Podcast 23: Julio Calleja, Full Professor at University of Basque Country

In the next episode of “Thermography: Science, Health and Sport” (in Spanish) we introduce Julio Calleja, Full Professor at University of Basque Country and expert of recovery topic, from Spain.

Julio Calleja, an expert in recovery protocols between competitions for high-performance athletes, reflects on thermography as a strategy to individualize and adapt post-effort recovery apply thermography.

Julio sees in thermography a tool with many advantages due to its ease of use and for not disturbing athletes in their daily practice. He sees the implementation of this technology as a reliable method to optimize recovery.

As a prolific researcher in the area of ​​sports science and recovery protocols, he tells us about his latest lines of research and the most innovative ways to improve the recovery.

For him is all about infrared thermal patterns to control the recovery process.

You can listen to the next episode by clicking the link of the bio

#thermohuman #highperformance #thermography #recover #science #strengthandconditioning #recovery #basketball

TRANSCRIPTION

Julio Calleja: “Some previous analysis, some preliminary analysis in a competitive situation with basketball players. We had there in mind an idea about the “recovery scan”. That product that can give us in real time, some variables to takes decisions about what techniques we use in each of the athletes. And if I remember that we were talking and you showed me the camera, the tripod, the difference in the distance to the photo. It really caught my attention the issue of how you can assess members and different body segments, which is so important in the world of sport. In the end, temperature is a very broad concept and sometimes we look for hypothermia or hyperthermia responses, in some cases we are interested in lowering the temperature, in other cases maintaining it, in different organic tissues, and I found it terribly attractive for athletes.”

Ismael Fernández: “My question is: What do you think are the pros and cons of thermography as a tool that can be used to help athletes recover performance?”

Julio Calleja: “In an objective, totally aseptic analysis, I see a priori many advantages. The first is that it seems to me to be a novel technique, I believe that at any historical moment when a technology appears on the market we must be receptive. In addition, it complies with the scientific principle, it is reproducible and it is valid, it measures what it intends us to measure. In addition, it has the consistency that in different situations, in measurements repeated over time, the assessments give us the same results with a very high level of precision. For me it is already a useful device and applicable in the world of sports, that is the first.

The second, which I find terribly interesting for athletes, is that it is not invasive and does not bother, in that order, it is not invasive and the athlete is not bothered, because I think it is part of the scenario.”

Julio Calleja: “In the world of sport with the concept of unilateralism, it is essential to see the differences that exist between members. And in this sense, the apparatus (thermography) is offering us different temperatures in different tissues, in different body segments, which allows us to carry out individualized strategies of dominance, non-dominance, deceleration legs, braking legs, organic zones depending on what we are interested in measuring. Because there are times when we want to lower the temperature to find situations in which there is no increase in core temperature, however we are interested in maintaining muscle temperature in a match. So these contrasts, this device allows us to measure it and it is giving us terribly useful information.”

Julio Calleja: “There, I am convinced that there are limiting mechanisms of fatigue, associated with this variable (temperature), that with this scanner we can quickly customize and adapt to use cold strategies, temperature maintenance strategies, contrasts, etc. more convenient. And that the changes and oscillations are within a normal range, that there are no very abrupt patterns and deltas of change. Well, they are small details that make the athlete always be in a harmonious balance to always be able to perform in the best conditions.”