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A photograph of Jude Bellingham in training posted by Real Madrid on social media this week has generated a lot of intrigue.
After not being called up by England manager Thomas Tuchel for this month’s internationals, the 22-year-old midfielder has had a chance to get up to top speed.
The picture, posted on the club’s Instagram account, showed Bellingham suspended in mid-air, with a purple elastic band around the sole of his boots and holding a kettlebell weighing around 14 kilograms (31lb).
It is the kind of exercise that might be prefaced with the warning “do not attempt this at home” — and it also serves to highlight some of the work that goes on behind the scenes at Madrid.
The Athletic asked several club sources — who all spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to do so — to find out what Bellingham was doing and explain more about the team’s physical preparation under Xabi Alonso.
This exercise was not specific to Bellingham but part of a group activation done by all of Madrid’s players.
It consists of a squat — but not as might be commonly understood by the casual gym-goer. The rubber band helps players perform an elastic muscle contraction while jumping at the same time, producing a plyometric contraction, which helps develop the kind of muscle power that leads to the explosiveness footballers need.
The feet are turned outwards in what specialists call the ‘sumo squat’ position. This makes the squat explosive, leading to greater stimulation and means Madrid’s players work their adductor muscles in their thighs.
The elastic band provides resistance and the weight increases the intensity of the exercise and the effort required.
Sources at Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground describe the exercise as “something very normal, although it may come as a surprise outside”. It is one of several new additions to players’ routines following the revamp of the coaching staff that came with Alonso’s appointment in May.
The driving force behind Real Madrid’s physical preparation this season has been Ismael Camenforte, a coach who spent time with their fierce rivals Barcelona and who worked with Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen. Camenforte is a key figure in this area who was hired after the injury crisis Madrid faced last season. That led to friction behind the scenes involving then-manager Carlo Ancelotti, his staff and the head of physical training at the time, Antonio Pintus.
Ismael Camenforte worked with Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen (Rene Nijhuis/Getty Images)
Pintus, an Italian fitness coach with an impressive CV and the utmost trust from president Florentino Perez, was appointed performance manager this season. Despite that move, he is not so present in the squad’s day-to-day routines and plays more of a secondary role now. He has not travelled to La Liga away games and has been seen wearing a suit instead of a tracksuit at the Bernabeu — a sign of how he has stepped aside from those daily duties with the team.
Under the Italian, exercises were done with the same objective but took place in the gym, which players are now using less, and were performed differently. Two machines incorporated at Pintus’ request — one of them valued at more than €50,000 ($58,000; £43,000) — also played a more prominent role, allowing for exercises around muscular contractions and serving to test and measure the players’ progress.
Camenforte has been joined by Ismael Fernandez, an expert in thermography — a technique that uses body temperature to give the staff information about players’ muscles through images — and Javier Arnaiz, a strength and conditioning coach.
The image widely circulated of Bellingham also showed the Englishman with a new pair of boots, a special blue version of Adidas’ FW25 Predator model, which has been launched in collaboration with the player.
Inspired by Bellingham’s birthplace, Birmingham, his personal logo features on the heel, soleplate and foldover tongue of the boot. Bellingham will be wearing them away at Getafe on Sunday.
After consecutive substitute appearances and the disappointment of missing out on the England squad, Bellingham will be looking to establish himself properly under Alonso in Spain.
With Madrid looking to Bellingham as they seek to increase their lead at the top of La Liga before Sunday’s home Clasico against Barcelona, it would be a timely moment for the midfielder to bounce back.
