Pre-season training responses and their associations with training load in elite rugby league players

ABSTRACT Objective: Strength, power and endurance characteristics and their association with training load during a 7-week preseason training phase were assessed in elite rugby league players. Methods: Twenty-two players (age 23.3 ± 4.4 years) performed bench throw, one repetition maximum (1RM) bench press, squat jumps, three repetition maximum (3RM) squats, prone pull-ups and prone Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) before and after the 7-week preseason period. Training was classified into Gym, Field and Wrestle, with training load of each monitored using session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) multiplied by training duration (sRPE-TL). Results: There were most likely improvements in 3RM back squat, prone pull-ups and Yo-Yo IR1 and likely improvements in the bench press, bench throw and squat jump after the 7-week training programme (ES = 0.3 to 1.2). Accumulated sRPE-TL for Gym, Field and Wrestle sessions were 9176 ± 1187, 10,906 ± 2162, and 1072 ± 315 AU, respectively. Relationships between mean weekly sRPE-TL and changes in physical qualities were trivial to large (r = −0.67 to 0.34). Conclusions: This study suggests sRPE-TL is unsuitable to detect dose–response relationships between training load and the changes in physical qualities of elite rugby league players during the pre-season period.