during the whole in-season: starters vs non-starters

Blanca Romero-Moraleda

^{1, 2}

,

Jaime González-García

³

,

Esther Morencos

³

,

Verónica Giráldez-Costas

⁴

,

José María Moya

¹

,

Rodrigo Ramirez-Campillo

⁵

Department of Physical Education, Sport and Human Movement, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Applied biomechanics and sports technology research group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Exercise and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Health Science, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, 28223 Pozuelo, Spain
Camilo José Cela University. Exercise Physiology Laboratory. Madrid, Spain
Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences Laboratory. School of Physical Therapy. Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences. Universidad Andres Bello. Santiago. Chile

Biol Sport. 2023;40(4):1107–1115

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2023.124849

Online publish date: 2023/03/07

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The aim of this study was to quantify weekly internal workload across the in-season and compare the workload variables between starter and non-starter Spanish female first league (Liga Iberdrola) football players. Twenty-six participants belonging to the same team (age, height, and mass: 25.4 ± 6.1 years, 167.4±4.8 cm and 57.96±6.28 kg, respectively) participated in this study. Training loads (TL) and match loads(ML) were assessed through breath-cardiovascular (RPE_breath), leg-musculature (RPE_leg) and cognitive (RPE_cog) rating of perceived exertion (RPE0–10) for each training session and match during the in-season phase (35 weeks). Session-RPE (sRPE) was calculated by multiplying each RPE value by session duration (minutes). From these, total weekly TL (weekly TL+ML), weekly TL, weekly ML, chronic workload, acute:chronic workload ratio, training monotony, and training strain were calculated. Linear mixed models were used to assess differences for each dependent variable, with playing time (starter vs non-starter players) used as a fixed factor, and athlete, week, and team asrandom factors. The results showed that total weekly TL(d = 1.23–2.04), weekly ML(d = 4.65–5.31), training monotony (d = 0.48–1.66) and training strain (d = 0.24–1.82) for RPE_breath, RPE_leg and RPE_cog were higher for starters in comparison with non-starters (p = 0.01). Coaches involved in elite female football should consider implementing differentialsRPE monitoring strategiesto optimize the weekly load distribution for starters and non-starters and to introduce compensatory strategies to equalise players’ total weekly load.

keywords:

Internal workload in elite female football players during the whole in-season: starters vs non-starters

Blanca Romero-Moraleda 1, 2 , Jaime González-García 3 , Esther Morencos 3 , Verónica Giráldez-Costas 4 , José María Moya 1 , Rodrigo Ramirez-Campillo 5

workload, training, women, soccer, sports

Blanca Romero-Moraleda

^{1, 2}

,

Jaime González-García

³

,

Esther Morencos

³

,

Verónica Giráldez-Costas

⁴

,

José María Moya

¹

,

Rodrigo Ramirez-Campillo

⁵