The discussion covered what training load is and some of the ways in which you can assess it. It included tips for monitoring training load in various contexts and considerations for doing so during the adolescent growth spurt. Questions were fielded on the value of individualising thresholds, Acute to Chronic Workload Ratios (ACWR) and the future of both research and practice.

Expecting the monitoring of training load and maturation to provide a singular output value that tells you what to do is a red herring. No matter what you measure, how you measure it, who you tell or what you tell them, athletes will still get injured and respond in ways that are not expected or predicted. 

Growth and maturation are two key terms that must be understood in the context of training youth athletes. While they are often lumped together as a catch-all term, despite being related to one another they should actually be considered separately