The purpose of Qtests is the monitoring of the training load, using the RPE scale (Foster), the Hoopers Index (stress, fatigue, DOMS and sleep quality), and the Profile Of Mood States test (POMS)
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE, Foster)
Accurate monitoring of the training load can help coaches improve the preparation of their athletes for competition. A method for quantifying training loads from a variety of different training modalities into one simple arbitrary number has been developed (Foster et al. 1996; Foster 1998; Foster et al. 2001).
This method of monitoring training load requires each athlete to provide an RPE for each exercise session (see Table 1in the related links below) along with a measure of training time (Foster et al. 2001). To calculate a measure of session intensity, athletes are asked within 30-minutes of finishing their workout a simple question such as ‘How was your workout?’ A single number representing the magnitude of training load for each session is then calculated by the multiplication of training intensity (RPE) by the training session duration (minutes).
Hoopers Index
Hoopers Index is a method based on self-analysis questionnaires involving the well-being ratings relative to fatigue, stress level, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and sleep quality/disorders [3]. The Hoopers Index is the summation of these 4 ratings.
In accordance with Hooper et al. [3], subjective ratings using scales of 1–7 from “very very low-or-good” (point 1) to “very very high-or-bad” (point 7) have been suggested as one of the most cost-effective strategy for early detection of overtraining syndrome.
POMS
Since its release in 1971, the Profile Of Mood State (POMS) assessment has proven itself to be an excellent measure of affective mood state fluctuation in a wide variety of populations. It is a popular tool among sport psychologists who have used it to compare the prevailing moods of elite athletes and non-athletes. Six mood states are used in POMS:
• tension
• depression
• anger
• vigour
• fatigue
• confusion.
Subjects are given a score for each trait according to their responses to certain statements which include key words such as unhappy, tense, careless, and cheerful. For each statement, subjects state how they feel at that moment, or how they felt over the previous day, few days, or week, by choosing one of the following responses: not at all; a little; moderately; quite a lot; extremely.