FCBARCELONA.CAT

20.07.2007 13:03

A testing time to start the pre-season

Sergi Nogueras

The FC Barcelona first team squad return to pre-season training on Saturday and there first duty will be to undergo medical and physical tests after the summer break.

Double training sessions will be the order of the day over the weekend as the players kick off preparations for the 2007/08 campaign. Returning at 09:00 on Saturday, the team will be at Camp Nou until 18:30, following the intense series of tests and physical exercises. On Monday the squad will then fly to Scotland ahead of the first pre-season game against Dundee United.

Three sections

The proceedings will be divided into three sections at the weekend. While some players will start with the tests in the Medical Services area, others will work in the dressing room and gym and a third set will be out on the pitch in front of La Masia doing physical exercises.

Testing times

Two session are planned before lunch and two more in the afternoon. The Medical Services will be taking a general clinical history and muscular echographs, a spirometry, electrocariagrams, a cardiological test and an ecodariogram on every player. These tests will be completed with a nutritional appraisal and a check-up of the bodily composition of every player.

In the dressing room and gym, there will be an Omegawave test, that will study the heart rate to give an idea about hte psycho-emotional state of the players. There will also be a tensiomiography to measure the muscular tension and a Muscle Lab test to measure the strength of different muscle groups. Along with a set of other tests, the players will also be allowed out onto the pitch for some physical work.

Four groups

The squa dwill be divided into four groups so that they can rotate through the series of activities until all the players have completed the busy circuit.