Adherence

Subjective self-reported measures (e.g., mood, perceived stress, recovery) are superior to objective measures (e.g., blood markers, heart rate, performance tests) for monitoring athlete well-being and detecting training load responses.

Use validated subjective questionnaires (like POMS or RESTQ-S) daily or post-training to monitor how athletes feel. Do not rely solely on blood tests or performance metrics, as these often fail to detect early signs of fatigue or overtraining. Subjective reports are more sensitive to changes in training load.