Quantification of Internal Load (TRIMP) in Official Soccer Games

Abstract

The measurement of the training impulse (TRIMP) is a widely used method to measure the load of football training sessions. However, few studies have investigated the TRIMP of official games of this modality. The aim of the study was to analyze and describe the TRIMP of official soccer games. Ten under-20 soccer players (19 ± 1.0 years; 70.3 ± 7.2 kg, 181.3 ± 6.6 cm; 9.02 ± 1.8% body fat; 56.4 ± 3.2 mLO2/kg/min^-1) participated in the study during three official games. The maximum heart rate (HR_max) was assessed by a field test. The game load was measured through TRIMP values (TRIMP_MOD e TRIMP_B) and the percentage of time played in the five intensity zones raginng from zone 1 = 65-71% HRmax to 5 = 93-100% HR_max. The game intensity found was equivalent to 87.76% HR_max. The measured TRIMPMOD and TRIMPB were, respectively, 356.34 and 246.27. Both were significantly different (p<0.05) and showed low correlation between them (ρ= 0.32). The game intensity was equivalent to 87.76% HR_max. The distribution of the time played in each intensity zone was: Z1= 2.46%, Z2= 6.72%, Z3= 20.14%, Z4= 37.03% and Z5 = 33.65%. It was concluded that the differences between the TRIMPMOD and TRIMPB was due to their specific calculation norms and that the same method must be chosen for longitudinal monitoring of the internal load of soccer games. The athletes spent the most time in the higher intensity zones (Z4 and Z5). In the second half there was a significant increase in zones 1 and 2 and a decrease in zones 4 and 5, showing a significant drop in intensity between the first and second half.