VO2Max testing with COSMED K5: technology and science for Real Madrid champions

Once again Real Madrid players were subject to an intense fitness test with the COSMED K5 wearable metabolic system under the supervision of fitness trainer Antonio Pintus and O2up Team. 

The test provides Pintus with highly valuable data that allows him to program and monitor the players’ physical work throughout the rest of the season.

Raúl Notario, director of operations at the UAX Rafa Nadal School of Sport, explained in an interview with Diario AS the details of one of the most striking tools of the ‘Pintus method’.

“The players are undergoing a typical stress test, but with a portable system to measure maximum oxygen capacity (VO2 max). The mask is used to assess the player’s respiratory capacity through gas analysis” , Notario explains.

“The advantage of these masks is that they are portable, allowing you to conduct tests anywhere: on the pitch, during a short scrimmage, or, as Pintus does, with the MAP protocol. You have to run back and forth across the field. You start at 8 km/h, and with each beep, the speed increases by 0.5 km/h. After 20 minutes, you might reach 18-20 km/h, but no one ever does that – that’s superhuman,” Notario details.

“Any stress test lasts no more than 15-20 minutes because you have to perform it at your maximum level. The goal of the stress test is to push the body to its limit to determine the maximum amount of air you can assimilate and take in at that point.” The portability of the device allows these tests to be conducted in a real environment on the grass, where Pintus pushes his players to the limit. “I think it’s good for the players to reach that limit, to the maximum of their strength, and in a real situation, it’s more interesting,” Notario opines. 

Discover more about COSMED K5

CREDITS
[ Video: Real Madrid FC YouTube Channel ]
[ Raúl Notario interview: Mario de la Riva - Diario AS ]