Variations of perceived load and well-being between normal and congested weeks in elite case study handball team

Anabolic/Catabolic Hormone Imbalance but Still Jumping Further? Negative Association of Free Testosterone With Jumping Performance in Elite Handball Players Following a Preparatory Period

Purpose: The present study investigated the effects of a 10-week preparatory training period on biomarkers and jumping performance and associations of changes in biomarkers, load, and jumping performance from the beginning (PRE) to the end of the preparatory period (POST) in elite handball players. Methods: Seventeen elite handball players competing in the first Slovenian men's League were recruited. Training, competition and academic loads were reported weekly, while biomarkers and jumping performance were assessed at PRE and POST. Results: At POST, decreased levels of free testosterone (large effect size [ES] = -1.69, p < .001) and free testosterone to cortisol ratio [FTCR] (large ES = -.95, p = .004) were observed; whereas, better performance on the single leg lateral hop test [SLLH] (large ES = .85, p = .007) and single leg triple hop test [SLTH] (large ES = 1.05, p = .002) were observed compared to PRE. Furthermore, changes in FTCR correlated with changes in cortisol (high r = -.751, p = .001), SLLH (moderate r = -.603, p = .022), and SLTH (moderate r = -.643, p = .013), while changes in free testosterone correlated with SLTH (moderate r = -.645, p = .013). Conclusions: High intensity trainings with a saturated competition schedule can result in disturbed anabolic/catabolic hormone ratio observed through FTCR decrease, which could indicate either an optimal state or early exhaustiveness. It seems that SLLH and SLTH are more sensitive to changes in biomarkers than a single leg hop test. Sport professionals may use the results for individualized monitoring of an athlete's health and performance, specifically, as an aid for adjusting training loads accordingly to prevent performance declines and potential injury/illness events.

Relationship Between Objective and Subjective Markers of Muscle Recovery in Professional Handball Players

PURPOSE

To evaluate the relationship between items of the Short Recovery and Stress Scale (SRSS) related to physical stress and recovery and the biomarker creatine kinase (CK) in professional handball.

METHODS

CK and SRSS items (physical performance capability, overall recovery, muscular stress, and overall stress) were assessed in an observational study of 16 adult male professional handball players from a team in the highest German league during the 2019-20 preseason. Their preseason training schedule included several microcycles, each consisting of 3 consecutive days of intense training followed by a rest day. On 5 of these rest days, when players were classified as nonrested, and the 5 immediately following days, when players were classified as rested, players completed the SRSS between 8:00 and 9:00 AM, followed by blood sampling. Correlations between SRSS items were performed using Kendall τ. The relationship between each SRSS item and CK levels over time was examined using a mixed-effects model with a random intercept.

RESULTS

CK levels and SRSS stress items were significantly higher and SRSS recovery items were significantly lower in nonrested players. SRSS items were significantly positively or negatively correlated (all items: P < .001) and showed a significant effect indicating lower CK levels in rested players (all items: P ≤ .001; ηp2=.1-.32).

CONCLUSIONS

The investigated SRSS items may be a viable option for assessing muscle recovery in adult male professional handball players in a cost-effective and noninvasive manner. They can be used as a single monitoring tool or as part of a multimodal approach.

Monitoring Heart Rate Variability and Perceived Well-Being in Brazilian Elite Beach Volleyball Players: A Single-Tournament Pilot Study

ABSTRACT

Nakamura, FY, Torres, VBC, da Silva, LS, Gantois, P, Andrade, AD, Ribeiro, ALB, Brasileiro-Santos, MdS, and Batista, GR. Monitoring heart rate variability and perceived well-being in Brazilian elite beach volleyball players: A single-tournament pilot study. J Strength Cond Res 36(6): 1708-1714, 2022-The aim of this study was to monitor the changes in heart rate variability (HRV) and perceptual well-being status after a beach volleyball (BV) tournament day in high-level U17 and senior players. Seventeen BV players (U17 [15-16 years]: n = 08; and senior [19-41 years]: n = 09) competing at national and/or international BV level participated in this study. Resting HRV and perceptual well-being measures were recorded across 4 moments: night 1 (prematches night), morning 1 (prematches morning), night 2 (postmatches night), and morning 2 (postmatches morning). Session rating of perceived exertion was assessed 10 minutes after each match, and accumulated match loads were used for analysis. Senior players presented higher values of natural logarithm of square root of the mean squared differences of successive RR intervals (lnRMSSD) at the 4 observation moments than U17 players (p = 0.006). Within-subjects analysis showed a larger mean difference regarding both lnRMSSD and natural logarithm SD of normal R-R intervals (lnSDNN) between night 1 vs. night 2 in U17 players (effect size = 1.11 and, 0.96, respectively) compared with senior (effect size = 0.40 and 0.32, respectively). Accumulated match loads were negatively correlated with percentage change in lnRMSSD (r = -0.54; p = 0.037). U17 players showed higher well-being variation than senior (group × time; p = 0.02). In conclusion, the lnRMSSD index was able to discriminate the U17 and senior BV players, and maintaining high vagally related HRV indices is an important response to BV training and competition.

