Affiliation:
1. Department of Kinesiology, College for Health, Community and Policy, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
2. Department of Public Health, College for Health, Community and Policy, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of presession subjective wellness, measured by a mobile application, in predicting the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and training load for collegiate female soccer players throughout all training sessions of a competitive season. Thirty-three training sessions over 10 weeks involving 23 subjects were analyzed. Before each training session, players self-reported wellness measurements (sleep quality, stress, mood, soreness, fatigue, and sleep duration) through a mobile application questionnaire. Training load (active time, distance, GPS session load, and sprint score) was measured by GPS. RPE was self-reported immediately after training sessions. Generalized estimating equations found that presession wellness scores had a significant effect on postsession RPE. A 1 point increase in the wellness score corresponded with a significant increase in RPE ([Formula: see text] = 0.4[Formula: see text], 95% CI (0.05–0.91), p = 0.029). Wellness component of mood had a significant effect on RPE as noted by a 1 SD increase that corresponded to an increase in RPE ([Formula: see text] = 0.[Formula: see text], 95% CI (0.07–0.30), p = 0.001). Psychosocial component of wellness (mood) played the most influential role in predicting RPE. The results suggest that monitoring student-athlete wellness may be helpful in regulating player internal load, and increasing player mood may also lower internal load.