title: Session-RPE for quantifying load of different youth taekwondo training sessions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The session rating of perceived exertion (session-RPE) proved to be a valuable method to quantify the internal training load (ITL) in taekwondo. However, no study validated this method in youth taekwondo athletes performing different training sessions. Thus this study aimed at evaluating the reliability of the session-RPE to monitor the ITL of prepubescent taekwondo athletes during pre-competitive (PC) and competitive (C) training sessions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five female (age: 12.0±0.7 y; height: 1.54±0.08 m; body mass: 48.8±7.3 kg) and four male (age: 12.0±0.8 yrs; height: 1.55±0.07 m; body mass: 47.3±5.3 kg) taekwondo athletes were monitored during 100 individual sessions (PC: N.=33; C: N.=67). The Edwards' HR method was used as reference measure of ITL; the CR-10 RPE scale was administered at 1- and 30-minutes from the end of each session.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No difference for gender emerged. The ITLs of C (Edwards: 228±40 arbitrary units, AU) resulted higher than that of PC (192±26 AU; P=0.04). Although all training typologies and data collections achieved significant correlations between Edwards' and session-RPE methods, a large relationship (r =0.71, P<0.001) emerged only for PC sessions evaluated at 30 minutes of the recovery phases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings support coaches of prepubescent taekwondo athletes to successfully use session-RPE to monitor the ITL of different training typologies. However, PC training evaluated at 30 minutes of the recovery phase represents the best condition for a highly reliable ITL perception.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, School of Exercise and Sport Sciences (SUISM), Università di Torino, Turin, Italy - corrado.lupo@unito.it.
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lupo
authors.affiliation: Division of Human Movement and Sport Sciences, Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Capranica
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Sciences, Society, and Health University of Cassino and Lazio Meridionale, Cassino, Frosinone, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cortis
authors.affiliation: Division of Human Movement and Sport Sciences, Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guidotti
authors.affiliation: Sport and Exercise Sciences Research Unit, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.affiliation: Division of Human Movement and Sport Sciences, Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tessitore
mesh_terms: D056352:Athletes; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016139:Martial Arts / Q000502:physiology*; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors