External and internal Load and their Effects on Professional Volleyball Training
Ricardo Lima, Ana Filipa Silva, José Afonso, Henrique de Oliveira Castro, Filipe Manuel Clemente
Abstract
The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) characterize the external and internal training load of professional volleyball players with a focus on intra-week changes and (ii) test the relationships between internal and external load measures. Eight male professional players (age: 23.0±5.22 yo; body mass: 84.5 ± 7.58 kg; height: 193.0±9.71 cm; BMI: 22.0±0.02 kg/m2) were monitored daily over 15 weeks. The monitoring process included both internal (rate of perceived exertion [RPE] and session-RPE [s-RPE]) and external load variables, which were measured by an inertial measurement unit. Results revealed that, within-week variations revealed that RPE was significantly higher during MD-2 (d=0.59) and MD-3 (d=0.56) than MD-1. A significantly higher number of jumps was observed on MD-2 than MD-1 (d=0.69). Considering the relationships between internal and external load measures, small positive correlations were found between RPE and the number of jumps (r=0.17) and between s-RPE and the number of jumps (r=0.49). In conclusion, a tapering strategy was observed on the day before a match, as internal and external loads decreased. Both internal and external load measures are necessary to provide an accurate perception of the impact of training stimuli on players.