Assessing Recovery and Training Quality: Swimmers’ Perceptions and Practices
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2020
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Maintaining an adequate balance between training and recovery is essential to optimise performance outcomes. Recovery is a multifaceted, time-dependent process that can promote adaptation. Numerous studies have examined the efficacy of recovery strategies, including their mechanistic and performance benefits, however, limited evidence exists examining athlete and coach recovery perceptions, and practices in the training and competitive environments. Given its importance, understanding how recovery strategies are used could improve programming and education. Training quality is important in the evaluation of training effectiveness, where increases in soreness and fatigue may lead to reduced training quality. However, training quality remains empirically undefined, with no available monitoring tools. Therefore, this thesis aimed to investigate recovery strategy perceptions and practices, describe training quality, and develop a training quality assessment tool in competitive swimmers, via implementation of a sequential explanatory, mixed methods research design.
Study One used a survey to understand swimmers’ and coaches recovery strategy use, prescription, and perceived effectiveness, in training and competition. Study Two implemented a survey, and semi-structured interview for comparison between swimmers’ self-reported and observed strategy use. Study Three aimed to define training quality through semi-structured interviews. Once defined, the Subjective Training Quality (STQ) scale was developed and checked for internal consistency and face validity. Finally, Study Four aimed to further validate the STQ scale in training, assessing the measurement accuracy of swimming metrics using a wearable monitoring device. However, due to the device’s inaccuracy, comparisons with the STQ ratings was not possible. Therefore, future longitudinal research into the validity of the wearable device in comparison with the STQ ratings is required.
The primary outcomes of this thesis are, 1) multiple recovery strategies are used and prescribed in training and competition, with greater use in competition; 2) swimmers overestimate recovery strategy use when self-reporting, compared to observation; 3) training quality encompasses physical, technical and mental constructs; 4) initial validation suggests the STQ scale could monitor training quality; and 5) the wearable device investigated was not a valid indicator of swimming metrics. This thesis provides insight to swimmers’ and coach’s recovery strategy perceptions and practices, highlighting the need for tailored education and individualisation of recovery programming, to promote appropriate use. Moreover, initial findings suggest training quality and the STQ scale may provide greater insight into an athlete’s training effectiveness, and enhance the coach’s ability to prescribe training. Collectively, these findings provide a platform for future research into the relationship between recovery strategies, training quality and performance outcomes.
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