Comparisons of new body load and metabolic power average workload indices between starters and non-starters: A full-season study in professional soccer players
Hadi Nobarı, Gibson Moreira Praça, Filipe Manuel Clemente, Jorge Pérez‐Gómez, Jorge Carlos‐Vivas, Mina Ahmadi
Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the weekly average training monotony new body load (wTM NBL ) and strain (wTS NBL ), as well as the weekly average training monotony metabolic power average (wTM MPA ) and strain (wTS MPA ) between four periods of a season (preseason, early-season, mid-season, and end-season), considering starters and non-starters. Twenty-one professional soccer players (age: 28.27 ± 3.78 years) were monitored throughout a season in the highest level of professional football Premier League in Iran. Data were captured by Global Positioning System (GPS) devices. Independent samples T-tests were applied to analyze the between-group differences for all dependent derived-GPS variables for the full season and its different periods (preseason, early-season, mid-season, and end-season). Based on the amount of time attending in match and training, players were divided into two groups (starters and non-starters) each week. The magnitude of the between-group difference revealed a very large significant greater weekly average TM NBL ( p<0.001, d = −2.42), TS NBL ( p<0.001; d = −2.74), TM MPA ( p<0.001; d =–2.79) and TS MPA ( p<0.001; d = −3.27) for starters when compared to non-starters during the early-season. The findings also revealed a very large significant difference when starters were compared to non-starters during the mid-season (TM NBL : p<0.001, d = −2.89; TS NBL : p<0.001, d = −2.99; TM MPA : p<0.001, d = −3.28; and TS MPA : p<0.001, d = −3.25) and end-season (TM NBL : p<0.001, d = −2.89; TS NBL : p<0.001, d = −3.07; TM MPA : p<0.001, d = −3.16; and TS MPA : p<0.001, d = −3.58). In summary, the results of this study revealed that starters present regularly higher values of NBL, MPA-based weekly training monotony, and training strain than non-starters. This result must be taken into account when planning weekly workloads for these groups. Specifically, starters might experience high values of external workloads because of match-related demands. Therefore, weekly adjustments in their training workload are required to reduce injury risk.