This has been mentioned before in other discussions how Klinsmann used an American physical trainer which contributed to their success. Now the guy can get credit for a World Cup Championship.
In part....
In the stirring World Cup final on Sunday between the national men’s soccer teams from Germany and Argentina, an American played a role on the field in Rio de Janeiro despite the United States team’s having been eliminated. Sitting and occasionally pacing tensely along the German sideline was Mark Verstegen, the team’s trainer.Mr. Verstegen, the founder and president of EXOS, a Phoenix-based company that trains professional and recreational athletes and corporate executives, was appointed in 2004 by Jurgen Klinsmann, then the coach of the German team and now the United States coach. He was brought in to improve the players’ fitness, agility, nutrition and resilience. At the time, the Germans were at a low ebb by their high standards, having not won a World Cup since 1990 or a European championship since 1996. Mr. Verstegen said his appointment was met with widespread incredulity among German fans, news media and even some players.“They wondered what Americans could possibly teach” the German squad, he said.
Q.How different are these sessions from the training that the German team did before you arrived?
A.There was more emphasis then on the technical and tactical elements. The physical training was very general, with lots of long runs. Now the players still spend lots of time working on technique and tactics, but their physical training is more focused and individualized. We constantly assess players’ movement patterns, for instance, watching as they perform every exercise. Precision is very important. If they’re slightly off in their movements on any particular day, we correct things right away. It’s like running an antivirus program on a computer. You want to get rid of the junk and keep the movements precise.
Q.Just how fit is the German team?
A.I can give you precise numbers on that. The German players covered 113.8 kilometers, or about 71 miles, on average as a team per game in the group phase. Only the Americans ran more as a team. In the quarterfinal round against France, German players ran 7.5 kilometers, or about 4.6 miles, more as a team than did the French side. That translates to about three-quarters of a player more on the pitch.Q.Any suggestions on which aspects of the German team’s training program those of us at home might usefully incorporate into our exercise routines, even if we aren’t soccer players?A.The broad elements of the training program apply to anyone. Concentrate on your mind-set, nutrition, movement patterns and recovery. On a practical level, get plenty of sleep, which is extremely important and often overlooked. Kick the electronics out of the bedroom. At the other end of the day, when you first wake up, do a few push-ups or yoga poses, anything that gets your body and mind primed for activity. You’ll be more receptive to activity throughout the day. Then try to do whatever exercise you do a bit better every day. You don’t have to be doing split squats with kettle bells, but do something that pushes you a bit. The point is that the body and the brain respond positively to having demands put on them. That’s really the key to fitness.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well...?smid=tw-share
In part....
In the stirring World Cup final on Sunday between the national men’s soccer teams from Germany and Argentina, an American played a role on the field in Rio de Janeiro despite the United States team’s having been eliminated. Sitting and occasionally pacing tensely along the German sideline was Mark Verstegen, the team’s trainer.Mr. Verstegen, the founder and president of EXOS, a Phoenix-based company that trains professional and recreational athletes and corporate executives, was appointed in 2004 by Jurgen Klinsmann, then the coach of the German team and now the United States coach. He was brought in to improve the players’ fitness, agility, nutrition and resilience. At the time, the Germans were at a low ebb by their high standards, having not won a World Cup since 1990 or a European championship since 1996. Mr. Verstegen said his appointment was met with widespread incredulity among German fans, news media and even some players.“They wondered what Americans could possibly teach” the German squad, he said.
Q.How different are these sessions from the training that the German team did before you arrived?
A.There was more emphasis then on the technical and tactical elements. The physical training was very general, with lots of long runs. Now the players still spend lots of time working on technique and tactics, but their physical training is more focused and individualized. We constantly assess players’ movement patterns, for instance, watching as they perform every exercise. Precision is very important. If they’re slightly off in their movements on any particular day, we correct things right away. It’s like running an antivirus program on a computer. You want to get rid of the junk and keep the movements precise.
Q.Just how fit is the German team?
A.I can give you precise numbers on that. The German players covered 113.8 kilometers, or about 71 miles, on average as a team per game in the group phase. Only the Americans ran more as a team. In the quarterfinal round against France, German players ran 7.5 kilometers, or about 4.6 miles, more as a team than did the French side. That translates to about three-quarters of a player more on the pitch.Q.Any suggestions on which aspects of the German team’s training program those of us at home might usefully incorporate into our exercise routines, even if we aren’t soccer players?A.The broad elements of the training program apply to anyone. Concentrate on your mind-set, nutrition, movement patterns and recovery. On a practical level, get plenty of sleep, which is extremely important and often overlooked. Kick the electronics out of the bedroom. At the other end of the day, when you first wake up, do a few push-ups or yoga poses, anything that gets your body and mind primed for activity. You’ll be more receptive to activity throughout the day. Then try to do whatever exercise you do a bit better every day. You don’t have to be doing split squats with kettle bells, but do something that pushes you a bit. The point is that the body and the brain respond positively to having demands put on them. That’s really the key to fitness.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/blogs/well...?smid=tw-share