The Relationship Between Subjective Wellness and External Training Load in Elite English Premier League Goalkeepers and a Comparison With Outfield Soccer Players

Sophie Grimson, Gary Brickley, Nicholas J Smeeton, Adam Brett, Will Abbott

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between training load and subjective wellness in English Premier League goalkeepers (GKs) and examine potential positional differences in subjective wellness. Methods: A total of 34 players (GK = 7, outfield = 27) completed a daily subjective wellness questionnaire assessing sleep quality, sleep hours, fatigue, mood, soreness, and total wellness over two and a half seasons. Ten-Hertz GPS devices were worn during training to calculate previous-day and 7-day total distance, player load, total dives, total dive load, average time to feet, and high, medium, and low jumps. Results: All previous 7-day training loads were associated with all wellness markers (r = .073 to .278, P < .05). However, associations between previous 7-day dive load and mood, average time to feet, and both sleep quality and quantity, and between low jumps and sleep quality, were not significant. For previous-day metrics, total distance was associated with all wellness markers (r = .097 to .165, P < .05). In addition, player load and high jump were associated with fatigue, soreness, and wellness (r = .096 to .189, P < .05). Total dives and soreness were also related (r = .098, P < .05), and relationships were evident between average time to feet, medium jumps, and all wellness markers excluding sleep quality (r = .114 to .185, P < .05). No positional differences in subjective wellness occurred (P > .05). Conclusion: Some GK GPS variables are associated with subjective wellness, which could inform training-load prescription to maximize recovery and performance. In addition, GKs are no more vulnerable to poorer subjective wellness when compared with outfield players.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)262-267
Number of pages6
JournalInternational Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance
Volume18
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Jan 2023

Keywords

  • fatigue
  • recovery
  • injury prevention
  • monitoring
  • nonlocomotive movements

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