ABSTRACT

Faculty of Human Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Italy 1. INTRODUCTION The determination of the work-load related to specific activities is essential to design training programs with adequate volume and intensity and to plan the optimal sequence of load and recovery. This allows reaching the highest levels of performance while minimizing the risk of injuries and overtraining. Furthermore, the monitoring of the individual effort allows the evaluation of the players’ performance and commitment and can be used to reinforce motivation. Finally, this information is essential to quantify the athletes’ energy requirements and the prevalent energy substrate involved in the training activity and to customize the dietary regime.