title: Profile of weekly training load in elite male professional basketball players.
abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the training load (TL) profile of professional elite level basketball players during the crucial parts of the competitive season (pre-play-off finals). Subjects were 8 full-time professional basketball players (age 28 +/- 3.6 years, height 199 +/-7.2 cm, body mass 102 +/- 11.5 kg, and body fat 10.4 +/- 1.5%) whose heart rate (HR) was recorded during each training session and their individual response to TL monitored using the session-rate of perceived exertion (RPE) method (200 training sessions). The association between the session-RPE method and training HR was used to assess the population validity of the session-RPE method. Significant relationships were observed between individual session-RPE and all individual HR-based TL (r values from 0.69 to 0.85; p < 0.001). Coaches spontaneously provided a tapering phase during the competitive weeks irrespective of the number of games played during it (i.e., 1 or 2 games). The individual weekly players' TL resulted in being not significantly different from each other (p > 0.05). Elite male professional basketball imposes great physiological and psychological stress on players through training sessions and official competitions (1-2 per week). Consequently, the importance of a practical and valid method to assess individual TL is warranted. In this research, we demonstrated that session-RPE may be considered as a viable method to asses TL without the use of more sophisticated tools (i.e., HR monitors). The session-RPE method enabled the detection of periodization patterns in weekly planning in elite professional basketball during the crucial part of the competitive season (1 vs. 2 weekly fixtures model).
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Manzi
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: D'Ottavio
authors.forename: Franco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Impellizzeri
authors.forename: Anis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chaouachi
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chamari
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castagna
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001490:Basketball / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods*; D005082:Physical Exertion; D011996:Records; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment