Browsing by Author "Rafael-Moreira, Tiago"
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- Are non-starters accumulating enough load compared with starters? Examining load, wellness, and training/match ratios of a European professional soccer teamPublication . Oliveira, Rafael; Canário-Lemos, Rui; Morgans, Ryland; Rafael-Moreira, Tiago; Vilaça-Alves, José; Brito, JoãoBackground The aims of the study were to: (i) compare accumulated load and wellness between starters and non starters of a European professional soccer team; (ii) analyze the relationships between wellness and load measures and; (iii) compare training/match ratio (TMr) of external and internal load between starters and non-starters. Methods Ten players were considered starters while seven were classifed as non-starters over a 16-week period in which six training sessions and match day (MD) were considered in each weekly micro-cycle. The following meas‑ ures were used: wellness (fatigue, quality of sleep, muscle soreness, stress, and mood); load (rated of perceived exertion (RPE), session-RPE (s-RPE), high-speed running (HSR), sprinting, accelerations (ACC) and decelerations (DEC)). Accumulated wellness/load were calculated by summing all training and match sessions, while TMr was calculated by dividing accumulated training load by match data for all load measures and each player. Mann–Whitney U test was used for wellness variables, while independent T-test was used for the remaining variables to compare groups. Moreover, relationships among variables were explored using the Spearman’s Rho correlation coefcient. Results The main results showed that non-starters presented higher signifcant values for fatigue (p<0.019; g=0.24) and lower signifcant values for duration (p<0.006; ES=1.81) and s-RPE (p<0.001; ES=2.69) when compared to start‑ ers. Moreover, positive and very large correlation was found between quality of sleep and RPE, while negative and very large correlation were found between stress and deceleration, and mood and deceleration (all, p<0.05). Finally, non-starters presented higher values in all TMr than starters, namely, RPE (p=0.001; g=1.96), s-RPE (p=0.002; g=1.77), HSR (p=0.001; g=2.02), sprinting (p=0.002; g=4.23), accelerations (p=0.001; g=2.72), decelerations (p<0.001; g=3.44), and duration (p=0.003; g=2.27). Conclusions In conclusion, this study showed that non-starters produced higher TMr in all examined variables despite the lower match and training durations when compared with starters, suggesting that physical load was adjusted appropriately. Additionally, higher RPE was associated with improved sleep while higher number of decelerations were associated with decreased wellness, namely, stress and mood for non-starters.
- Are physiological, physical, wellness and load decisive markers of starting players? A case study from a professional male soccer teamPublication . Oliveira, Rafael; Canário-Lemos, Rui; Morgans, Ryland; Rafael-Moreira, Tiago; Vilaça-Alves, José; Brito, JoãoThe study aim was to compare physiological, physical, accumulated wellness and load markers within a European professional soccer team between starters and non-starters. Ten starters (age: 25.1 ± 2.2 years; experience: 7.3 ± 2.3 years) and eight non starters (age: 26.1 ± 4.6; years’ experience: 8.3 ± 4.1 years) participated in the study. The study was conducted across 20 weeks where 75 training sessions and 15 matches occurred. Wellness (fatigue, quality of sleep, muscle soreness, stress and mood) and load (rating of perceived exertion (RPE), accelerations, decelerations, high-speed running and sprinting) measures were observed. Physiological evaluation consisted of a 1200 m maximum effort shuttle test while physical capacity assessment included isokinetic strength, jump ability and balance tests. Isokinetic tests were used to assess peak torque of both legs (extension and flexion at 60◦ /s and 180◦ /s), single squat jump and single hop jump were utilized to assess jump ability and Y-balance tests were employed to examine balance. Starters presented significantly higher values for peak torque extension of the non-dominant leg compared to non-starters (p = 0.038, effect size (ES) = 0.996), while non-starters showed higher values for both Y-balance postero-medial and postero lateral (p = 0.009, ES = −1.309 and p = 0.021, ES = −1.133, respectively). Accumulated duration and RPE were lower for non-starters than starters (p ≤ 0.001, ES = 1.268, and p = 0.022, ES = 1.123, respectively). The physiological and physical tests conducted in this study do not seem to determine the starting status of players, considering that only one test revealed significantly higher values for starters. Despite the lower training and match duration for non-starters, this showed that it is possible to accumulate identical load while managing wellness regardless of starting status.