Relationships between session-RPE, GPS movement characteristics, and heart rate during training among elite youth soccer players

Session-RPE has emerged in recent years as a useful subjective method of quantifying training intensity in elite team sports. When expressed as a product of training duration (‘training load’), its validity against objective markers of volume and intensity in soccer has been advocated. 13 elite soccer players, aged 16-18 years old (17.6 ± 0.6 y, 182.5 ± 4.9 cm, 77.2 ± 5.9 kg) from the Stoke City F.C. youth academy, England. All participants completed multiple, coach-led training (small-sided games) sessions (mean = 30.1, range = 23 to 36), generating ‘typical’ data. Session-RPE was positively and significantly (p< .001) correlated with GPS variables (r = 0.28-0.63) and time spent above 85% HRmax (r = 0.45). These findings provide evidence that session-RPE TL is a valid, inexpensive measure for quantifying global training load within elite youth soccer players and can distinguish between the efforts of positional groups.