ArticleSports health
Effect of the Length of the Microcycle on the Daily External Load, Fatigue, Sleep Quality, Stress, and Muscle Soreness of Professional Soccer Players: A Full-Season Study.
Article in Sports health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Do the Competitions Played During Congested Weeks Influence the External Load of Spanish Soccer Teams? Analysis by Match Playing Time.Sports medicine - open · 2026Article
- Seasonal changes and variability of physical match demands in a highly trained female soccer team.Biology of sport · 2026Article
- Skin Temperature as a Marker of Physical Fitness Profile: The Impact of High-Speed Running in Professional Soccer Players.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Shaping Training Load, Technical-Tactical Behaviour, and Well-Being in Football: A Systematic Review.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- External Load Variability in Elite Futsal: Positional Demands and Microcycle Structuring for Player Well-Being and Performance.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Analyzing the impact of non-participation in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on LaLiga players' physical performance.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
- Effects of different training schedules based on distance and accelerometry measures: A full-season case study in professional soccer players.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Effects of Game Weekly Frequency on Subjective Training Load, Wellness, and Injury Rate in Male Elite Soccer Players.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe aim of this study was to analyze the effect of the length of the microcycle (ie, training period from the day after the match to the following match) on the daily external load and perceived wellness of professional soccer players (Spanish LaLiga Smartbank). HYPOTHESIS: The length of the microcycle has a significant effect on the daily external load and perceived wellness. STUDY
designLongitudinal study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 3.
methodsData were collected daily during a full season using perceived wellness questionnaires and electronic performance and tracking systems.
resultsThe length of the microcycle had a significant effect on volume- and intensity-related external load variables. There were differences between short, regular, and long microcycles depending on the day of the microcycle. These differences were observed in all external load variables. However, no significant differences between short, regular, or long microcycles were found on match day for any external load variable, except for high-intensity decelerations. Regarding the perceived wellness, the length of the microcycle had no effect on these variables, and there were no significant interactions between the length and the day of the microcycle.
conclusionThe length of the microcycle had a significant effect on volume- and intensity-related external load variables, but no significant effect on perceived wellness was observed. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These data may help strength and conditioning coaches understand that workload periodization should take this contextual variable into account, especially for external training load. In addition, this study may serve as a guide for practitioners to know the physical requirements of professional soccer players in Spanish LaLiga Smartbank, because the weekly external load profile and perceived wellness have been reported for different lengths of the microcycles. Thus, these data may be used for player load management.
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