Changes of strength performance of knee extensors in response to a football match.

<p>h, hours; ¹Significant difference with baseline; ²significant difference between groups; ³significant difference between dominant and non-dominant limb at corresponding time; ⁴greater decline in functional ration compared to conventional ratio at corresponding time;⁵greater decline at 180°/s compared to that at 60°/s at corresponding time.</p

Discrimination of players of the experimental group into a high- and low-performer subgroup based on physical activity variables indicative of match's external load as derived from cluster and discriminant analysis.

<p>¹ Within-groups correlations between discriminating variables and standardized canonical discriminant functions.</p><p>Discrimination of players of the experimental group into a high- and low-performer subgroup based on physical activity variables indicative of match's external load as derived from cluster and discriminant analysis.</p

GPS-measured activity profile of the experimental group during the football match.

<p>GPS, global positioning system.</p><p>GPS-measured activity profile of the experimental group during the football match.</p

The physiological profile of the football match.

<p>¹Significant difference with baseline</p><p>²significant difference between groups</p><p>N/A, not applicable.</p><p>The physiological profile of the football match.</p

Changes of soreness (A-B), CK activity (C) and leukocyte counts (D) following a football match.

<p>MS, muscle soreness; CK, creatine kinase activity; h, hours; C, control group; EG, experimental group; KE-C, knee extensors of control group; KE-EG, knee extensors of experimental group; KF-C, knee flexors of control group; KF-EG, knee flexors of experimental group; ¹Significant difference with baseline; ²significant difference between groups; ³significant difference between dominant and non-dominant limb at corresponding time; ⁴greater decline in functional ration compared to conventional ratio at corresponding time;⁵greater decline at 180°/s compared to that at 60°/s at corresponding time.</p

The contents and duration of daily training sessions performed during the post-match period.

<p>The contents and duration of daily training sessions performed during the post-match period.</p

Changes of functional ratio in response to a football match.

<p>KF_ecc/KE_con, functional ratio; h, hours; ¹Significant difference with baseline; ²significant difference between groups; ³significant difference between dominant and non-dominant limb at corresponding time; ⁴greater decline in functional ration compared to conventional ratio at corresponding time;⁵greater decline at 180°/s compared to that at 60°/s at corresponding time.</p

Participants’ characteristics.

<p>BMI, body mass index; VO_2max, maximal oxygen consumption; HR, heart rate; HRmax, maximal heart rate; Yo-Yo IR2, Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test-level 2; ¹recorded during the graded exercise test used for the assessment of VO_2max.</p><p>Participants’ characteristics.</p

The experimental flowchart.

<p>MAP, measurement of activity (football) profile; HR, heart rate; Pre, measurements before the match; Post, measurements immediately after the match; black arrow, indicates time of measuement.</p

Physical activity data obtained during practice by GPS and heart rate monitoring.

<p>¹ Denotes a significant difference with practice 1 at P<0.05; ² Denotes a significant difference with practice 2 at P<0.05; GPS, global positioning system; C, control group; EG, experimental group.</p><p>Physical activity data obtained during practice by GPS and heart rate monitoring.</p