Shaun McLaren - Understanding Training Load, Exposure & Dose Using RPE

Episode 157: Steve Barrett chats to Shaun McLaren. Shaun is a S&C coach at Newcastle Falcons. Through employment and consultancy, he has previously worked with UEFA, England and GB Rugby League, The NBA, MLS Next, The Premier League, Aston Villa FC, Brisbane Broncos, and Nottingham Rugby, to name a few. Shaun is also a Professor in Practice with Durham University and a Visiting Research Fellow with Manchester Metropolitan University. He is an editor for Science and Medicine in Football and BASES, having published over 60 research papers in applied sports physiology and performance. 

Topics Discussed 

•  Practitioner v Academic
•  Applications and Misconceptions of RPE
•  RPE vs. Differential RPE
•  Understanding Training Load as Exposure & Dose paper
•  Pitfalls of Terminology in Sport Science

Key Points

•  The concept of Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a fundamental tool in sports science, used to quantify an athlete's subjective perception of effort during exercise. It involves assigning a numeric rating to the overall sensation of exertion, which is a complex amalgamation of various physiological and psychological factors. This global measure is often referred to as a "gestalt" perception, meaning it's more than just the sum of its individual components.
•  Differential RPE emerged as an evolution of the traditional RPE concept, aiming to provide more specific insights into different aspects of exertion. This approach separates the overall perception of effort into distinct components, typically focusing on respiratory and muscular exertion. The rationale behind this differentiation is that a general measure cannot be equally specific to all components of exertion simultaneously.
•  Research indicates that in healthy individuals, the two primary driving signals for overall perception of effort during exercise are sensory-oriented (related to respiratory rate and effort) and peripherally-oriented (associated with muscular stress and strain). These components form the basis for most differential RPE approaches used in contemporary sports science.
•  While RPE is valuable as an individualized measure that cannot be captured by external instruments, it is subject to various influencing factors. These include cognitive biases and social factors that may affect an athlete's reporting of their perceived exertion, underscoring the complexity of using subjective measures in sports performance monitoring.
•  The application of differential RPE in sports science research has involved extensive investigation into its measurement properties. This includes studies on convergent and discriminant validity, sensitivity, and aspects of dose-response relationships. Such research aims to establish the reliability and usefulness of differential RPE as a tool for athlete monitoring and training load management.
•  The concept of using big data to predict injuries in sports has been largely debunked over the past decade. Despite significant efforts, including those by top statisticians using extensive Premier League data, reliable injury prediction models have not been successfully developed. This realization has shifted focus in sports science research towards other applications of data analytics in performance optimization.
•  The concept of cognitive RPE is introduced as an additional dimension to consider in athlete monitoring. This aspect takes into account the mental demands placed on athletes during training and competition, which may not directly correspond to physical exertion levels but can significantly impact overall performance and recovery needs.
•  The journey from initial research idea to publication in sports science can take up to two years, highlighting the slow pace of academic research in its early stages. This timeline emphasizes the importance of patience and persistence in the research process, as well as the need for careful consideration of research questions and methodologies.
•  There is a growing emphasis in the sports science community on the quality of research output rather than quantity. Producing one high-quality paper is increasingly viewed as more valuable than numerous lower-quality publications. This shift reflects a maturing approach to research in the field, focusing on impactful and rigorous studies.
•  The application of differential RPE to training monitoring in team sports represents a significant area of research, aiming to enhance understanding of how athletes perceive and respond to different aspects of training load. This approach may lead to more nuanced and effective training prescriptions and load management strategies.

Where you can find Shaun:

• LinkedIn
• X (Twitter)
• Research Gate
• Data Skills Group Mentorship on Collaborate Sports

Sponsors

VALD Performance, makers of the Nordbord, Forceframe, ForeDecks and HumanTrak. VALD Performance systems are built with the high-performance practitioner in mind, translating traditionally lab-based technologies into engaging, quick, easy-to-use tools for daily testing, monitoring and training

Hytro: The world’s leading Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) wearable, designed to accelerate recovery and maximise athletic potential using Hytro BFR for Professional Sport.

TeamBuildr: A platform for any coach in any setting. Every day, thousands of coaches log into TeamBuildr to write training programs, build questionnaires and access athlete and client performance data. Teambuildr is a complete platform. Whether you're building your own programming, looking to create custom reports or give athletes a tool for accountability, they've built it out.