The within-participant Correlation between s-RPE and Heart Rate in Youth Sport

A meta-analysis of the criterion-related validity of Session-RPE scales in adolescent athletes

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to establish the criterion-related validity of the session-rating of perceived exertion (s-RPE) method in adolescent athletes.

METHODS

According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020) guidelines, a meta-analysis (PROSPERO ID: CRD42022373126) was performed using Stata 15.1 software. Eight databases using the following terms: ('s-RPE' OR 'Rating Perceived Exertion session' OR 'RPE session' OR 'RPE' OR 'Rate of Perceived Exertion' OR 'Rated of Perceived Exertion') AND ('Adolescen*' OR 'Youth*' OR 'Teen*') AND ('validity' OR 'correlation' OR 'concurrent validity') were searched up to 2022. Articles meeting the inclusion criteria were screened and adopted the "Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS)" to evaluate the risk of bias.

RESULTS

An initial 1798 studies using the s-RPE method were identified and finally, a total of 16 studies were included for further analysis. The relationship between assessment instruments CR-10 or CR-100 modified methods of s-RPE and the heart rate measures of these selected studies were calculated using correlation coefficient (r values) and Fisher's z-score. A strong to very strong correlation between s-RPE and HR was observed (overall: r = 0.74; CR-10: r = 0.69; CR-100: r = 0.80). CR-100 scale (Fisher's z = 1.09) was shown to have a higher criterion validity than that of the CR-10 scale (Fisher's z = 0.85).

CONCLUSION

Preliminary findings showed that s-RPE using either CR-10 or CR-100 scales can be used "stand-alone" for monitoring internal training load for children and adolescent athletes. Future studies should focus on whether CR-100 could better perform than CR-10 for junior and children athletes in different age groups and sports as well as the causes leading to potential scoring biases.

Global Positioning System Watches and Electronic Journals: Are Training-Load Measures Similar in High School Cross-Country Runners?

PURPOSE

Running programs are designed to progress training loads by manipulating the duration, frequency, and/or intensity of running sessions. While some studies use journals to monitor training load, others have used wearable technology. The purpose of this study was to compare the validity of self-reported and global positioning system (GPS)-watch-derived measures of external and internal loads in high school cross-country runners.

METHODS

Twenty-two high school cross-country runners participated in the study during fall 2020. Participants recorded running sessions using a GPS watch and self-reported the running session using an electronic journal. External (distance and duration) and internal loads (session rating of perceived exertion [sRPE], average, and maximum heart rate) were retrieved from the GPS watch and electronic journal. Correlations compared relationships, and Bland-Altman plots compared agreements between GPS-watch-derived and self-reported measures of training loads.

RESULTS

We found moderate relationships between self-reported and GPS-watch-derived measures of external loads (distance: r = .76, moving duration: r = .74, and elapsed duration: r = .70) and poor relationships between internal loads (sRPE vs average heart rate: ρ = .11, sRPE vs maximal heart rate: ρ = .13). We found mean differences of -0.8 km (95% = -6.3 to +4.8 km) for distance, -4.5 minutes (95% = -27.8 to +33.2 min) for moving duration, and 2.7 minutes (95% = -27.8 min to +33.2 min) for elapsed duration.

CONCLUSIONS

High school runners overreported running distance and duration using self-reports, and self-reported and GPS-watch-derived measures of internal loads demonstrated poor agreement. Coaches and clinicians should use caution when comparing results from studies using different methods of monitoring training loads.

2022 Bern Consensus Statement on Shoulder Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Return to Sport for Athletes at All Participation Levels

There is an absence of high-quality evidence to support rehabilitation and return-to-sport decisions following shoulder injuries in athletes. The Athlete Shoulder Consensus Group was convened to lead a consensus process that aimed to produce best-practice guidance for clinicians, athletes, and coaches for managing shoulder injuries in sport. We developed the consensus via a 2-round Delphi process (involving more than 40 content and methods experts) and an in-person meeting. This consensus statement provides guidance with respect to load and risk management, supporting athlete shoulder rehabilitation, and decision making during the return-to-sport process. This statement is designed to offer clinicians the flexibility to apply principle-based approaches to managing the return-to-sport process within a variety of sporting backgrounds. The principles and consensus of experts working across multiple sports may provide a template for developing additional sport-specific guidance in the future. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2022;52(1):11-28. doi:10.2519/jospt.2022.10952.

Differential Ratings of Perceived Match and Training Exertion in Girls' Soccer

PURPOSE

To understand the validity of differential ratings of perceived exertion (dRPE) as a measure of girls' training and match internal loads.

METHODS

Using the centiMax scale (CR100), session dRPE for breathlessness (sRPE-B) and leg muscle exertion (sRPE-L) were collected across a season of training (soccer, resistance, and fitness) and matches from 33 players (15 [1] y). Differences and associations between dRPE were examined using mixed and general linear models. The authors' minimal practical important difference was 8 arbitrary units (AU).