Internal Load of Male Varsity Ice Hockey Players During Training and Games Throughout an Entire Season

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to quantify the internal load of male varsity ice hockey players, using both sessional rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) and the heart rate-derived physiological measure of training impulse (TRIMP), during training sessions and competitions throughout an entire season.

METHODS

Twenty-seven male varsity ice hockey players (22.1 [1.1] y, 85.9 [5.4] kg, 181.3 [5.1] cm) were included in this longitudinal prospective cohort study.

RESULTS

The internal load was significantly higher (P < .001) for games (sRPE: 403 [184] arbitrary units [AU], TRIMP: 98 [59] AU) compared with training sessions (sRPE: 281 [130] AU, TRIMP: 71 [35] AU). The regular season had the highest internal load compared with the preseason and postseason. There was evidence of microcycle periodization with training sessions several days prior to game days having the highest internal load (both sRPE and TRIMP) and tapering down as the subsequent training sessions approached game day. For positional comparisons, the goalies had higher sRPE (346 [151] AU, P < .001) and TRIMP (99 [64] AU, P < .001) compared with defense (sRPE: 295 [130] AU, TRIMP: 65 [29] AU) and forwards (sRPE: 264 [123] AU, TRIMP: 70 [30] AU) for training sessions, but no significant differences were present for competitions. Finally, there was an overall moderate and statistically significant relationship between the sRPE and TRIMP internal load measures (r = .434, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Internal load was greater during competitions versus training sessions in male varsity ice hockey players, and the microcycle assessment demonstrated that training sessions were tailored to game day. Mesocycle assessment revealed the highest internal loads during the regular season due to dense game scheduling and a short season.

Injuries in Japanese university handball: a study among 1017 players

The aim of this study was to examine the injury profile of Japanese university handball players. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1017 participants who played in the 2018 Japanese National University Handball Championship were followed. The incidence within the previous year was 0.59 [95% CI, confidence interval: 0.56-0.62] per player per year. The ankle (33.3%), knee (23.6%), and shoulder/clavicle (12.6%) were the body regions most affected by traumatic mechanisms, while the lumbar spine/lower back (26.0%), knee (15.7%), and shoulder (15.0%) were the body regions most affected by overuse mechanisms. Sprain (30.7%), ligamentous rupture (23.2%), and fracture (11.8%) were the main types of traumatic injuries, and stress fracture (25.0%) and lesion of meniscus or cartilage (25.0%) were the main types of overuse injuries. Female players were 1.5 times more likely (OR, odds ratio: 1.55 [95% CI: 1.20-2.01]) to experience an injury than their male counterparts, and line players were also 1.5 times more likely (OR: 1.49 [95% CI: 1.00-2.21]) to experience an injury than their wing counterparts. This study showed that there is a need for increased injury prevention efforts in Japanese handball, especially among female players.

Effects of Congested Fixture on Men's Volleyball Load Demands: Interactions with Sets Played

The purpose of this study was to compare the external load, internal load, and technical efficacy between the first and the second matches (M1 and M2) occurring in congested fixtures (two matches in two days) using the number of sets as a moderating factor. An observational analytic research design was adopted. Data from official volleyball matches were collected during the first competitive period of the championship, comprising 14 competitive games within 10 weeks. Ten male elite volleyball athletes (age: 21.7 ± 4.19 years of age; experience: 6.2 ± 3.8 years; body mass: 85.7 ± 8.69 kg; height: 192.4 ± 6.25 cm; BMI: 23.1 ± 1.40 kg/m2) participated in this study. Players were monitored for external load (number of jumps and height of jumps) and internal load (using the rate of perceived exertion-RPE). Additionally, notational analysis collected information about attack efficacy and receptions made during matches. The mixed ANOVA revealed no significant interaction between time (M1 vs. M2) and number of sets for number of jumps per minute (p = 0.235; ηp2 = 0.114), mean jump height (p = 0.076; ηp2 = 0.193), RPE (p = 0.261; ηp2 = 0.106), attack efficacy (p = 0.346; ηp2 = 0.085), Positive reception (p = 0.980; ηp2 = 0.002) and Perfect reception (p = 0.762; ηp2 = 0.022). In conclusion, congested fixtures do not seem to affect the performance of volleyball players negatively.

Effect of Kinesio taping on delayed-onset muscle soreness in elite athletes

BACKGROUND

This research analyzes the effect of Kinesio taping on delayed-onset muscle soreness in elite athletes because delayed-onset muscle soreness increases the risk of injury in sports.

