The Impact of Specific High-Intensity Training Sessions on Football Referees' Fitness Levels

Background: In comparison to the amount of literature that has examined the match demands of football refereeing, there has been little attempt to assess the impact of high-intensity training. Purpose: The main goals were to get a better understanding of the long-term effect of specific intermittent training. Study Design: The authors examined the cardiovascular strain of specific high-intensity training sessions and also their impact on referees' fitness levels. Methods: To examine the physical workload during intensive intermittent training sessions, heart rates were recorded and analyzed relative to the referees' maximum heart rate (HR_max). To assess the referees' fitness levels, the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test was used. Results: Both the pitch- and track-training sessions were successful in imposing an appropriate high intensity load on the referees, at 86.4 ± 2.9% and 88.2 ± 2.4% HR_max, respectively. Following 16 months of intermittent high-intensity training, referees improved their performance on the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test by 46.5%, to a level that is comparable with professional players. Conclusions: As match officials are subjected to a high physical load during matches, they should follow structured weekly training plans that have an emphasis on intensive, intermittent training sessions.