Accumulated Workload, Neuromuscular Fatigue, Wellbeing and Hormonal Variations in Professional Offshore Sailors: A Pre-competition Study

This study aimed to comprehensively analyse the distribution of workload (WL) and its multifaceted impact on neuromuscular performance, wellbeing, and stress hormone levels within the professional offshore sailing context. Over a 27-week pre-competition period, ten professional sailors (8 males and 2 females) participated in regular assessments to evaluate their workload and its effects. Weekly workload (WLwk), strain (WLstr), and monotony (WLmono) were quantified using the session-rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), a validated tool for assessing training intensity. To measure subjective markers of recovery, the Hooper-index (HI) was collected weekly, providing insights into the athletes’ perceived recovery status. Furthermore, salivary cortisol (C) levels, indicative of stress response, along with countermovement jump height (CMJ) and maximal strength on bench press (BP1RM), were assessed at the beginning of each training block to evaluate neuromuscular performance changes over time. Significant correlations were identified between the monitored workload indices and various variables. WLwk showed associations with CMJ, BP1RM, HI, and C, indicating a relationship between workload and both physical performance and stress levels. WLmono was correlated with HI, highlighting the impact of workload monotony on perceived recovery status. Similarly, WLstr was associated with CMJ, BP1RM, HI, and C, suggesting that workload strain affects neuromuscular performance, wellbeing, and stress hormone levels. In conclusion, the study suggests that integrating both objective (WLwk, WLstr, WLmono) and subjective (HI) monitoring tools can provide practitioners with valuable insights into optimising performance and managing stress in the demanding environment of offshore sailing.