Network Magazine (NZ) Summer 2019 | Page 12

Measuring volume and intensity To accommodate these differences, we need a way to measure volume and intensity that is flexible and subjective. For time we can simply use minutes of training, but intensity is harder. Do we use running speed? Weight lifted? Heart rate? We want something we can use across all training, and something that is internal. Measuring how someone feels about a weight is more important than the actual weight (more on that later), so let’s stick with the method we learnt while studying to become trainers, rate of perceived exertion (RPE) using a 1-10 scale. It’s simple enough to use with novices, and despite all the resources available in professional sport, in my experience it’s considered best practice. We can multiply the RPE a client reports for a session by the length of time the session took. We then call this total ‘training units’. For example, a 60-minute session with an RPE of 5 would give a load of How can we use training load to reduce injury risk? High volume High injury risk Safe Low intensity Less training benefit High intensity Safe Low volume 12 | NETWORK SUMMER 2019 300 training units, and a 45-minute session with an RPE of 7 gives us 315 training units. So, a harder, shorter session may provide a similar load to a longer, easier one. The sessions can accommodate different types of exercise: weights, cardio, group fitness, sessions with a trainer, whatever you can think of. Using the subjective measure of RPE is an advantage in this case because our clients’ ability to exercise will vary between sessions. They may be pumped or tired, focused or distracted. A weight may feel harder to lift on Thursday than it did in their Monday training session. In such instances, subjective measures can be more useful than objective ones. A lot of the research into training load has taken place in the arena of professional sport – so how useful is it for other populations? In 2017, when working with a semi-professional football team, we tracked the training load for every player, for every session, for the whole season. What we found after looking at the data was consistent with the research that’s emerged in the last 10 years or so from the field of professional sport. Players who trained less, got hurt more. If we don’t train enough, we aren’t fit or strong enough to handle the rigours of a game, or a hard session, and we risk injury. This is the same for our clients.