Periodization and Physical Performance in Elite Female Soccer Players

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 664-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn K. Mara ◽  
Kevin G. Thompson ◽  
Kate L. Pumpa ◽  
Nick B. Ball

Purpose:To investigate the variation in training demands, physical performance, and player well-being across a women’s soccer season.Methods:Seventeen elite female players wore GPS tracking devices during every training session (N = 90) throughout 1 national-league season. Intermittent high-speed-running capacity and 5-, 15-, and 25-m-sprint testing were conducted at the beginning of preseason, end of preseason, midseason, and end of season. In addition, subjective well-being measures were selfreported daily by players over the course of the season.Results:Time over 5 m was lowest at the end of preseason (mean 1.148 s, SE 0.017 s) but then progressively deteriorated to the end of the season (P < .001). Sprint performance over 15 m improved by 2.8% (P = .013) after preseason training, while 25-m-sprint performance peaked at midseason, with a 3.1% (P = .05) improvement from the start of preseason, before declining at the end of season (P = .023). Training demands varied between phases, with total distance and high-speed distance greatest during preseason before decreasing (P < .001) during the early- and late-season phases. Endurance capacity and well-being measures did not change across training phases.Conclusions:Monitoring training demands and subsequent physical performance in elite female soccer players allow coaches to ensure that training periodization goals are being met and related positive training adaptations are being elicited.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Keicher ◽  
Lena Pyrkosch ◽  
Bernd Wolfarth ◽  
Andreas Ströhle

Abstract Background Whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) training is used in popular and health sports to improve muscular performance. Little is known about the possible psychological effects of WB-EMS training. The aim of the study is therefore to investigate the possible psychological effects of WB-EMS training on subjective well-being, relaxation, mood, and perceived stress. Materials and Methods Twenty-five healthy subjects underwent conventional WB-EMS training and Sham training (without the application of electrical stimulation) as part of a randomized, controlled pilot study in a crossover design. Subjective well-being and subjective relaxation were assessed using visual analog scales, the current state of mood was assessed with Multidimensional Mood State Questionnaires (MDBF), and the current level of stress was assessed with Recovery–Stress Questionnaires/Erholungs-Belastungs-Fragebögen (RESTQEBF) before and after training. Results WB-EMS training has a statistically significant positive effect on subjective well-being and subjective relaxation, as well as on the awake subscale of the MDBF. No significant main effect of sequence and no interaction effects were found. Also, compared to a Sham training session, a single WB-EMS training session had no significant effect on mood, nervousness, or the current level of stress. Conclusion Besides physiological effects, WB-EMS might also have a strong psychological impact. WB-EMS could be beneficial for people who, due to their limitations, have problems training on a regular basis and with adequate training intensity. Trial Registration German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00012583, 22 June 2017.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003151252110212
Author(s):  
Alexandre Moreira ◽  
Daniel Gomes da Silva Machado ◽  
Marom Bikson ◽  
Gozde Unal ◽  
Paul S. Bradley ◽  
...  

This study investigated the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with a recovery training session on the well-being and self-perceived recovery of professional female soccer players after official matches. Data from 13 world-class players were analyzed after participating in four official soccer matches of the first division of the Brazilian Women’s Soccer Championship (7-, 10-, and 13-day intervals). We applied anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with 2 mA for 20 minutes (+F3/−F4 montage) the day after each match. Participants underwent two randomly ordered sessions of a-tDCS or sham. Players completed the Well-Being Questionnaire (WBQ) and the Total Quality Recovery (TQR) scale before each experimental condition and again the following morning. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA showed a significant time x condition interaction on the WBQ (F(1,11)=5.21; p=0.043; ηp2=0.32), but not on the TQR (F(1,12) = 0.552; p = 0.47; ηp2 = 0.044). There was a large effect size (ES) for a-tDCS for the WBQ score (ES = 1.02; 95%CI = 0.17;1.88), and there was a moderate WBQ score increase (ES = 0.53; 95%CI = −0.29;1.34) for the sham condition. We found similar increases in the TQR score for a-tDCS (ES = 1.50; 95%CI = 0.63–2.37) and the sham condition (ES = 1.36; 95%CI = 0.51–2.22). These results suggest that a-tDCS (+F3/−F4 montage) combined with a recovery training session may slightly improve perceived well-being beyond the level of improvement after only the recovery training session among world-class female soccer players. Prior to widely adopting this recovery approach, further study is needed with larger and more diverse samples, including for female teams of different performance levels.


