Internal Load of Male Varsity Ice Hockey Players During Training and Games Throughout an Entire Season

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify the internal load of male varsity ice hockey players, using both sessional rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) and the heart rate-derived physiological measure of training impulse (TRLMP), during training sessions and competitions throughout an entire season. Methods: Twenty-seven male varsity ice hockey players (22.1 [1.1] y, 85.9 [5.4] kg, 181.3 [5.1] cm) were included in this longitudinal prospective cohort study. Results: The internal load was significantly higher (P < .001) for games (sRPE: 403 [184] arbitrary units [AU], TRIMP: 98 [59] AU) compared with training sessions (sRPE: 281 [130] AU, TRIMP: 71 [35] AU). The regular season had the highest internal load compared with the preseason and postseason. There was evidence of microcycle periodization with training sessions several days prior to game days having the highest internal load (both sRPE and TRIMP) and tapering down as the subsequent training sessions approached game day. For positional comparisons, the goalies had higher sRPE (346 [151] AU, P < .001) and TRIMP (99 [64] AU, P < .001) compared with defense (sRPE: 295 [130] AU, TRIMP: 65 [29] AU) and forwards (sRPE: 264 [123] AU, TRIMP: 70 [30] AU) for training sessions, but no significant differences were present for competitions. Finally, there was an overall moderate and statistically significant relationship between the sRPE and TRIMP internal load measures (r= .434, P < .001). Conclusions: Internal load was greater during competitions versus training sessions in male varsity ice hockey players, and the microcycle assessment demonstrated that training sessions were tailored to game day. Mesocycle assessment revealed the highest internal loads during the regular season due to dense game scheduling and a short season.