Stronger, more resistant, better genetically... The secrets of the new sport

-Hey, do you know that you played against my father in your first NBA game?

in sacramento

-Oh really?

-You feel old, don't you?

The response to that comment from

to

, guard of the Houston Rockets and son of Jabari Smith, was 48 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists in the victory of the Los Angeles Lakers against the Texan team.

Last Wednesday, against the Thunder, LeBron, who turned 38 in December, scored 38 points and became the top scorer in NBA history, surpassing

.

It is the record of records, one that seemed unbeatable until the sport began to defeat time in a way unthinkable not so long ago.

"I feel blessed to be able to play at this level with multiple generations," James said after that game against the Rockets.

Blessed?

Religions aside, the condition that allows Lebron James to maintain the king's throne with an iron fist in the NBA, despite the poor performance of his team, is multifactorial, but

.

"We see these records, but it's not so much that everyone is better, but that there are genetically better people.

," explains Dr.

, head of the Genomic Medicine and Healthy Aging Unit. from SHA Wellness Clinic and recently awarded as the best European doctor in the field of Antiaging Medicine.

Last season,

, was the player with the most kilometers covered in LaLiga with 403, the only one who exceeded 400 and is 34 years old.

The next in this section,

are 31 and 24 years old and neither exceeded 400 kilometers, 378 and 377 respectively.

, also 34, was the second-oldest player in history to win the Ballon d'Or.

Carlos Sainz

, 60, triple winner of the Dakar Rally, the last one at 58 years old, endured an accident in this year's edition in which his body had to absorb a 27G impact.

retired from professional basketball last year at the age of 41, breaking several records in domestic competition: the highest number of games played and rebounds obtained.

It is curious that many of these examples have the genetic factor so present.

although there are many more such as the

saga or the

family , among others.

However, and going back to Lebron James, who has another possible successor in Bronny, his eldest son, the player has revealed on several occasions that he spends $1 million a year on self-care.

So?

Busquets retires after being injured three minutes into Barça's match against Sevilla.JOSEP LAGOAFP

"There are three keys in these athletes: genetically gifted, physically prepared and mentally willing. The moment your head tells you that you are tired, your career is over. Your greatest investment is in your body," explains Vicente Calvo, physical

This investment is the one that has grown the most in recent years: the individualization of physical preparation, nutrition and technological advances have not only helped the longevity of athletes, but also to maintain their performance for longer, improving their health.

"I remember the awakenings. A few seconds, minutes, to adapt my body: ankles, knees, hips... They were no longer physical things but ailments. I don't remember

When I left professional sport the pain ended", is

the one who speaks.

The former Athletic Bilbao footballer and today a businessman has always had an exuberant physique, but the procession was on the inside.

Retired more than a decade ago, Ocio admits that in his last years this new concept of sportsman was already beginning.

"In my time it was rice with chicken for everyone, today the footballer has food adapted to his physique, a bowl with the necessary supplementation and the loads of his training adjusted to his needs", reveals the player and adds, "someday there will

and it won't be strange".

Juan Corbalán

, former Real Madrid player and cardiologist disagrees.

"An organism grows up to 18 and decreases since then. There are people who, by training a lot, keep it at a great plateau until 30 or 40, but then you start to go down," he says.

The key, then, is to stay on that plateau and keep downhill cornering of sport performance to a minimum.

Training

When it comes to physical preparation, the buzzword is load.

"The sports careers of the players are prolonged due to the improvement in training planning and the key is in the distribution of loads", points out Vicente Calvo.

Specific strength work, recovery, weights, intensity... in short, "individualization".

Exercises according to the sport and the athlete.

Calvo, who extended the last years of Verdasco, Clavet and Feliciano and recovered Márquez from his last injury, assures that the athletes have improved 'sports hygiene', their habits regarding preparation for their profession, but reveals that he has had

Such self-control is key not only to improving performance but also to preventing injuries.

Carlos Sainz next to his car waiting to be picked up in the last Dakar. FRANCK FIFEAFP

Control over physical preparation is also supported by another leg: food and, today, also in supplementation.

"Athletes still eat badly. There is a lot of crookedness and fashions to which athletes are no strangers," says

And it is that, according to him, the sport has become more "physical" and "there are more jumps, more sprints, more kilometres...".

was published

in which the fastest players in the world were cited and the number 1,

Galancho prepares the diet of its clients according to their measurements (weight, height...), the sport, the position on the field of play and the objective they seek.

He does it hand in hand with the physical trainer to provide the "engine with the most suitable fuel".

And it is that "

", according to what he says and jokes that "Cristiano Ronaldo would be Ronaldinho if he ate worse".

"The professionalization of sport has taken a leap in these years in which the athlete's vision is holistic, encompassing not only his professional life but the whole", explains Galancho.

This vision includes another transversal factor in the maintenance of sports performance such as technology.

"Over the years and maturity, athletes supplement their physical condition with other things, one of which is technology," says Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, head of the Sports Analytics Department at Telefónica Tech. Alejandro Valverde, former Movistar Team cyclist and competitive until his last season is an example.

And he mentions the use of thermography in cycling and how the increase of one degree of body temperature can cause a loss of 15% of performance.

Without leaving cycling, Antonio de Alarcón also highlights rest as the key when it comes to recovering, especially in three-week events such as the Tour de France or La Vuelta a España.

explains César Aranguren from Recovery Sport, a company that provides mattresses to high-level athletes that improve muscle recovery and thermal regulation to optimize metabolism.

Genetics, preparation, nutrition... there are many factors that are controlled in sport today, but there is one that can never be controlled.

"Technology does not corner talent but rather multiplies it and sometimes discovers it", points out Antonio de Alarcón.

Because if not, as Corbalán says, "it would be very easy to build world champions."

To talk about two indisputable 'Greatest of All Times' (GOATS) who were born to do what they do:

, 51 years old, fighting and winning in the World Surf League (WSL) with 20- year-olds.

, 45 years old, decided retire a few days ago, we'll see if for good, weeks after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFL playoffs, one of the most physical sports in the world.

What can we highlight then about Sainz, James, Reyes, Busquets and company?

All have been athletes with a special talent for what they do, but none would have prolonged their career without the other factors mentioned in the longevity of an athlete.

," says Dr. Mera.

Yes, but one can stay like

, 35 years old with a metal hip or like

22 greats and recent champion in Australia.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• Lebron James

• Cristiano Ronaldo

• Luis Suarez

• dakar rally

• Genetics