International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2015, 10, 404-407 http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2014-0058 © 2015 Human Kinetics, Inc.
www.IJSPP-Journal.com BRIEF REPORT
Validity of the Session Rating of Perceived Exertion for Monitoring Exercise Demands in Youth Soccer Players Jose A. Rodríguez-Marroyo and Carlos Antoñan Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent and construct validity of the Borg (0–10) and children’s OMNI scales for quantifying the exercise intensity and training load (TL) in youth soccer players. Methods: Twelve children (mean ± SD age 11.4 ± 0.5 y, height 154.3 ± 6.5 cm, body mass 39.5 ± 5.4 kg) took part in this study. Exercise intensity and TL were calculated on the basis of the session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) and heart rate (HR; Edwards method) during 20 technical-tactical training sessions. Players’ sRPEs were obtained from the Borg and OMNI scales. Results: Low correlations between HR-based TL and sRPE TL based on the Borg (r = .17, P = .335) and OMNI (r = .34, P = .007) scales were obtained. Significant (P < .001) relationships in sRPE (r = .76) and TL (r = .79) between RPE scales were found. Conclusion: The current data do not support the relationship between the sRPE and HR methods for quantifying TL in youth soccer players. However, the sRPE method could be considered a better indicator of global internal TL, since sRPE is a measure of both physical and psychological stress. In addition, the authors demonstrated the construct validity for the OMNI scale to control exercise demands. Keywords: perceived exertion, TRIMP, heart rate Most of methods used for quantifying training load (TL) are based on heart rate (HR) to determine exercise intensity.1–3 However, Foster et al1 proposed an alternative method for quantifying TL using the session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) instead of HR. This approach has previously been used across a wide variety of sports.1–6 Data from these studies have shown that this method is very useful for monitoring TL in an easy and noninvasive way. Moreover, its use does not require expensive equipment, which can be an invaluable assistance for coaches in youth sports. Commonly, sRPE is obtained using a modified Borg category ratio (0–10).1 This scale was designed and validated for use with adults, which can have some limitations when it is applied to children and adolescents.7 It has been reported that children’s ability to understand the scale can affect their RPE score.8 Therefore, specific category ratio scales have been developed to facilitate children’s understanding of exercise effort.7–11 However, to date few studies4,5 have analyzed whether these scales can be used to monitor the exercise intensity and TL in youth sport. Haddad et al,4 using a modified Borg scale, showed the validity of sRPE for quantifying TL in 10- to 15-year-old tae kwon do athletes. They reported a weak correlation between sRPE and HR-based methods during high-intensity exercise. Thus, the current study aimed to provide additional knowledge about the use of sRPE in youth team-sport athletes. Our investigation was conducted to test the concurrent and construct validity of the Borg (0–10) and children’s OMNI scales of perceived exertion for quantifying the exercise demands in youth soccer players.
Methods Twelve male children (mean ± SD age 11.4 ± 0.5 y, height 154.3 ± 6.5 cm, body mass 39.5 ± 5.4 kg) from the same soccer team were The authors are with the Dept of Physical Education and Sports, University of León, León, Spain. Address author correspondence to Jose RodríguezMarroyo at [email protected]. 404
involved in this study. Subjects habitually trained 2 times per week (80–90 min/training session) and usually competed once per week during the regular season. All players had previous experience as soccer players (3.9 ± 1.8 y), and their technical and tactical skills were similar. Written informed parental consent and subjects’ assent were obtained before starting the study, which was approved by the local ethics committee. Twenty training sessions performed during a 10-week period in the competition season were analyzed. All training sessions were designed by the coach of the team to develop players’ technical and tactical skills. The first part of the session was dedicated to perform technical and tactical activities that focused on the acquisition of basic soccer skills. The last 20 minutes of training usually focused on the development of physical conditioning through small-sided games, which also included technical and tactical objectives. Players’ sRPEs were obtained using the Borg (0–10) scale modified by Foster et al1 and the children’s OMNI walk/run scale11 approximately 30 minutes after each training session to ensure a global perceived effort for the entire session.1 The presentation order of the scales was counterbalanced across subjects. All subjects were already familiar with these scales, since they were used to analyze the players’ exercise intensity during 1 month before starting the study. TL measured in arbitrary units (AU) was calculated by multiplying the sRPE by the duration of the training session.1–6 In addition, the players’ exercise intensity and TL were calculated on the basis of HR to analyze the validity of the sRPE method. The players’ HR was recorded every 5 seconds (Polar Team System, Polar Electro Oy, Kempele, Finland). The HR response was categorized into 5 intensity zones according to different percentages of the maximal HR (HRmax):
