Heart Rate Distribution during Training and a Domestic League Game in Swedish Elite Female Soccer Players

Background: Soccer is a complex sport with high cardiovascular demands. Preparation for the demands of competition often involves game-simulation practice. This is supposed to improve the physiological adaptions. The main purpose of this study was to compare heart rate (HR) distribution among elite female soccer players during in-season training sessions and a game. Methods: Fifteen players were observed during three regular training sessions, and at a domestic league game using Polar Team2 HR monitors. HR was categorized into HR zones to compare intensities of each activity observed. Results: HR values were significantly higher during the game (HRmean: 168±9 beats per minute (bpm), HRpeak: 189±8 bpm) than during training (HRmean: 134±11 bpm, HRpeak: 183±9 bpm, p<0.001). Players spent 55% of the game and 11% of the total training time at high intensity (HR above 90% of HRpeak, p<0.001).HRmean and HRpeak were significantly higher in the first half compared with the second half of the game