Integrative Field-Based Health and Performance Research: A Narrative Review on Experimental Methods and Logistics to Conduct Competition and Training Camp Studies in Athletes

Abstract

Field-based sport research involves studies that collect data from athletes and/or teams during competition and/or their daily training environments. Over the last decade, sport-specific field-based research projects have significantly increased in number and complexity, partially owing to the further development of more portable measurement equipment (e.g., indirect calorimetry, desktop blood/gas analyzers, portable laboratories, etc.) and/or wearable or consumable technologies (e.g., smart watches, sensors, core temp pills, etc.). However, given these rapid advances and novelty, challenges remain in the validity and applicability of these devices. Unfortunately, there are no global ethical or best-practice standards for the use of portable devices and/or wearables in sport; however, this review will outline various opportunities and challenges. Many decision trade-offs are required when designing field-based research studies to balance gold-standard scientific rigor and strict research control with highly applied, but less-controlled, “real-world” conditions. To our knowledge, there are no narrative reviews that take a wholistic view of the logistical and methodological considerations of field-based research in athletes. Accordingly, this review takes a multi-disciplinary methodological approach (physiological, nutritional/energetic, biomechanical, musculoskeletal, cognitive, and psychosocial factors), along with the logistical considerations involved in project planning, research design, and ethics of field-based research with elite athletes and/or teams. We also provide practical guidance for characterizing the extreme demands of elite training and competition to support research that ultimately catalyzes improved understanding of the limits of human capacity. We hope this review can serve as a practical guide for researchers undertaking elite athlete field-based research.