METHODS

Elite female volleyball players (n=31) were randomly divided into experimental (n=16, with Kinesio taping of the knee) and control (n=15) groups. To elicit delayed-onset soreness in knee joint muscles, the protocol that we used consisting of downhill running, visual analog pain score assessment, and measurements of serum interleukin-6 and creatine kinase concentrations immediately and after 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the pain reported by the athletes with Kinesio taping decreased 24 hours and 48 hours (P<0.05) after running, but there was no significant difference 72 hours (P<0.05) after running. Interleukin-6 concentrations were lower in the athletes with Kinesio taping than those in the control group immediately and 24 hours (P<0.05) after running, but there was no significant difference 48 hours and 72 hours (P<0.05) after running. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) in creatine kinase concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of Kinesio taping in elite athletes is an effective protective strategy for alleviating pain symptoms caused by delayed-onset muscle soreness, but it is not effective to alleviate the skeletal muscle microinjury caused by delayed-onset muscle soreness.

An Examination of Training Load, Match Activities, and Health Problems in Norwegian Youth Elite Handball Players Over One Competitive Season

Talent development is integral to the policy and organizational practice of competitive sport, but has also been associated with excessive amounts of training and competition, and athlete injuries and illnesses. The lack of available prospective data on the training and match activities of youth athletes and their health problems is therefore of concern. The aim of this study was two-fold: (a) to examine the amount and frequency of training load, match activities, injury and illness incidence, and prevalence among Norwegian youth elite handball players over the course of the 2018-2019 competitive season; and (b) to explore whether the injury rates are related to the sex or competition level of players, or their membership of the youth international team. We recruited 205 handball players (64% female, 36% male), aged 15-18 years (17.2 years ± 0.9) from five different sport school programs in southeast Norway. Data were collected daily from September 2018 to May 2019, during the competitive handball season. The variables included types of athlete activities, the number of activities, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and the duration of training and matches. Injury and illness data were collected weekly using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) questionnaire. The mean number of matches per week per player was 0.9 ± 1.29; the number of weekly training events was 6.1 ± 4.4; and the mean weekly session RPE was 986 ± 1 412 arbitrary units. The players reported a total of 472 injuries, and the mean number of injuries per player was 2.3 ± 2.9. The results demonstrated a 53% weekly injury prevalence, of which 38% were categorized as substantial injuries. Male players and players who participated at the highest level of senior competition and/or the youth international team reported significantly lower weekly incidences of health problems, compared to other players. Our findings showed that players enrolled in sport school programs are exposed to high training and competition loads, and that both general and substantial health problems are common. The potential implications for talent development and future research are discussed.

Athlete-Reported Outcome Measures for Monitoring Training Responses: A Systematic Review of Risk of Bias and Measurement Property Quality According to the COSMIN Guidelines

BACKGROUND

Athlete-reported outcome measures (AROMs) are frequently used in research and practice but no studies have examined their psychometric properties.

OBJECTIVES

Part 1-identify the most commonly used AROMs in sport for monitoring training responses; part 2-assess risk of bias, measurement properties, and level of evidence, based on the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidelines.

STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS

Methodological quality of the studies, quality of measurement properties, and level of evidence were determined using the COSMIN checklist and criteria.

RESULTS

Part 1-from 9446 articles screened for title and abstract, 310 out of 334 full texts were included; 53.9% of the AROMs contained multiple items, while 46.1% contained single items. Part 2-from 1895 articles screened for title and abstract, 71 were selected. Most measurement properties of multiple-item AROMs were adequate, but content validity and measurement error were inadequate. With the exclusion of 2 studies examining reliability and responsiveness, no validity studies were found for single items.

CONCLUSIONS

The measurement properties of multiple-item AROMs derived from psychometrics were acceptable (with the exclusion of content validity and measurement error). The single-item AROMs most frequently used in sport science have not been validated. Additionally, nonvalidated modified versions of the originally nonvalidated items are common. Until proper validation studies are completed, all conclusions based on these AROMs are questionable. Established reference methods, such as those of clinimetrics, should be used to develop and assess the validity of AROMs.

Determining the relationship between load markers and non-contact injuries during the competitive season among professional and semi-professional basketball players

This study examined the association and predictive ability of internal load markers (based on rating of perceived exertion, RPE) with non-contact injuries in basketball. 35 basketball players (age: 24 ± 6 years, stature: 196 ± 9 cm, body mass: 91 ± 12 kg) were prospectively followed during 1 or 2 seasons, during which non-contact injuries were recorded. Markers examined were: mean weekly RPE, weekly load, exposure, week-to-week load change, acute:chronic 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 load ratio. A generalized estimating equations analysis was used to determine association with non-contact injury in the subsequent week. Prediction was examined with receiver operating characteristic curve, area under the curve (AUC) and Youden index. No associations were found between load markers and non-contact injuries (all p > 0.05); load markers showed no injury predictive ability (AUC range: 0.468-537; Youden index range: 0.019-132). In conclusion, the load markers selected are not associated with non-contact injuries and they cannot be used to predict injuries in basketball.

