Real Madrid stars were spotted jogging wearing futuristic masks on their faces as they resumed to pre-season training at their Valdebebas camp, but what are they for?
Vinicius Junior and David Alaba were spotted carrying out conditioning and workload drills wearing thick masks on their faces, as recommended by Los Blancos fitness coach Antonio Pintus.
The physical trainer has devised sophisticated preparations for Carlo Ancelotti’s team to contend on all fronts at the season’s finish while maintaining in peak condition.
Why are Real Madrid players using masks while training?
The masks, which have been compared to Bane’s in the blockbuster 2012 Batman picture The Dark Knight Rises, are primarily used to imitate the effects of altitude training. The test findings will assist Pintus in creating a training program that is customized for each person in accordance with their needs.
The Real Madrid coach is well-known for his innovative fitness and training methods, which strive to bring out the best in his players. He has used these complex facial masks before while training.
He tried to motivate the team with the same props during the 2021 pre-season. Even in January 2022, before their Copa del Rey match against Athletic Club, the Madrid players were subjected to similar fitness tests while wearing a mask and a backpack.
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What Did Antonio Pintus Have To Say Regarding Real Madrid’s Usage Of Masks?
In an interview with Real Madrid TV, Pintus revealed how the one-of-a-kind fitness test works, saying:
“The test is carried out using a mask with a layer 5 system. It is certainly not hypoxia training. It’s a test designed to find out the players’ aerobic and anaerobic thresholds and their current power.
“The mask works to analyse oxygen and carbohydrates. We need to know the percentage of one and the other in order to determine the player’s condition at the moment.”
The Real Madrid manager further said:
“The result helps to personalise or at least give some direction to the work the team is doing.
“Pre-season training is based on an aerobic foundation of long runs which is then used hand in hand with the direction and objective of shorter and faster runs.”
Pintus’s Training Schedule For Real Madrid Before The World Cup
Due to the FIFA World Cup beginning on November 21, 2022, the 2022–23 season will be special in its own right. Around 15 Real Madrid players are potentially going to the major tournament in Qatar, with the rest of the team expected to stay behind to train in Valdebebas.
Pintus has designed separate training schedules since the two groups of players will require drastically different fitness techniques.
“The break in training in November due to the World Cup will be good for me because we can do another pre-season and work a little bit more for the players who stay behind,” he said. “It will be different for the players who’re going to the World Cup.
“They’ll have to rest one hundred per cent when they come back and then return to work gradually. It’s going to be completely different for the two groups.”
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