Fig 1.
Evaluation T1: Before the period of match congestion Evaluation T2: After the period of match congestion Congested calendar: A six-week period of congested match play Mon: Monday, Tue: Tuesday, Wed: Wednesday, Thu: Thursday, Fri: Friday, Sat: Saturday, Sun: Sunday, Rest: a day of recovery RSSA: Repeated sprint shuttle ability SJ: Squat jump CMJ: countermovement jump YYIR: Yoyo intermittent recovery.
Table 1.
Training program during the congested period.
Table 2.
Effects of a congested period of match play on soccer players’ body height, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BF%), and lean body mass (LBM).
Table 3.
Changes in performance in physical fitness tests after the period of match congestion.
Fig 2.
Total weekly training load (TWTL) (Fig 2A), the monotony (Fig 2B) and the strain (Fig 2C) of the six weeks training during the match congestion period. ** = Significant differences compared to week 1, week 3, and week 4 (p≤ 0.01). TWTL = Total weekly training load; A.U. = arbitrary units, monotony and strain.
Table 4.
Effects of the period of match congestion on soccer players’ hematological parameters.
Table 5.
Relationships (Pearson correlation coefficient) between PV, percentage changes of hematological parameters and percentage change of physical fitness.
Table 6.
Relationships (Pearson correlation coefficient) between PV, percentage changes of hematological parameters, physical fitness, and workload parameters.