The value of subjective measures in training load quantification and injury incidence in intercollegiate male soccer players

The purpose of this study was to examine the value of self-report rating of perceived exertion (RPE) measures as indicators of workload and potential injury incidence. Participants were one Division I intercollegiate male soccer team (n=28) from a Midwestern institution. RPE measures, using the Borg 0-10 category ratio scale, were taken after each team-related athletic activity throughout the 2019 fall soccer season. The RPE was multiplied by minutes of training to get session RPE (sRPE). Distance covered during practice in kilometers was recorded using Polar Team Pro monitors for each participant. Injuries were recorded by the athletic training staff. Findings indicated that weekly cumulative distance in kilometers was highly correlated with weekly cumulative sRPE each of the fourteen weeks (r2 mean: 0.55 ± 0.20, r2 range: 0.15 for week 1 to 0.79 for week 5). When assessing the upper quartile of weekly aggregate sRPE scores (>2618 AU), risk ratio analysis suggested an increased risk of injury in the following week (RR=2.49, 95% CI=2.08-32.24). The findings demonstrate value of sRPE as an indicator of workload compared to objective measures in intercollegiate male soccer, but the relationship between sRPE and injury incidence is not as definitive