title: Assessment of physical demands and fluid balance in elite female handball players during a 6-day competitive tournament.
abstract: Little data exists on drinking behavior, sweat loss, and exercise intensity across a competitive handball tournament in elite female athletes. Heart rate (HR), fluid balance and sweat electrolyte content were assessed on 17 international players across a 6-day tournament involving 5 games and 2 training sessions played indoors (23 ± 2 °C, 30 ± 2% relative humidity). Active play (effective) mean HR was 155 ± 14 bpm (80 ± 7.5% HRmax) with the majority of time (64%) spent exercising at intensities >80% HRmax. Mean (SD) sweat rates during games were 1.02 ± 0.07 L · h⁻¹ and on 56% of occasions fluid intake matched or exceeded sweat loss. A significant relationship was observed between estimated sweat loss and fluid intake during exercise (r² = .121, p = .001). Mean sweat sodium concentration was 38 ± 10 mmol · L⁻¹, with significant associations observed between player sweat rates and time spent exercising at intensities >90% HRmax (r² = .181, p = .001). Fluid and electrolyte loss appear to be work rate dependent in elite female handball players, whom appear well capable of replacing fluids lost within a tournament environment. Due to large between-athlete variations, a targeted approach may be warranted for certain players only.
authors.affiliation: English Institute of Sport, Bisham Abbey, UK.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cunniffe
authors.forename: Carissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fallan
authors.forename: Adora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yau
authors.forename: Gethin H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cardinale
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D054874:Athletic Performance; D001628:Beverages; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000032:analysis / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005440:Fluid Therapy; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D005082:Physical Exertion; D015532:Rehydration Solutions / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012420:Running; D013177:Sports; D064133:Sports Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013542:Sweat / Q000737:chemistry; D013546:Sweating; D013997:Time Factors; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004573:Electrolytes; D015532:Rehydration Solutions