International survey of training load monitoring practices in competitive swimming: How, what and why not?

Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify the training load (TL) monitoring practices employed in real-world competitive swimming environments. The study explores data collection, analysis and barriers to TL monitoring. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Online survey platform. Participants: Thirty-one responders working in competitive swimming programmes. Main outcome measures: Methods of data collection, analysis, level of effectiveness and barriers associated with TL monitoring. Results: 84% of responders acknowledged using TL monitoring, with 81% of responders using a combination of both internal and external TL, in line with current consensus statements. Swim volume (mileage) (96%) and session rate of perceived exertion (sRPE) (92%) were the most frequently used, with athlete lifestyle/wellness monitoring also featuring prominently. Thematic analysis highlighted that “stakeholder engagement”, “resource constraints” or “functionality and usability of the systems” were shared barriers to TL monitoring amongst responders. Conclusions: Findings show there is a research-practice gap. Future approaches to TL monitoring in competitive swimming should focus on selecting methods that allow the same TL monitoring system to be used across the whole programme, (pool-based training, dryland training and competition). Barriers associated with athlete adherence and coach/National Governing Body engagement should be addressed before a TL system implementation.