Time in heart rate zones during training and matches in professional football: a descriptive analysis of nearly 1000 microcycles from 20 teams
Buchheit M, Parak J, Myllymäki T. Time in heart rate zones during training and matches in professional football: a descriptive analysis of nearly 1000 microcycles from 20 teams. Sport Perf Sci Rep. 2026;301:v1.
This is the natural follow-up to the work I did with Akubat and colleagues, where we pooled 12 studies and proposed a minimum maintenance dose of about 30 (±20) min per week in high HR zones. That paper asked “how much do players need?” This one asks the obvious next question: do real teams actually hit it?
With the help of Jakub Parak and Tero Myllymäki at Firstbeat, we looked at 948 microcycles from 20 pro teams across 9 leagues. I owe them a big thank you. Without the scale of the Firstbeat dataset this question could not be answered honestly. Single-team descriptions can only take you so far.
What we found:
- Above 80% HRmax, training alone broadly meets the dose. Above 90% HRmax, it falls well short.
- Starters reach the high intensity mostly through the match, not training.
- Non-starters get the volume from compensation work but rarely the 90% HRmax intensity. That gap is the real practical message for me.
- GPS-based compensation often delivers distance and high-speed running but misses the metabolic stimulus. We have to design for the HR zone, not just the external target.
The honest takeaway: meeting a maintenance dose is not the same as delivering a stimulus that improves fitness, and match minutes are not the same as training minutes.