Higher training workloads do not correspond to the best performances of elite basketball players

The aim of this study was to identify the correspondence between the workload demands in training sessions and the game performance from elite basketball players, according to their specific positions. Data were collected from a professional men's basketball team competing in the Spanish Professional League and Euroleague. Players' activity during the training sessions was measured using WIMU PRO® and the game statistics were used as a measure of game performance. Cluster analysis allowed to classify the training workload and the game performance, whereas correspondence analysis allowed to explore their relationship. In essence, there was no correspondence from the higher workloads with the best performances, on the contrary, the small forwards' best performances corresponded to lower training workouts. Despite their importance, the external measures of load need to be complemented with additional (and valid) measures that can be translated to game performance.

Injury Profile of Male and Female Senior and Youth Handball Players: A Systematic Review

Handball is a team sport in which players are exposed to high physical conditioning requirements and several contacts and collisions, so they must face various musculoskeletal injuries throughout their career. The aim of this study was to summarize the characteristics of handball injuries both in training and in competition contexts, differentiating by gender and age. A systematic review was conducted and a total of 15 studies (33 cohorts) met the inclusion criteria. Higher injury incidence was reported during matches compared to training sessions in all groups (i.e., male and female senior and youth players), with male senior players presenting the greatest values. Lower extremities were more frequently injured, being contusions and sprains the most common type of injuries. Females reported more serious injuries than males, who presented a higher percentage of acute injuries caused by direct contact, while in female players these injuries were not caused by direct contact actions. Wings and backs presented the highest injury incidence; additionally, players registered higher match incidence during international championships compared to national leagues. Due to the differences in the injury profile of handball players, specific preventive strategies should be implemented for each group to optimize the injury prevention process.

Effects of using compound or complex strength-power training during in-season in team sports

Literature is scarce on how players with poorly and well developed physical qualities respond to different combinations of strength-power training during in-season. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of (i) compound training performed by stronger athletes at different days and (ii) complex training performed by weaker athletes within the same training session. Twenty male handball players were classified as strong or weak according to countermovement jump performance and assigned to a 12-week training programme. Linear sprint, changes of direction, repeated sprint ability and vertical jump capacity were used to assess physical profiles. Compound training performed by stronger players resulted in unclear effects on vertical jump, 20-m and repeated sprint. Likely improvements were found in 10-m sprint (-11.3%; 11.9%). Weaker players who performed complex training presented likely and very likely improvements on vertical jump (13.7%; 5.4%), sprint (10 m, -10.7%; 10.3%; 20 m, -6.0%; 3.4%) and repeated sprint (-4.1%; 3.7%) with moderate to large effect size. The results show that complex and compound strategies are useful in improving the physical profiles of weaker players and maintaining stronger players' capacities during in-season, respectively. Players involved in the same competitive context, even from the same team, may require different strength training strategies.

Quantification of external and internal match loads in elite female team handball

To assess concurrently the external and internal match loads in elite female team handball players and to verify the differences in match loads between matches characterized by different durations. Eight elite female court handball players (mean±SD; age 23.0±2.1 years; stature 173.5±4.9 cm; body mass 67.8±6.8 kg) belonging to the same elite female handball team were investigated. Individualized internal and external match loads were monitored during seven 1st Division Lithuanian Women's Handball League [Lietuvos Moteru Rankinio Lyga (LMRL)] matches and seven Women's Baltic Handball League (WBHL) matches during the 2017/18 season. The LMRL and WBHL matches were characterized by different durations (two 30-min halves and two 20-min halves for LMRL and WBHL, respectively). The investigated external load measures were total player load (PL) and PL per minute (PL.min-1), while internal load measures were match load calculated from session rating of perceived exertion (S-RPE) and percentage of maximum heart rate (%HRmax). The main outcomes revealed a PL. min-1 of ~9 AU and ~84% of HRmax per match. Moreover, significantly higher total PL (p<0.001; ES (effect size) = Moderate) and match load calculated from S-RPE (p<0.05; ES= small to moderate) were found in LMRL compared to WBHL. Conversely, no statistically significant differences were found for PL.min-1 and %HRmax between the two leagues. The main results indicate that elite female handball matches require high physical and physiological demands. Additionally, a longer match time corresponded to dissimilar responses in external and internal match loads, suggesting that coaches should monitor match loads with different strategies.