First-Team Fitness Coach Alberto Martínez today answered a series of questions sent to the Press Department by the media, with respect to the exceptional situation football is currently experiencing, and specifically, how it will affect the Real Oviedo first team.
- How can a two-week break from group training affect the physical preparation of a footballer at this stage in the season?
- It's clear that having to stop for two weeks at this stage of the season is a unique situation. The players are going to lose cardiopulmonary and strength levels irretrievably. We will try, as much as is possible within our capabilities, to ensure they drop as little as possible. The main problem is that the players are not going to be able to go outside to train, and they are going to have very different sessions to their normal ones. Fortunately we have a very professional team who really like doing the work, and we are convinced that the losses will be as small as ispossible."
- How do you structure this type of work at home when the duration of the break is still undetermined?
- Given that we don't know how long we will be stopped for, what we are doing is planning week-by-week, and we will adjust it day-by-day from that general base. We are keeping an eye on how everything evolves, and we will try to ensure that the levels of strength, cardiopulmonary resistance and range of motion diminish as little as possible each day. We have no other option but to work in this way.
- What are the main differences when designing work plans to be done at home, compared to normal sessions?
The main difference is clearly in the environment that the players have available to train in. We are used to fresh air and a lot of space. They are going to have to do it inside now, and it's time to squeeze out ingenuity, think up tasks and different types of training that can be done at home and are as enjoyable as they possibly can be, within the context of the situation.
- Are there differences between the individual plans of each player?
- They are different for each footballer. They are all going to have a general base of exercises, but then each one will have specific work to do according to his strengths, weaknesses and injury history.
- In the case of the league season resuming in three or four weeks, will it be similar to starting preseason again after a summer break for the players?
- If the break is extended to four weeks, in order to begin competing again without injury risk and in optimal conditions, a type of mini-preseason of at least two weeks will be necessary, so that the players can start to compete again with guarantees of success.