# Quantifying the Training and Match-Play External and Internal Load of Elite Gaelic Football Players
## 4 Discussion  
The current investigation aimed to quantify the internal and external training load experienced by an elite Gaelic football team across a two-season period. The investigation applied a specific analysis across position, match week context, and seasonal phase. The data indicated that total weekly internal load across phases was greater in club 1 and provincial 1 when compared to all other phases. Furthermore, in-season 1 showed greater internal loading when compared to championship phases. The data showed a consistent trend for a positional profile for external training load measures across all seasonal phases with a bell-shaped curve noted across weekly external training load. Furthermore, external loads were highest within pre-season and provincial 1 when compared to other phases of the season. Finally, the investigation reported for the first time within elite Gaelic football a differentiation in loading across match and non-match weeks. Our data showed that non-match weeks were consistently higher for external training load when compared to match weeks. Present data agrees with existing literature where pre-season training load is greater than in-season training load [1, 8, 11, 24]. Within Gaelic football for the first time, we report the internal loading across specific constructs of training load composition such as training, individual skills, gym, and other formats of conditioning. The main findings from the present observational data are that the pre-season period has the highest internal training load when compared to all other phases of the season. The above observation is not  
Figure 4: The distribution of external load with respect to match week context (match or non-match weeks) for (**A**) total distance (m), (**B**) high speed running (m; \(\geq\)17.1 km-h\({}^{-1}\)), (**C**) high-power distance (m; \(\geq\)25 W\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\)), and (**D**) average metabolic power (P\({}_{\text{met}}\); W\(\cdot\)kg\({}^{-1}\)). Data presented as mean \(\pm\) SD. surprising given that the emphasis during pre-season is to build and rebuild the generic and specific fitness parameters of elite Gaelic football players following the detraining that potentially occurs during the off-season. As such, players will complete maximal testing both within the gym and on-field during this phase with these measures used to prescribe general running based conditioning that accompanies more specific methods of training such as simulated phases of play, small-sided games, and skill-based drills [25]. The increase in loading across training may be also related to reduced fitness capacities impacting players perception of load. Indeed, previous literature has shown that aerobic fitness as measured through a 1-km time trial was associated with increased or decreased perception of loading as measured through session rating of perceived exertion [15; 16]. Furthermore, the in-season 1, club 1, and provincial 1 phases were shown to have the greatest accumulation of total loading when compared to other phases of the year, these results appear to flow with the natural layout of the current Gaelic football competition calendar. Indeed, within the in-season 1 period teams are traditionally in competition within the national league while also aiming to concurrently increase the physical capacities of players, as such increased loads within this phase are not surprising as the phase acts a building phase in line with the pre-season phase of the year. The club 1 phase of the season is a dedicated club month where elite players return to their sub-elite club teams for club championship with a cessation in elite intercounty activity during this phase. However, players will typically utilize this phase as an additional building phase as highlighted within the current data by an increase in \"individual skills\" and \"other\" internal load across this specific phase.