Bernardo Requena, in Lezama

Joining the Club is Bernardo Requena, who will be collaborating with the Premier Team in the physical strength field for the upcoming season. He paid a visit this morning, Wednesday 11 June, to the Sports Facilities in Lezama and was accompanied by Josean Lekue, who is charge of Athletic Club’s Medical Services Department. Once there he spoke with managers and other members of this department, along with players Gorka Iraizoz and Pablo Orbaiz, who are both still recuperating from their respective injuries.

Requena (Granada, 28-08-77) said that he decided to return to football “above all because Athletic is located in a different area where quality and hard work are given top priority and, where a professional can feel satisfied. I like the Sports Facilities a lot, especially its surroundings, which is ideal in order for a good job to be done. On a personal level there’s a good working atmosphere”.

With regards to his duties, he points out that “it encompasses everything to do with training for strength and speed in perfect coordination with Javier Reyes, but I’ll also be collaborating Medical Services as far as injury prevention is concerned”.

He’s aware of the changes in football regarding physical training: “It’s true that things have changed a lot. A factor in football is fatigue resistance, but what determines the outcome of the most decisive actions is speed and in football things are increasingly done in less time. When we talk about strength we shouldn’t necessarily associate it with gym-work, seeing that we are going to combine work done at the gym with work done on the field. We also have the advantage of being able to do this in the covered pavilion”.

He considers that “significant work can be done at the club, because of the quality of the professionals and resources available. Besides, there’s an enormous amount of work to do with the lower division teams, a lot to do and a lot to improve”.

A University of Granada graduate, he finished his doctorate at the University of Tartu (Estonia) where he did his thesis and still collaborates with them in different research projects. The results of which he applied in Sevilla during the 2004/2005 season (with Joaquín Caparrós as coach) and the 2005/2006 season (with Juande Ramos). Afterwards, he went back to researching, however, he has worked with players like Sergio Ramos and Julio Baptista on an individual basis.

He has already met the coaching squad, the medical staff, Orbaiz, Iraizoz, Ocio, who he already knew from Sevilla, Julen Masach as well as former Lezama coordinator, Luis Fradua, who had carried out his training duties with us for two years.