Real Madrid players say they have been confronted with “the devil” this week as the team’s performance manager Antonio Pintus introduced a series of high-intensity physical tests with some high-tech equipment.
The team returned to training after a two-day break and were put through their paces by Pintus. Photos shared by Madrid on social media show players taking part in a series of physical drills while wearing large blue face masks connected to a body-worn harness.
Real Madrid players wearing the eye-catching masks.Real Madrid
To get to the bottom of the bizarre new look, AS in Madrid spoke to Raúl Notario, director of the physical activity, physiotherapy, and sports department at Madrid’s Alfonso X University. He explained the logic behind the new technology.
“What the Real Madrid players are doing is a stress test with a portable device,” Notario explained. “The players are performing a typical stress test, but with a portable system to measure their maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max). The mask is used to determine the player’s respiratory capacity through an electrocardiogram and gas analysis.”
On a basic level, this means measuring the amount of carbon dioxide that a player exhales to gauge how hard, and how efficiently, their body is working. Notario added: “The good thing about these masks is that they are portable and allow you to do the tests anywhere: on the playing field, playing a short game, or, as Pintus does, with the Course-Navette test, or the ‘beep test’.”
What are the masks used by Real Madrid?
Products that analyse cardiovascular activity are nothing new but these body-worn, portable versions are top of the line. Real Madrid are using the Cosmed V5 model, which cost around €30,000 ($35,000) per unit including software costs.
The kit includes the mask, which is fastened to the back of the neck with straps, and a small 2.4-liter backpack weighing just 1lb. This backpack receives the data from the mask and uses a Bluetooth connection to relay the information to a computer or tablet in real time.
Real Madrid players used the devices for a 20-minute spell on Wednesday before removing them to continue with the on-ball portion of the session. The light weight makes it easier to be incorporated into on-field drills but players need time to acclimatize to the mask. Notario explained: “It’s more about the bulkiness and getting the players used to breathing with it. Until you get used to it, it’s a bit annoying. But then when you’re doing the stress test, you can breathe freely.”
Pushing them to their limits
For Madrid, the masks provide performance manager Pintus with invaluable data that allows him to plan and monitor the players’ physical training throughout the season. The real-time data ensures that he knows exactly how much to push a player’s physical capabilities, without them overexerting them.
“Pintus pushes them to their limits, but thanks to this test he knows exactly how much he can push them,” said Notario. Similar body-worn technologies have similar applications in the field of public health, identifying potential issues in amateur athletes who may be preparing for a major event, like a marathon.
Raúl Notario.
“They are used in a different way with people who, for example, have suffered a heart attack. The test is recommended for people who are preparing for a challenge but aren’t very fit,” Notario said. “Many don’t get the tests done but they are very useful because the doctor can say, ‘Listen, be careful up to this point, don’t exceed this heart rate or exertion range because we can see you’re already struggling’.”
Even for the elite players at Pintus’ disposal at Real Madrid, the intensity of soccer’s year-round schedule is forcing teams to resort to increasingly creative ways to keep the players healthy. Madrid played eight games in January and have to play in an additional knockout round of the Champions League this month, all leading up to a summer with a newly-expanded World Cup. The Cosmed V5 masks may look like an oddity at the moment but don’t be surprised if they become increasingly commonplace within the high-pressure confines of the world’s elite clubs.
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