Non-invasive load monitoring in female Division 1 collegiate gymnastics

Abstract

Gymnasts is a high intensity, monotonous, and extremely physically and mentally demanding sport. Despite strong research in other, primarily male, populations, internal and external load measures have been scarcely researched in female gymnasts. PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective analysis is to assess the utility and effectiveness of monitoring internal load, via subjective ratings of physical, mental, and emotional status, and external load, through accelerometry-based metrics, in NCAA female gymnasts. METHODS: Internal and external load was tracked for one preseason (September 2019 thru January 2020) for a NCAA Division I women’s gymnastics team. The SRSS was used for subjective internal load measures and Catapult trackers were used to measure objective external load. The SRSS tracked recovery and stress measures with an added visual analogue scale for sleep and soreness, while the Catapult trackers monitored Player Load, Player Load per Minute, Average Player Load, Total Inertial Movement Analysis (IMA), and IMA jump counts. RESULTS: All internal load measures correlated with one another and external load measures were found to be related to one another, however no relationship existed between internal and external load measures. Sleep and soreness also showed correlations with many load measures. External load generally decreased over the training blocks of the preseason. CONCLUSION: Individualized internal and external load monitoring may be necessary for eliciting optimal recovery and performance in elite female gymnasts. KEY WORDS: Internal load, External load, Gymnasts, Sleep, Soreness, Monotony