Implementing concurrent-training and nutritional strategies in professional football: a complex challenge for coaches and practitioners. Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Enright, Kevin; Morton, James; Iga, John; Drust, Barry
• Is Part Of: Science and medicine in football. Volume 1:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 65
• Page End: 73
• Publication Date: 2017-01-02
• Subjects: Soccer -- concurrent-training -- interference -- nutrition -- resistance-training; Soccer injuries -- Periodicals; Soccer -- Physiological aspects -- Periodicals; Sports medicine -- Periodicals; Soccer -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 617.102763
• DOI: 10.1080/24733938.2016.1263394
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2473-3938

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Purpose : To study concurrent-training (CT) and nutritional practices within a professional soccer team. Methods: Twenty-one professional football players competing in the English professional league participated in this study (mean ± standard deviations [M ± SD] 26 ± 4 years, stature 1.84 ± 0.1 m, body mass 83 ± 7 kg, VO2max ; 58 ± 3 ml · kg −1 · min −1 ). A range of internal and external training metrics, the organisation of CT (training sequence, training rest period between bouts) and the nutritional intake around CT (timing, type and quantity) was collected for 10 weeks. Results: CT; n = 17 (endurance-training [ET] + resistance-training [RT]; n = 11; RT + ET; n = 6) rest period between bouts was not consistent and varied depending on the sequence of CT (RT + ET, 75 ± 48 min; ET + RT; 60 ± 5 min; P = 0.04). sRPE of football-specific ET was higher in RT + ET (RT + ET, 7 ± 1; ET + RT, 6 ± 1; P = 0.05). The timing of meals around training was influenced by the organisation of CT. Subsequently, CHO consumption before training session one was significantly less in RT + ET (CHO 0.10 ± 0.5 g · kg −1 vs. CHO 0.45 ± 0.2 g · kg −1 ). Conclusion: The present data demonstrate that the organisation of CT (i.e., exercise order and/or recovery time between bouts) and nutrition (i.e., timing of meal intake) can be unsystematic in the applied environment. The organisation of training and nutrition might influence the players' ability to perform high-intensity actions in secondary training sessions and could potentially impact acute metabolic processes associated with muscle recovery and muscle adaptation.