| It is important for coaches and strength training professionals to know at what times during the season, athletes are most susceptible to infection. As a result, the immune system was tracked every two weeks throughout a women's soccer season to see if a relationship existed between C-reactive protein (CRP), the incidence of infection and the level of soccer activity. CRP levels were paired with a questionnaire regarding soccer, physical activity, total exercise levels and self-reported upper respiratory tract infections. The results of the study indicate that soccer levels were highest at the beginning of the season when physical conditioning took place. The two weeks following the high levels of soccer activity demonstrated the largest increase in the number of infections reported. However, CRP exhibited no trend with either the incidence of infection or soccer/exercise levels. The early stages of the season may leave athletes most susceptible to infection. |
