[hlnx1]

Players who start on the bench may play a few minutes or none. Over weeks, they can fall behind the starters in match-specific load, especially high-speed running.

• Substitutes often perform high-intensity actions at a high rate in the minutes they play, but total load is low
• Without compensation, their weekly sprint and high-speed exposure can be far below the starters’
• Many teams use a short “top-up” session after the match or on the next day
• Being underloaded may make players less ready when they finally start

Read more: substitution science and fresh legs.

Does your team do top-up work for non-starters, and when?

[hlnx1]

An example top-up after the match for unused players, about 20-25 minutes: a short warm-up, 2-3 sets of a small-sided game for 3 minutes, then 4-6 runs at high speed over 30-40 m with full recovery. It covers both intensity and some high-speed exposure.

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