Raul goes further — and higher to succeed
The Real Madrid striker is bathing in ice and sleeping in high-altitude conditions, and he’s off to his best start in nearly a decade with eight goals in 14 Spanish league matches.
“I’ve done it because of the love I have for this team and this club, and I have never thought about how it could hurt me,” Raul said yesterday about his ice baths, which can last up to 10 minutes.
Spanish media recently reported that the 30-year-old striker had converted his bedroom into a hypoxic chamber which simulates high-altitude conditions.
The practice, which is used by some NBA and NFL teams, increases the number of oxygen-rich red blood cells in the body to improve endurance, reduce fatigue and speed up recovery.
Marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe and rugby player Jonny Wilkinson also enjoy ice baths, which can aid recovery and improve respiration.
After a serious knee injury in 2005, Gonzalez — Spain’s leading career scorer with 44 goals in 102 matches — looked to improve his long-term health. Last season’s drop in form, when Raul was left off the national team and managed only seven goals in 35 games, improved his resolve.
“I get a kick out of this,” said Gonzalez, who has scored a record 58 goals in the Champions League. “If you look after yourself and eat and rest properly, it all adds up.”
He isn’t the first athlete to use the hypoxic chamber, a performance-enhancing method the World Anti-Doping Agency deems a violation of the “spirit of sport.”
“If I thought it was doping we would never do this,” said Carlos Santa Maria, a former triathlon champion whose company, Soluciones Deportivas, provides the technology in Spain.
“It’s a different way to help athletes who don’t want to leave their family for four months of training in the mountains of Colombia,” Santa Maria said. “Why not take advantage of other available means to improve your performance?”
Oscar Pereiro, the 2006 Tour de France champion, has been sleeping in one of Santa Maria’s oxygenated rooms for three years.
“It’s nothing new, it’s only news because Raul is using it now,” Pereiro said. “It is not prohibited and it only helps with the training since it’s not easy to get away for a month to train at high altitude.”
Pereiro spent thousands of euro renovating his bedroom to simulate the near 9,840-foot conditions, according to Santa Maria.
An intense 15-minute workout in high-altitude conditions can match a 60-minute session at normal height.
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