Real-time data, training impulses, load control: keywords whose relevance in top-class sport is increasing. Firstbeat is the top partner that the German national ice hockey teams rely on Karl Schwarzenbrunner as national trainer for science and training. During the DEBcourses - even outside of the women's national team - the Firstbeat system has now become indispensable. “It’s a good external factor that makes you take the necessary breaks,” says national player Julia Zorn.
With Firstbeat, federal and athletic trainers have direct insight into the internal stress data of their athletes. The data is determined via a belt and then transferred to the Firstbeat app. This gives Schwarzenbrunner an important overview, the coaches have direct options for intervention and the players receive direct feedback. “Firstbeat helps me see how balanced the training was – and to see how strenuous the training was,” says Zorn.
Crucial, Firstbeat at the DEB-Using national teams was the opportunity to intervene in training. Be it on the one hand through the function of real-time data, which can be viewed immediately, on the other hand also with off-ice units. “As soon as I notice that the players can no longer keep up with the workload or that U20 national coach Tobi Abstreiter can increase the unit a little, we have a quick exchange directly on the ice.”says Christian Bachmann, athletic trainer for the U20 national team.
This allows trainers to adjust intensities even during training sessions. Bachmann: “So we manage to make optimal use of the time and the entire team during the courses in just a few days.” In addition to optimal stress during courses, for Schwarzenbrunner it is also about “to create awareness of how important something like this is and for players to think more about the topic of regeneration.”
The most commonly viewed metric is the Training impulse (TRIMP). In the real-time data collection you can see “whether individual parts or exercises reflect the intensity that was desired,” says Schwarzenbrunner. He also explains that the TRIMP is also very important after games in order to compare the internal load data with external ones. A unit “can, for example, be little cardiovascularly strenuous, but extremely muscularly strenuous – for example when walking downhill,” which makes a combination of internal and external stress data very important.
Firstbeat also allows trainers to have influence when they are not currently on a course. The women's national team is equipped with the system with a view to qualifying for the Olympics. The players upload their data independently into the app, where the coaches have the opportunity to view it. “This then results in possible interventions on our part, should it be necessary,” explains Schwarzenbrunner. He continues: “The best case scenario is individual interventions, when individual players have too much or too little stress and intervention can be made personally for them.”
For Schwarzenbrunner, Firstbeat offers another very interesting tool – the so-called bodyguard. This makes 24-hour recordings possible over several days. You can then point out cardiovascular problems, but also see the relevance to stress. It would be particularly insightful for Schwarzenbrunner to see what exactly puts athletes under strain and to what extent. In order to assess what caused the stress, a personal conversation is still irreplaceable. “There is internal and external stress data, and there is also subjective perception.”
About Firstbeat
Firstbeat is the leading provider of physiological analysis for sport and well-being. We convert heart rate data into personalized information about training, stress and recovery. Thousands of top sports teams and wellness professionals worldwide trust Firstbeat to improve performance and well-being. www.firstbeat.com/de/success-story/deb-secures-individual-training-plans