Psychophysiological Responses to Overloading and Tapering Phases in Elite Young Soccer Players

Author(s)

Freitas, Camila G. ^[1] ; Aoki, Marcelo S. ^[2] ; Franciscon, Clovis A. ^[3] ; Arruda, Ademir F. S. ^[1] ; Carling, Christopher ^[4] ; Moreira, Alexandre ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Sport, Sch Phys Educ & Sport, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Arts Sci & Humanities, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Desportivo Brasil, Porto, Feliz - Brazil

^[4] Univ Cent Lancashire, Inst Coaching & Performance, Preston PR1 2HE, Lancs - England

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PEDIATRIC EXERCISE SCIENCE; v. 26, n. 2, p. 195-202, MAY 2014.
• Web of Science Citations: 9

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of a 2-week overloading training phase followed by a 2-week tapering phase on internal training load (ITL), salivary cortisol, stress tolerance, and upper respiratory tract infections symptoms (URTI) in 11 male young soccer players (16.0 +/- 0.5 yrs). Ratings of perceived exertion (sessionRPE) were taken after each training session (N = 194) to determine ITL. Saliva sampling was conducted at the end of each week and cortisol concentration assessed by ELISA. DALDA and WURSS-21 questionnaires were administered every week to evaluate stress tolerance and severity of URTI respectively. The number of athletes reporting URTI symptoms was recorded. The overloading phase promoted greater ITL and a higher resting cortisol concentration than the tapering phase (P <.05). While no significant changes in stress tolerance or URTI severity were observed, the number of athletes reporting URTI symptoms was higher during the overloading phase. A significant correlation was observed between symptoms of stress and severity of URTI (r(s)=-.71; P =.01). The results indicate that an integrated approach using psychological measures (session-RPE and DALDA), self-reports of URTI symptoms, and endocrine responses (cortisol) to training are pertinent for monitoring young soccer players. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/13084-0 - Salivary immunoglobulin A and cortisol responses during training and official matches in young soccer players
• Grantee: Camila Gobo de Freitas
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 10/12489-6 - Training load, hormonal and immune responses, stress tolerance and upper respiratory tract infections in young soccer players
• Grantee: Alexandre Moreira
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants