Study on professional football players – Factors in recovery, preparation and performance markers during scheduled training session

Purpose

The purpose of the present study is to estimate if the athletes can satisfy their energy needs by diet, if they are well hydrated before training, and if the training is effective.

Methods

Ten players of the football team in the B professional league participated in the study (age 23.44 ± 5.98 years, weight 70.64 ± 4.57 kg, height 176.4 ± 7.35 cm; ±SD).Their body composition was analyzed with the Body Composition Analyser and they had to complete food questionnaires.  heart rates of the subjects are recorded using the activePULS, MEDION AG. Data was processed using SPSS and Graphpad Prism software.

Results

According to the data obtained from the food questionnaires all subjects received the necessary amount of energy to fully meet their energy needs.  The heart rates of participants in the study range from 78 to 90% of the predicted maximum, high intensity.

Conclusions

Concludes that according to the nutrition questionnaire the athletes received a sufficient amount of macronutrients and sufficient amount of energy for their training needs. The change in blood lactate concentrations and heart rate during training is indicative of the responsible attitude of the players, and therefore the target endurance is most likely to be achieved.

Furthermore, reported methods could be a useful tool for coaches to track the recovery and preparation of the athletes in season and to evaluate their performance during a scheduled training session.