Accelerometry-Workload Indices Concerning Different Levels of Participation during Congested Fixture Periods in Professional Soccer: A Pilot Study Conducted over a Full Season

The aim of this study was to analyze the variations of acute load (AL), acute: chronic workload ratio (ACWR), training monotony (TM), and training strain (TS) of accelerometry-based GPS measures in players who started in three matches (S3M), two matches (S2M), and one match (S1M) during congested weeks. Nineteen elite professional male players from a Portuguese team (age: 26.5 ± 4.3 years) were monitored daily using global positioning systems (GPSs) over a full season (45 weeks). Accelerometry-derived measures of high metabolic load distance (HMLD), high accelerations (HA), and high decelerations (HD) were collected during each training session and match. Seven congested weeks were classified throughout the season, and the participation of each player in matches played during these weeks was codified. The workload indices of AL (classified as ACWR, TM, and TS) were calculated weekly for each player. The AL of HMLD was significantly greater for S2M than S1M (difference = 42%; p = 0.002; d = 0.977) and for S3M than S1M (difference = 44%; p = 0.001; d = 1.231). Similarly, the AL of HA was significantly greater for S2M than S1M (difference = 25%; p = 0.023; d = 0.735). The TM of HD was significantly greater for S2M than S3M (difference = 25%; p = 0.002; d = 0.774). Accelerometry-based measures were dependent on congested fixtures. S2M had the greatest TS values, while S3M had the greatest TM.