HOOPER

Hooper Index

Objective:

To subjectively evaluate an athlete's fitness level and fatigue using 4 psychophysiological indicators: sleep, fatigue, stress, and muscle soreness (DOMS).

Required Tools:

• A paper or digital questionnaire.
• A simple rating scale (typically from 1 to 7).

Protocol:

Every morning, before training, the athlete rates 4 items on a scale from 1 (very good / no problem) to 7 (very bad / very high):

Item	Scale from 1 to 7 (1 = very good / 7 = very bad)
Sleep (quality)
Fatigue
Stress
Muscle soreness

Example: Sleep = 3, Fatigue = 2, Stress = 4, Soreness = 3 → Hooper Score = 12

Calculation:

Add the 4 scores together:

Hooper Score = Sleep + Fatigue + Stress + Muscle Soreness

Interpretation:

• Low score (4 to 8): Good recovery, satisfactory fitness level.
• Average score (9 to 12): Vigilance recommended.
• High score (> 12): Significant state of fatigue, increased risk of injury or underperformance.

Recommendations:

• To be used daily, ideally in the morning before any physical activity.
• Helps prevent overload and allows for the adjustment of training loads.
• Can be combined with other indicators (HRV, RPE, jump tests, etc.).