<b>Training load monitoring: is the subjective perception of effort of a session a reliable method?</b> - doi: 10.4025/reveducfis.v21i1.6713

Abstract

The fundamental goal for a sports coach is to maximize athletic performance. The best performance gains come from prescribing an optimal amount of training loads with appropriate recovery periods to allow a greatest adaptation before competition. Training load is influenced by both training volume and training intensity. A precise understanding of loads performed during training can be beneficial for both the coach and the athlete. The coach can use feedback from training to systematically modify training periodization so that future performances can be improved. Training load can be monitored in many different ways, however, a very simple method was recently proposed by Carl Foster: the session-RPE method. Training monitoring ensures that both sufficient training loads are implemented and that excessive loads are not, leading the coach to better understanding of the training process. Ultimately, this may lead to improved performance in competition. Therefore, there is a great interest in valid and reliable methods for training load monitoring. In this review, we investigated the scientific merit of the Foster´s Session-RPE method. Based on the available data, it seems that the session-RPE method is a useful tool for quantifying training load because it is simple to use, easy to understand and relatively easy to implement. However, additional data is required to validate the Session-RPE method in different sports in an ecological perspective.