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The association between training load indices and upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in elite soccer players
Tiernan, Caoimhe Comyns, Thomas Lyons, Mark Nevill, Alan M Warrington, Giles
Tiernan, Caoimhe
Comyns, Thomas
Lyons, Mark
Nevill, Alan M
Warrington, Giles
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2021-06-17
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Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the association between training load indices and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) across different lag periods in elite soccer players. Internal training load was collected from 15 elite soccer players over one full season (40 weeks). Acute, chronic, Acute:Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR), Exponentially Weighted Moving Averages (EWMA) ACWR, 2, 3 and 4-week cumulative load, training strain and training monotony were calculated on a rolling weekly basis. Players completed a daily illness log, documenting any signs and symptoms, to help determine an URTI. Multilevel logistic regression was used to analyze the associations between training load indices and URTIs across different lag periods (1 to 7-days). The results found a significant association between 2-week cumulative load and an increased likelihood of a player contracting an URTI 3 days later (Odds Ratio, 95% Confidence Interval: OR = 2.07, 95% CI = 0.026-1.431). Additionally, a significant association was found between 3-week cumulative load and a players’ increased risk of contracting an URTI 4 days later (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 0.013–1.006). These results indicate that accumulated periods of high training load (2- and 3-week) associated with an increased risk of a player contracting an URTI, which may lead to performance decrements, missed training sessions or even competitions.
Citation
Tiernan, C., Comyns, T., Lyons, M., Nevill, A.M. and Warrington, G. (2021) The association between training load indices and upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in elite soccer players. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 17(1), pp. 151-160.
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Journal article
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en
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© 2021 The Authors. Published by SAGE. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence.
The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541211020479
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ISSN
1747-9541
EISSN
2048-397X