Preparing for Game Day: Combining Internal and External Load in American Football

Thursday, September 3rd, 2026 @ 3:00 PM CDT | 4:00 PM EDT | 1:00 PM PDT | 9:00 PM BST | 10:00 PM CEST

Preparing American football players for game day requires more than understanding how much work they’ve done. It also means understanding how each athlete responds to the demands of training and competition.

The challenge is turning that information into effective preparation. Using heart rate-based physiological data, practitioners can better align training with game-day requirements while continuing to develop the physical qualities athletes need to perform.

Join our free webinar with Firstbeat and Terrence Kennell, Director of Applied Science at Auburn University, as he shares his approach to internal and external load monitoring in American football and explores how these insights can inform day-to-day training decisions.

What you’ll learn

During the webinar, Terrence will explore:

• Internal vs. external load: How the two perspectives complement each other and provide a more complete understanding of athlete demands and responses.
• Preparing for up-tempo football: Understanding the internal and external demands of up-tempo American football and what they mean for player preparation.
• Load management vs. physical development: How to balance managing athlete load with providing the stimulus needed to develop the physical qualities required for competition.
• Tactical periodization and monitoring: How internal and external load data can support the planning and periodization of training throughout the week.
• From data to decisions: Practical considerations for using monitoring data to inform preparation for game day demands.

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Whether you work in collegiate or professional American football, this webinar will provide practical insights and strategies you can apply in your own performance environment.

About Terrence

Terrence Kennell joined the Auburn football staff in December 2025 and currently serves as Director of Applied Science. In his role, he integrates advanced analytics, sports science and data-driven methodologies to optimize student-athlete performance, reduce injury risk and provide competitive advantages.

Before joining Auburn, Kennell spent three seasons with head coach Alex Golesh at USF as Director of Applied Science & Speed Development. During his time at USF, he contributed to the program’s turnaround from four combined wins between 2020–22 to 23 wins over the following three seasons, including a 9–3 record in 2025.

Kennell has also held strength and conditioning and sports performance roles across collegiate and professional sport, including Campbell University football, UMass Amherst men’s basketball, the Kansas City Current of the NWSL and the Houston Astros.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State University in 2017 and his master’s degree from St Mary’s University, Twickenham, in 2019.