ACTING on IMPULSE
Training Impulse (TRIMP) is a well-established metric used to quantify training load in athletes by assessing the intensity and duration of physical exertion. TRIMP integrates heart rate data into a formula that reflects an athlete's physiological response to training, facilitating effective monitoring and management of training loads.
Measurement of TRIMP
In its most basic form, TRIMP is typically calculated using heart rate monitors that track the duration of exercise at various intensity levels. The entry level or if you like, generic formula for TRIMP incorporates the duration of the exercise and a weighted factor based on the heart rate.
\[
\text{TRIMP} = \text{Duration (in minutes)} \times \text{HR Zone Factor}
\]
Where the HR Zone Factor is established from predetermined heart rate zones that correspond to different intensities (Foster et al., 2001).
A Higher Fidelity Algorithm
The Firstbeat Technologies algorithm takes TRIMP measurement a step further by utilizing heart rate variability and recovery patterns in addition to just average heart rate. Firstbeat gives a more comprehensive view of the training impact by incorporating the following aspects:
Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
The algorithm assesses how the body responds to training stress. Increased HRV post-exercise indicates better recovery, while a decrease can signal fatigue and impeded recovery rate.
Intensity Levels
Firstbeat math segments the training session into different intensity levels (steady state, peak efforts) and calculates TRIMP based on the time spent in each zone t more accurately reflect the subtelties of real world exertion.
Long-term Monitoring
Firstbeat technology allows for trend analysis of TRIMP over time, helping to monitor cumulative load and recovery, which is crucial for injury prevention and optimization of performance (Buchheit et al., 2010). This is also a powerful tool for assessing athlete performance, readiness and wellbeing ( when conjoined with sioc-psycho monitoring data ) from development squads through to international elite groups.
Importance of TRIMP for Team Sport Athletes
Quantification of Training Load
TRIMP provides an objective measure of training load, crucial for balancing training intensities and workloads effectively (Impellizzeri et al., 2004). This quantification helps prevent overtraining and ensures that training adaptations are more likely to occur. Having oversight management in place for the group using this dataset is crucial to safeguard health and performance.
Tailoring Training Programs
By taking advantage of TRIMP, coaches can individualize training loads for athletes based on their specific physiological responses, which is particularly important in team sports where varying levels of fitness among players exist McLellan et al., (2010) & Halson (2014). This removes guesswork and approximal or gneeric prescription which may undertap or overstretch if not individually relevant.
Monitoring Fatigue and Recovery
Tracking TRIMP allows coaches to monitor athletes' readiness to train. Elevated TRIMP values can indicate accumulated fatigue, guiding decisions for rest periods or changes in training intensity (Gabbett, 2020). Make the most out of your squad across a season and within a tournament.
Application to Prescriptive Training Plans and Load Management in Elite Field Hockey
Establishing Baselines
Whhere is everybody at? Coaches should first assess each player’s physiological profiles to establish baseline TRIMP values. This information forms the foundation for individual training prescriptions and monitoring alerts.
Guiding Daily Training Decisions
By calculating TRIMP after each session, coaches can analyze workload data to guide subsequent training decisions. For instance, if a player's TRIMP values are consistently high, it may indicate the need for a lighter training session or additional recovery days; even a break. TRIMP data must be shared with all medical support staff to spread awareness and preparedness to intervene.
Integrating into Periodization
TRIMP can be integrated into periodized training plans, ensuring that athletes are subjected to varied training loads that evolve over time. This variability can help prevent burnout and improve performance during critical competition phases (Chubb, 2020).
Load Management to Prevent Injury
Jo Chubb (2020) emphasizes the importance of managing training loads effectively to prevent injuries. By regularly monitoring TRIMP, coaches together with medical staff, can identify trends in load that correlate with injury risk, facilitating timely interventions to adjust training loads before injuries occur.
Performance Feedback
Providing your players with individual 1:1 feedback on their TRIMP scores fosters self-awareness and personal accountability. Athletes can learn to manage their training loads more effectively and understand the importance of recovery for optimal performance (Chubb, 2020).
TRIMP serves as a crucial tool for managing training loads in elite field hockey players, enabling coaches to balance training intensity with recovery needs. Incorporating advanced algorithms like those from Firstbeat enhances the ability to manage athletes' loads accurately, contributing to improved performance and reduced injury risks. Observations from experts such as Jo Chubb further highlight the necessity of systematic load management as a vital component of successful training regimens in team sports.
References
Buchheit, M., Papadopoulos, K., & McCall, A. (2010). Monitoring the load and recovery of team sport athletes: a review. *Sports Medicine*, 40(10), pp. 935-952.
Chubb, J. (2020). Load Management in Elite Sport: Practical Notes for Coaches. *International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching*, 15(6), pp. 863-872.
Foster, C. et al. (2001). A new approach to monitoring training load in runners. *Strength and Conditioning Journal*, 23(2), pp.
Gabbett TJ. The Training-Performance Puzzle: How Can the Past Inform Future Training Directions? J Athl Train. 2020 Sep 1;55(9):874-884. doi: 10.4085/1062/6050.422.19. PMID: 32991700; PMCID: PMC7534940.
Halson SL. Monitoring training load to understand fatigue in athletes. Sports Med. 2014 Nov;44 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S139-47. doi: 10.1007/s40279-014-0253-z. PMID: 25200666; PMCID: PMC4213373.
Impellizzeri FM, McCall A, Ward P, Bornn L, Coutts AJ. Training Load and Its Role in Injury Prevention, Part 2: Conceptual and Methodologic Pitfalls. J Athl Train. 2020 Sep 1;55(9):893-901. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-501-19. Erratum in: J Athl Train. 2021 May 1;56(5):453. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-1006-21. PMID: 32991699; PMCID: PMC7534938.
