Gabriel Jesus will start the season in his best condition for years – and is relishing the pressure of being the main man at Arsenal.
Jesus’ performance manager Andre Cuhna spoke to i to reveal the incredible level of detail that goes into fine-tuning the Brazil international’s diet, sleep and training to ensure he’s in peak physical condition.
It speaks volumes of Jesus’ professionalism that at the age of just 18 he sought out someone who could act as a personal strength and conditioning coach to help him make the most of his prodigious talent.
That man was Cuhna, who runs a health and wellness business in Sao Paolo called 4Perform. Although he turned down the offer of solely covering strength and conditioning, he agreed to become his personal performance manager and spent four months on a painstaking development strategy for his life on and off the pitch.
More from Football
Unvaccinated Premier League players are harming their own careers as managers lose patience22 July, 2022
Austria made Germany ride their luck but had no answer to their relentless attack21 July, 2022
Spain's Paredes escapes charge despite claims of biased refereeing in England Euro 2022 defeat21 July, 2022Cuhna’s ‘performance lifestyle plan’ involves everything from monitoring and tweaking his sleep, proper nutrition and even tracking bio markers in his blood to ensure he dodges injuries.
As detailed in an i special report, it is a forensic process. Earlier this year Jesus’ sleep cycles were disrupted as his partner entered the final month of her pregnancy, so Cuhna recommended a 45-minute post-lunchtime nap in a hyperbaric chamber.
Jesus also gave up sugar for a period of time and practises breathing and yoga techniques.
The Brazilian also uses a specially devised smartphone app by Irish firm Orecco which carries a treasure trove of information on everything from his personal performance data to meal and snack plans. It is regularly updated with advice based on his travel plans, sleep patterns and the results of weekly pin prick blood tests.
They monitor inflammation levels and can predict when he will get fatigued and be at risk of injury – which in turn prompt interventions from Cuhna.
It is a testament to Jesus’ professionalism and determination to match the expectations of him at Arsenal that Cuhna will move with him to London to continue his support.
“For sure it’s a challenge,” Cuhna tells i of his client joining a new club.
“There’s two challenges: there’s a different history and different goals side by side so we need to create a new plan.
“I’m very, very happy Gabriel is having a pre-season because the last four years he didn’t have one and it’s huge for athletes. This pre-season it’s coming at a special moment.
“He will receive many more minutes this season – the physical demand will be huge, the mental demand will be much greater too. Gabriel is an athlete who has a natural gift to deal with pressure – he loves the pressure – but he needs to feel he is physically prepared too.
“Some athletes don’t need to feel 100 per cent but Gabriel, yes he does.”
Cuhna stresses that he works with Jesus’ club and had a fantastic working relationship with Manchester City which will be replicated with Arsenal. Premier League clubs are happy to work with private coaches because most are simply building on the work they’re doing.
“The first thing is relationship with the club,” he says.
“Sometimes the player thinks I work for him but the reality is I work for the club because my job is to support the staff of the club. They can’t do everything.
“For me, we need to develop all the potential of the athlete. Short-term improvement is easy but to develop all the potential of the athlete you need long-term consistency in the right direction.
“Alone I cannot do this and the club alone cannot do this because they cannot reach individual things in an athlete’s life.
“The starting point is creating a relationship with the club, how can I support the nutrition, how can I support strength and condition, the doctor, the psychologist.
“Then you can create a plan and what happens outside the club is a continuation of what happens inside the club. That way the player starts to really develop.”
More on Arsenal FC
Zinchenko could be one of the signings of the season if Arsenal play him in his best position20 July, 2022
Inside the 'eBay of football' that clubs like Arsenal and Man Utd use to find transfer bargains13 July, 2022
Miedema ruled out for Netherlands as Covid takes further toll on Euro 202212 July, 2022This year is a very different season for Premier League players, with the break for the World Cup in November exercising minds at clubs. Cuhna says it is almost two seasons in one.
This summer’s priority is priming Jesus’ body for a schedule that will see him being a starter rather than a player who is in and out of the team.
“It’s important to create the chronic load that he is comfortable with,” Cuhna said.
“The dangerous part of any season is when you have a ‘load spike’. It happened with Gabriel last season. He was a starter in the last five games in a row. Normally he starts one game, misses a game then starts the next one. When you don’t have such a big chronic load it is a massive risk for injury. We spent two weeks after that doing only recovery.
“At Arsenal, I’m already planting the seeds for what he needs during the season. We need to cope with two goals – firstly handle the load during the season (August – November) and secondly, reach the peak of his conditioning in November, that is the plan.”
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/Po0zKH6
Post a Comment