RESULTS

Mean (AU [SD] ∼16) sRPE-B and sRPE-L were 66 and 61 for matches, 51 and 49 for soccer, 86 and 67 for fitness, and 45 and 58 for resistance, respectively. Session RPE-B was rated most likely harder than sRPE-L for fitness (19 AU; 90% confidence limits: ±7) and most likely easier for resistance (-13; ±2). Match (5; ±4) and soccer (-3; ±2) differences were likely to most likely trivial. The within-player relationships between sRPE-B and sRPE-L were very likely moderate for matches (r = .44; 90% confidence limits: ±.12) and resistance training (.38; ±.06), likely large for fitness training (.51; ±.22), and most likely large for soccer training (.56; ±.03). Shared variance ranged from 14% to 35%.

CONCLUSIONS

Practically meaningful differences between dRPE following physical training sessions coupled with low shared variance in all training types and matches suggest that sRPE-B and sRPE-L represent unique sensory inputs in girls' soccer players. The data provide evidence for the face and construct validity of dRPE as a measure of internal load in this population.

Achieving a desired training intensity through the prescription of external training load variables in youth sport: More pieces to the puzzle required

Identifying the external training load variables which influence subjective internal response will help reduce the mismatch between coach-intended and athlete-perceived training intensity. Therefore, this study aimed to reduce external training load measures into distinct principal components (PCs), plot internal training response (quantified via session Rating of Perceived Exertion [sRPE]) against the identified PCs and investigate how the prescription of PCs influences subjective internal training response. Twenty-nine school to international level youth athletes wore microtechnology units for field-based training sessions. SRPE was collected post-session and assigned to the microtechnology unit data for the corresponding training session. 198 rugby union, 145 field hockey and 142 soccer observations were analysed. The external training variables were reduced to two PCs for each sport cumulatively explaining 91%, 96% and 91% of sRPE variance in rugby union, field hockey and soccer, respectively. However, when internal response was plotted against the PCs, the lack of separation between low-, moderate- and high-intensity training sessions precluded further analysis as the prescription of the PCs do not appear to distinguish subjective session intensity. A coach may therefore wish to consider the multitude of physiological, psychological and environmental factors which influence sRPE alongside external training load prescription.

Modification and Applicability of Questionnaires to Assess the Recovery-Stress State Among Adolescent and Child Athletes

Despite the general consensus regarding the implementation of self-report measures in the training monitoring, there is a lack of research about their applicability and comprehensibility among developing athletes. However, this target group needs special considerations to manage the increasing training demands while maintaining health and performance. This study deals with challenges of applying recovery-stress questionnaires which were validated with adult populations among developing athletes and presents a possible approach to enhance their applicability. In two phases, the Acute Recovery and Stress Scale (ARSS), a 32-adjective list covering eight scales, and the 8-item derived version, the Short Recovery and Stress Scale (SRSS) were answered by 1052 athletes between 10 and 16 years. Phase 1 included 302 14- to 16-year-old athletes who used the original questionnaires with the additional option to mark "I don't understand," while modified versions with additional explanations (phase 2) were applied to 438 adolescents (14.7 ± 0.6 years) and 312 child athletes (11.8 ± 1.1 years). Data of the original validation sample (n = 442) were reanalyzed to examine measurement invariance between adults and adolescents. The results showed comparable psychometric properties to the validation sample (e.g., r it > 0.30) and acceptable fit indices via confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), although more difficulties and limitations were present within the younger groups (e.g., Cronbach's α between 0.50 and 0.87), especially among 10- and 11-year-olds. The original as well as the modified SRSS, on the other hand, indicated good applicability (Cronbach's α between 0.72 and 0.80). Multigroup CFA revealed measurement invariance of the original ARSS among adults and adolescents and of the modified ARSS among adolescents and children. Overall, the present study confirmed the assumption that questionnaires designed by and for adults cannot be directly transferred to younger athletes. The peculiarities and differences in the cognitive and affective development of each age group need to be considered. Future research needs to identify a cut-off age to start the proper use of psychometric tools, especially for state-oriented assessments for routine application in training monitoring. Further modifications and long-term investigations are necessary to implement psychometric monitoring in high-performance environments within youth sport.

Variation in the Correlation Between Heart Rate and Session Rating of Perceived Exertion-Based Estimations of Internal Training Load in Youth Soccer Players

PURPOSE

When exposed to the same external load, players receive different internal loads, resulting in varied adaptations in fitness. In adult soccer, internal training load is measured using heart rate (HR) and session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) scales, but these have been underutilized in youth soccer. This study investigated the in-season variation in correlation between HR and sRPE estimations of training load for adolescent soccer players.

METHOD

Fifteen male professional adolescent players were monitored for 7 months. Within-participant correlations and Bland-Altman agreement plots for HR and sRPE were calculated for each month to analyze variation over the season and for individual players to analyze the validity of the scale.

RESULTS

The monthly correlations ranged from r = .60 to r = .73 (P < .05) and the overall correlation was r = .64 (95% confidence interval, .60-.68; P < .001). Bland-Altman plots showed an agreement of methods.

CONCLUSION

Results showed consistently large correlations for all months. sRPE is a consistent method of measure of internal training load for the entire season for youth soccer players. Validity analysis found no bias in sRPE measurements when compared with HR for all players in the study.