The Study
Biochemical and Perceptual Markers of Physiological Stress During Acute Exercise Overload in U20 Elite Basketball Players
This study watched 12 young basketball players during tough and easy training weeks and noticed that when they trained harder, their muscle damage marker (CK) and how tired they felt (RPE) went up. But it didn’t prove that one caused the other — just that they happened together.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at how tired elite teenage basketball players get during intense training. Scientists measured muscle damage (CK) and how hard players felt they worked (RPE) to see if they could spot when players were overworked.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 559 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — this means coaches can use just two easy measurements (blood test + player survey) to reliably tell if players are overtrained and need rest.
- 2During intense training, CK levels jumped 98% (222 to 439 U/L), and perceived effort (EWMA of RPE) more than doubled.
- 3A simple score combining CK and RPE was 2.1 times higher during overload than rest.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Stresses
Year
2025
Authors
Juan M. López-Cuervo, Andrés Rojas-Jaramillo, Andrés García-Caro, Jhonatan González-Santamaría, Gustavo Humeres, Jeffery R Stout, A. Odriozola-Martínez, Diego A. Bonilla
Related Content
Claims (6)
Physical exercise lowers levels of biological stress indicators and enhances the functioning of the hormonal and nervous systems that regulate stress responses.
Elite U20 basketball players with higher creatine kinase levels tend to report poorer sleep quality.
A mathematical index based on muscle damage markers and perceived exertion scores reliably distinguishes between high-intensity and recovery training phases in elite U20 basketball players, with scores 2.1 times higher during high-intensity phases.
In elite male basketball players under 20, creatine kinase levels rise by about 98% during intense training periods compared to recovery periods, and these levels correlate with higher measures of perceived training stress.
In elite U20 basketball players undergoing acute training overload, the exponentially weighted moving average of session-rated perceived exertion shows the strongest association with a reduction in countermovement jump height as an indicator of neuromuscular fatigue.
In elite U20 basketball players, higher levels of creatine kinase in the blood are linked to slightly lower countermovement jump performance.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.