Introduction: Training load calculation has become an important topic in team sports to design better training schedules and to achieve a better performance, while avoiding overtraining and injuries. Internal and external loads are necessary to describe both, the structure of the game or practice and the effect caused by that load over the players (Wallace et al. 2014). Our work combined different methods to assess load dynamics during the six weeks of the preseason of a professional basketball team. Methods: Six professional basketball players participated in the study. Rate of perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate variability (HRV), modified summated heart rate zones (mSHRZ), overall distance covered (LOAD), high intensity efforts (HIE) and HIE to active time ratio (HIEr) were registered during the six preseason weeks of a Spanish professional basketball team. Two practices, consisting in weight lifting and shootaround, were not considered in the study. Results: HRV and RPE internal load markers showed a large negative correlation (r = - 0,80) while in-session internal mSHRZ and external HIEr showed also a large but positive correlation (r = 0,52), according to Cohen's convention. Both LOAD and HIE increased throughout the preseason period. Discussion: Although some relations have been found between internal and external load markers, it is common to observe that those parameters progress in different ways (Scanlan et al.2014). Internal off-session load markers had a good agreement while seemed not to be well correlated with external load markers, more than probably due to the quality and quantity of the resting period and because physical improvements were not taken into account (Wallace et al., 2014). LOAD and HIEm and their ratio (HIEm/LOAD) increased during the preseason, especially during the last three weeks of the period, as observed in some other works. Internal and external load seem to give different information that must be taken into account to improve training design (Manzi et al., 2010; Scanlan et al., 2014).
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