Author(s):  
Marcin Maciejczyk ◽  
Renata Błyszczuk ◽  
Aleksander Drwal ◽  
Beata Nowak ◽  
Marek Strzała

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of short-term (4 weeks, twice a week: 8 sessions) plyometric training on agility, jump, and repeated sprint performance in female soccer players. The study comprised 17 females performing this sports discipline. The players were randomly divided into two groups: with plyometric training (PLY) and the control (CON). All players followed the same training program, but the PLY group also performed plyometric exercises. Tests used to evaluate physical performance were carried out immediately before and after PLY. After implementing the short PLY training, significant improvement in jump performance (squat jump: p = 0.04, ES = 0.48, countermovement jump: p = 0.009, ES = 0.42) and agility (p = 0.003, ES = 0.7) was noted in the PLY group. In the CON group, no significant (p > 0.05) changes in physical performance were observed. In contrast, PLY did not improve repeated sprint performance (p > 0.05) among female soccer players. In our research, it was shown that PLY can also be effective when performed for only 4 weeks instead of the 6–12 weeks typically applied.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (20) ◽  
pp. 7724
Author(s):  
Nancy Vargas-Mendoza ◽  
Marcelo Ángeles-Valencia ◽  
Eduardo Osiris Madrigal-Santillán ◽  
Mauricio Morales-Martínez ◽  
Judith Margarita Tirado-Lule ◽  
...  

(1) Background: Regular exercise induces physiological and morphological changes in the organisms, but excessive training loads may induce damage and impair recovery or muscle growth. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of Silymarin (SM) consumption on endurance capacity, muscle/cardiac histological changes, bodyweight, and food intake in rats subjected to 60 min of regular exercise training (RET) five days per week. (2) Methods: Male Wistar rats were subjected to an eight-week RET treadmill program and were previously administered SM and vitamin C. Bodyweight and food consumption were measured and registered. The maximal endurance capacity (MEC) test was performed at weeks one and eight. After the last training session, the animals were sacrificed, and samples of quadriceps/gastrocnemius and cardiac tissue were obtained and process for histological analyzes. (3) Results: SM consumption improved muscle recovery, inflammation, and damaged tissue, and promoted hypertrophy, vascularization, and muscle fiber shape/appearance. MEC increased after eight weeks of RET in all trained groups; moreover, the SM-treated group was enhanced more than the group with vitamin C. There were no significant changes in bodyweight and in food and nutrient consumption along the study. (5) Conclusion: SM supplementation may enhance physical performance, recovery, and muscle hypertrophy during the eight-week RET program.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 997-1004
Author(s):  
Beatriz Bachero-Mena ◽  
Miguel Sánchez-Moreno ◽  
Fernando Pareja-Blanco ◽  
Borja Sañudo

Purpose: To analyze the acute and short-term physical and metabolic responses to resisted sprint training with 5 different loading conditions (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% body mass). Methods: Fifteen male participants performed 8 × 20-m sprints with 2-minute rests between sprints with 5 different loading conditions. Subjects performed a battery of tests (creatine kinase and lactate concentrations, countermovement jump, 20-m sprint, and isokinetic knee extension and flexion contractions) at 3 different time points (preexercise [PRE], postexercise [POST], and 24-h postexercise [POST24H]). Results: Results revealed significant increases in blood lactate for all loading conditions; however, as sled loadings increased, higher blood lactate concentrations and increments in sprint times during the training session were observed. Significant increases in creatine kinase concentration were observed from PRE to POST24H for all loading conditions. Concerning physical performance, significant decreases in countermovement-jump height from PRE to POST were found for all loading conditions. In addition, significant decreases in 20-m sprint performance from PRE to POST were observed for 0% (P = .05) and 80% (P = .02). No significant differences with PRE were observed for the physical-performance variables at POST24H, except for 20% load, which induced a significant decrease in mean power during knee flexion (P = .03). Conclusions: These results suggest that the higher the load used during resisted sprint training, the higher the physical-performance impairments and metabolic response produced, although all loading conditions led to a complete recovery of sprint performance at POST24H.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1285-1287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Barrett

