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Table 1 External Load indicators descriptions

From: External load profile during different sport-specific activities in semi-professional soccer players

External load indicators: metabolic indicators

 Metabolic Power

Metabolic Power (W · kg−1) was calculated by multiplying EC (in J · kg−1 · m−1) by running speed (v; in m · s−1) at any given moment (i.e., every 0.2 s): P met = EC · v. In order to assess metabolic power, considering the energy expenditure and derived, the equation developed by di Prampero et al. [67] established on previously studies by Minetti et al. [74] and Osgnach et al. [9] was adopted

 Percentage of metabolic power

Percentage of metabolic power with intensity > 35 W (%W > 35W)

 Number of intense actions per minute (n° int/min)

Number of intense actions per minute (n° int/min)

The threshold considered to establish the intense actions was 20 W · kg−1 which represents the metabolic power when running at a constant speed of approximately 14.4 km · h−1 (high speed) on grass [9]

 Distance per minute (dist/min)

Meters covered in a minute (m/min)

 Passive Recovery time per minute

Passive Recovery time per minute (PrT/m) represents the sum of the seconds in a minute (for each minute) in which the player moves at a metabolic power between 0 and 5 W (i.e., 0–8 km/h)

External load indicators: neuromuscular indicators

 Percentage of intense accelerations (%int acc)

This indicator represents the percentage of the number of accelerations > 2 m/s2 out of the total number of accelerations

 Percentage of intense decelerations (%int dec)

In an opposite way to the previous one, this External load indicators indicates the percentage of the number of decelerations < -2 m/s2 out of the total number of decelerations

 Change of directions per min > 30° (CdD/min > 30)

This External load indicators measure the number of change of directions higher than 30° per minute