www.IJSPP-Journal.com BRIEF REPORT
Validity of the Session Rating of Perceived Exertion for Monitoring Exercise Demands in Youth Soccer Players Jose A. Rodríguez-Marroyo and Carlos Antoñan Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent and construct validity of the Borg (0–10) and children’s OMNI scales for quantifying the exercise intensity and training load (TL) in youth soccer players. Methods: Twelve children (mean ± SD age 11.4 ± 0.5 y, height 154.3 ± 6.5 cm, body mass 39.5 ± 5.4 kg) took part in this study. Exercise intensity and TL were calculated on the basis of the session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) and heart rate (HR; Edwards method) during 20 technical-tactical training sessions. Players’ sRPEs were obtained from the Borg and OMNI scales. Results: Low correlations between HR-based TL and sRPE TL based on the Borg (r = .17, P = .335) and OMNI (r = .34, P = .007) scales were obtained. Significant (P < .001) relationships in sRPE (r = .76) and TL (r = .79) between RPE scales were found. Conclusion: The current data do not support the relationship between the sRPE and HR methods for quantifying TL in youth soccer players. However, the sRPE method could be considered a better indicator of global internal TL, since sRPE is a measure of both physical and psychological stress. In addition, the authors demonstrated the construct validity for the OMNI scale to control exercise demands. Keywords: perceived exertion, TRIMP, heart rate Most of methods used for quantifying training load (TL) are based on heart rate (HR) to determine exercise intensity.1–3 However, Foster et al1 proposed an alternative method for quantifying TL using the session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) instead of HR. This approach has previously been used across a wide variety of sports.1–6 Data from these studies have shown that this method is very useful for monitoring TL in an easy and noninvasive way. Moreover, its use does not require expensive equipment, which can be an invaluable assistance for coaches in youth sports. Commonly, sRPE is obtained using a modified Borg category ratio (0–10).1 This scale was designed and validated for use with adults, which can have some limitations when it is applied to children and adolescents.7 It has been reported that children’s ability to understand the scale can affect their RPE score.8 Therefore, specific category ratio scales have been developed to facilitate children’s understanding of exercise effort.7–11 However, to date few studies4,5 have analyzed whether these scales can be used to monitor the exercise intensity and TL in youth sport. Haddad et al,4 using a modified Borg scale, showed the validity of sRPE for quantifying TL in 10- to 15-year-old tae kwon do athletes. They reported a weak correlation between sRPE and HR-based methods during high-intensity exercise. Thus, the current study aimed to provide additional knowledge about the use of sRPE in youth team-sport athletes. Our investigation was conducted to test the concurrent and construct validity of the Borg (0–10) and children’s OMNI scales of perceived exertion for quantifying the exercise demands in youth soccer players.
Methods Twelve male children (mean ± SD age 11.4 ± 0.5 y, height 154.3 ± 6.5 cm, body mass 39.5 ± 5.4 kg) from the same soccer team were The authors are with the Dept of Physical Education and Sports, University of León, León, Spain. Address author correspondence to Jose RodríguezMarroyo at [email protected]. 404
involved in this study. Subjects habitually trained 2 times per week (80–90 min/training session) and usually competed once per week during the regular season. All players had previous experience as soccer players (3.9 ± 1.8 y), and their technical and tactical skills were similar. Written informed parental consent and subjects’ assent were obtained before starting the study, which was approved by the local ethics committee. Twenty training sessions performed during a 10-week period in the competition season were analyzed. All training sessions were designed by the coach of the team to develop players’ technical and tactical skills. The first part of the session was dedicated to perform technical and tactical activities that focused on the acquisition of basic soccer skills. The last 20 minutes of training usually focused on the development of physical conditioning through small-sided games, which also included technical and tactical objectives. Players’ sRPEs were obtained using the Borg (0–10) scale modified by Foster et al1 and the children’s OMNI walk/run scale11 approximately 30 minutes after each training session to ensure a global perceived effort for the entire session.1 The presentation order of the scales was counterbalanced across subjects. All subjects were already familiar with these scales, since they were used to analyze the players’ exercise intensity during 1 month before starting the study. TL measured in arbitrary units (AU) was calculated by multiplying the sRPE by the duration of the training session.1–6 In addition, the players’ exercise intensity and TL were calculated on the basis of HR to analyze the validity of the sRPE method. The players’ HR was recorded every 5 seconds (Polar Team System, Polar Electro Oy, Kempele, Finland). The HR response was categorized into 5 intensity zones according to different percentages of the maximal HR (HRmax):
