Monitoring Training Loads in Judo Sessions

The main aim of this study is planning judo training sessions and adapt the training load in advance. The specificity of judo and the different training modalities makes it difficult to adjust the effect of a specific training session with accuracy. This is a descriptive pilot study of a unique case that describes the relationship between the programmed external load during a period of two weeks and the internal load monitored a posteriori. We measured the planned external TL based on a weighting according to the time used in each training modality and the resulting internal TL with rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and a method based on heart rate (HR) after each session, and the evolution and modulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) on the day following each session. The programmed external TL and the session RPE show the highest correlation among all the variables. We can conclude that the value of the weighting of time engaged in the different judo-specific training modalities could be a good indicator for planning of training loads in judo. The key is to adjust the weighting factor in each modality.