Evaluation of the physical and psychological stress of orienteering sports practicers

Abstract

Introduction: Orienteering is an endurance racing sport composed of physical and cognitive components. Objectives: to assess the stress level and the intensity of physical exercise in orienteering athletes. Methods: Forty orienteering athletes were selected. Adapted Effort Perception Scale and Lipp questionnaire were used before and after the race. T-test, mean and standard error of mean (mean ± SEM) were used to statistical data analysis. Results: Participants’ physical exertion level and physical stress symptomatology increased significantly comparing before and after the race. Conclusion: Orienteering can be considered a high intensity sport. It can promote significant increasing in physical stress levels of its practitioners. This stress response can affect the performance of the competitors. Our findings allow us to broaden the knowledge concerning the sports for a more accurate training prescription in the future.