Purpose: To assess the validity of measuring locomotor activities and PlayerLoad using real-time (RT) data collection during soccer training. Methods: Twenty-nine English soccer players participated. Each player wore the same MEMS device (Micromechanical Electrical Systems; S5, Optimeye; CatapultSports, Melbourne, Australia) during 21 training sessions (N = 331 data sets) in the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons. An RT receiver (TRX; Catapultsports, Melbourne, Australia) was used to collect the locomotor activities and PlayerLoad data in RT and compared with the postevent downloaded (PED) data. PlayerLoad and locomotor activities (total distance covered; total high-speed running distance covered, >5.5#x00A0;m/s; total sprinting distance covered, >7 m/s; maximum velocity) were analyzed. Results: Correlations were near perfect for all variables analyzed (r = .98–1.00), with a varied level of noise between RT and PED also (0.3–9.7% coefficient of variation). Conclusions: Locomotor activities and PlayerLoad can use both RT and PED concurrently to quantify a player’s physical output during a training session. Caution should be taken with higher-velocity-based locomotor activities during RT compared to PED.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1021-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Ryan ◽  
Aaron J. Coutts ◽  
Joel Hocking ◽  
Patrick A. Dillon ◽  
Anthony Whitty ◽  
...  

Objectives: To examine the collective influence of a range of physical preparation elements on selected performance measures during Australian football match play. Design: Prospective and longitudinal. Methods: Data were collected from 34 professional Australian football players from the same club during the 2016 Australian Football League competition season. Match activity profiles and acute (7-d) and chronic (3-wk) training loads were collected using global positioning system devices. Training response was measured by well-being questionnaires completed prior to the main training session each week. Maximal aerobic running speed (MAS) was estimated by a 2-km time trial conducted during preseason. Coach ratings were collected from the senior coach and 4 assistants after each match on a 5-point Likert scale. Player ratings were obtained from a commercial statistics provider. Fifteen matches were analyzed. Linear mixed models were constructed to examine the collective influence of training-related factors on 4 performance measures. Results: Muscle soreness had a small positive effect (ES: 0.12) on Champion Data rating points. Three-week average high-speed running distance had a small negative effect (ES: 0.14) on coach ratings. MAS had large to moderate positive effects (ES: 0.55 to 0.47) on relative total and high-speed running distances. Acute total and chronic average total running distance had small positive (ES: 0.13) and negative (ES: 0.14) effects on relative total and high-speed running distance performed during matches, respectively. Conclusions: MAS should be developed to enhance players’ running performance during competition. Monitoring of physical preparation data may assist in reducing injury and illness and increasing player availability but not enhance football performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 714-732
Author(s):  
Sandrine R. Müller ◽  
Heinrich Peters ◽  
Sandra C. Matz ◽  
Weichen Wang ◽  
Gabriella M. Harari

People interact with their physical environments every day by visiting different places and moving between them. Such mobility behaviours likely influence and are influenced by people's subjective well–being. However, past research examining the links between mobility behaviours and well–being has been inconclusive. Here, we provide a comprehensive investigation of these relationships by examining individual differences in two types of mobility behaviours (movement patterns and places visited) and their relationship to six indicators of subjective well–being (depression, loneliness, anxiety, stress, affect, and energy) at two different temporal levels of analysis (two–week tendencies and daily level). Using data from a large smartphone–based longitudinal study ( N = 1765), we show that (i) movement patterns assessed via GPS data (distance travelled, entropy, and irregularity) and (ii) places visited assessed via experience sampling reports (home, work, and social places) are associated with subjective well–being at the between and within person levels. Our findings suggest that distance travelled is related to anxiety, affect, and stress, irregularity is related to depression and loneliness, and spending time in social places is negatively associated with loneliness. We discuss the implications of our work and highlight directions for future research on the generalizability to other populations as well as the characteristics of places. © 2020 European Association of Personality Psychology


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 2498-2508 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Rodríguez-Rosell ◽  
Felipe Franco-Márquez ◽  
Ricardo Mora-Custodio ◽  
Juan José González-Badillo

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