Running demands during top-up conditioning sessions compared 
to competitive matches in elite Portuguese soccer players

João Ribeiro; Petrus Gantois; Fabiano de Souza Fonseca; Luis Suarez-Arrones; João Viana; Fábio Yuzo Nakamura

doi:10.5114/biolsport.2025.151650

eISSN: 2083-1862
ISSN: 0860-021X

Biology of Sport

Current Issue Manuscripts accepted About the journal Editorial board Abstracting and indexing Archive Ethical standards and procedures Contact Instructions for authors Journal's Reviewers Special Information

Editorial System

Submit your Manuscript

Editorial Policies

Sarajevo Declaration on Integrity and Visibility of Scholarly Publications

Open access

4/2025
vol. 42

Send email

Copy url:

abstract:

Original paper

Running demands during top-up conditioning sessions compared to competitive matches in elite Portuguese soccer players

João Ribeiro

^{1, 2, 3}

,

Petrus Gantois

^{4, 5}

,

Fabiano de Souza Fonseca

⁶

,

Luis Suarez-Arrones

⁷

,

João Viana

¹

,

Fábio Yuzo Nakamura

¹

Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), University of Maia, Maia, Portugal
Department of Performance Optimization, GOD, Sporting Clube de Braga SAD, Braga, Portugal
SC Braga Education, Braga, Portugal
Associate Graduate Program in Physical Education UPE/UFPB, João Pessoa, Brazil
Department of Optimization, Health, and Performance, DOSP, Sporting Clube de Braga, Braga, Portugal
Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife-PE, Brazil
Department of Sports and Computer Science, Section of Physical Education and Sports, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain

Biol Sport. 2025;42(4):287–297

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2025.151650

Online publish date: 2025/06/24

View full text Get citation

PlumX metrics:

Soccer players who are non-starters typically experience reduced match loads, which can hinder their physical fitness and match readiness over time. This study aimed to investigate the running demands accumulated during top-up sessions in comparison to soccer matches. Twenty-six outfield soccer players from an elite Portuguese soccer team participated in this study. The following running variables were recorded: total distance (TD), running (14.4 to 19.7 km · h⁻¹), high-speed running (HSR: 19.8 to 25.1 km · h⁻¹), sprinting (≥ 25.2 km·h⁻¹) distances, number of sprints (counts), number of accelerations (ACC; 2–3 m·s⁻² and > 3 m·s⁻²), decelerations (DEC; 2–3 m·s⁻² and > 3 m·s⁻²), and player load. A linear mixed-effects model was used to examine differences between top-up sessions and matches. Overall, no starters accumulated lower running load during top-up sessions than matches for most of the variables analyzed, but in particular TD (p < 0.001; ES range 2.46 to 3.74), running (p < 0.001; ES range 2.93 to 3.90), HSR (p < 0.001; ES range 2.21 to 3.47), sprints events (p < 0.001; ES range 1.16 to 2.76), ACC > 3 m·s⁻² (p < 0.005; ES range 0.98 to 1.37), DEC > 3 m·s⁻² (p < 0.001; ES range 1.91 to 2.66), and player load (p < 0.001; ES range 2.34 to 3.23). Therefore, non-starters accumulated less than half of the total match distance for most of the running metrics during top-up sessions. These findings suggest that compensatory training should be designed to more closely replicate match demands, with particular attention to high-intensity demands, such as HSR and sprints.

keywords:

Running demands during top-up conditioning sessions compared to competitive matches in elite Portuguese soccer players

João Ribeiro 1, 2, 3 , Petrus Gantois 4, 5 , Fabiano de Souza Fonseca 6 , Luis Suarez-Arrones 7 , João Viana 1 , Fábio Yuzo Nakamura 1

External load, Compensatory training, Match-Day, Football, Substitutes

João Ribeiro

^{1, 2, 3}

,

Petrus Gantois

^{4, 5}

,

Fabiano de Souza Fonseca

⁶

,

Luis Suarez-Arrones

⁷

,

João Viana

¹

,

Fábio Yuzo Nakamura

¹