title: Monitoring Fatigue During the In-Season Competitive Phase in Elite Soccer Players.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To quantify the relationship between daily training load and a range of potential measures of fatigue in elite soccer players during an in-season competitive phase (17 d).
  
  
  METHODS
  Total high-intensity-running (THIR) distance, perceived ratings of wellness (fatigue, muscle soreness, sleep quality), countermovement-jump height (CMJ), postexercise heart-rate recovery (HRR), and heart-rate variability (Ln rMSSD) were analyzed during an in-season competitive period (17 d). General linear models were used to evaluate the influence of daily fluctuation in THIR distance on potential fatigue variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fluctuations in fatigue (r = -.51, large, P < .001), Ln rMSSD (r = -.24, small, P = .04), and CMJ (r = .23, small, P = .04) were significantly correlated with fluctuations in THIR distance. Correlations between variability in muscle soreness, sleep quality, and HRR and THIR distance were negligible and not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perceived ratings of fatigue and Ln rMSSD were sensitive to daily fluctuations in THIR distance in a sample of elite soccer players. Therefore, these particular markers show promise as simple, noninvasive assessments of fatigue status in elite soccer players during a short in-season competitive phase.
authors.affiliation: Research Inst for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Robin T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Thorpe
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Strudwick
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buchheit
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Drust
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gregson
mesh_terms: D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D003163:Competitive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D063806:Myalgia / Q000503:physiopathology; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology; D010806:Physical Education and Training; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology; D012621:Seasons; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D012916:Soccer / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult