Comparisons between M3 and M4.

The study aim was to compare the external load during varying microcycles (M1-M4 during pre-season and M5 during the in-season) in elite female Portuguese soccer players and to describe external load variations between differing Ms. Fourteen first-team players participated in the study (age 23.29 ± 3.19 years, weight 59.14 ± 6.87 kg, height 1.66 ± 0.08 m). Load measures included total distance, high-speed running (HSR) distance (≥15 km/h), number of accelerations and decelerations [acceleration 1 (ACC1), >1–2 m/s; acceleration 2 (ACC2), >2–3 m/s; acceleration 3 (ACC3), >3–4 m/s; acceleration 4 (ACC4), >4 m/s] and decelerations [deceleration 1 (DEC1),