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Irish Hammer 12:27 Mon Jul 11
Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

Roshane Thomas

His name will not be familiar to West Ham United supporters but Josh Ewens is integral to David Moyes and his squad.

With the squad in Evian, France, Ewens is entrusted with getting the players into peak condition for the start of the season on August 7 as first-team fitness coach.

And, according to former West Ham goalkeeper David Martin, 36, he is one of the best around.

“I wish I met Josh Ewens ten years ago,” he said. “He would’ve definitely brought me to a better level than I was at.

“We did my scores and I’m strongest and quickest I’ve been my whole career. It’s the way Josh is as a person, he’s always trying to motivate you. I’ve seen a lot of fitness coaches in 18 years of professional football, but Josh is the best I’ve come across.”

Ewens joined the Premier League side in 2012 from AFC Wimbledon, initially working with the under-18s and under-21s, becoming first-team fitness coach in 2015. He is doing something right as he has got Antonio, the forward, in the best shape of his career. The 32-year-old played 3,926 minutes in all competitions, almost double his total 2,073 minutes a season earlier.

On match days, Ewens can be seen on the dugout handing water and energy supplements to players.

But it is during pre-season that he comes into his own.

Ewens, who works alongside fellow fitness coach Nick Davies, put the players through their paces during the week-long training camp at St Andrews in Scotland.

“We’re having three sessions a day,” Ewens tells The Athletic. “It’s been tiring but great and the facilities at St Andrews are unbelievable. There’s everything you could want from the famous West Sands beach, the pool and performance gym. It’s a great place to be.

“We try and mix up the schedule to keep things fresh. We tend to start at either 7am or 8am and it would be something short and simple. Most likely a run on the beach and it’s a nice way to start the day, especially for the lads that aren’t early risers. We’ve been getting the lads on mountain bikes and taking them on challenging bike rides.

“We have a main session later in the morning which is mainly football. There’s physical elements like biometric and speed work, a bit of power walk too.

“Then the third session is a variety of things: some days it’s another football session with a different physical emphasis, or a running conditioning session followed by gym work. The gaffer is constantly pushing everyone in the fitness and performance department to develop what we’re doing.”

The group has featured a mixture of senior and academy players. Angelo Ogbonna has returned to full training having recovered from the anterior cruciate ligament injury he sustained in November against Liverpool.

Nayef Aguerd, Declan Rice, Jarrod Bowen, Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek will join the squad after their holidays.

From the under-23s, Harrison Ashby, Aji Alese, Manny Longelo, Pierre Ekwah, Conor Coventry, Armstrong Okoflex, Freddie Potts and Krisztian Hegyi trained with the senior team in Scotland.

West Ham are in Evian, the south shore of Lake Geneva in France, for the second part of their training camp before Friday’s friendly against Swiss Super League side Servette.

“It’s nice to keep things fresh and be somewhere different,” says Ewens. “We push the players really hard and it’s a bit similar to the feeling of when you’re about to do a bleep test at school.

“That feeling of anticipation and dread, because the players know they’re going to be pushed physically and mentally. But once they’re in the swing of things they enjoy it.

“In pre-season the incentive is if you’re winning those races, or near the front of the pack, not only are you in the gaffer’s eye line, it’s also noticed by his backroom staff. One of the things I’ve tried to do in the last couple of years is use augmentative feedback. Whatever we do I try and make it a competition so we have big screens up which compares players to each other.

“We have a top-three leaderboard and even lads that don’t naturally like the gym will do another set because they want to beat their mate. With footballers, if you make it competitive, they will give it maximum attention.”

The players went away after the 3-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion on the final day of the season in May. Ewens does not leave them alone for long.

“At the end of the season the players get a few weeks off and then they get work sent weekly from running, gym or football that they have to do,” says Ewens.

“They’ll do that whether it’s with someone we put them in contact with or someone they know. If I’m a day late they’ll be asking me for it.

“Pre-season has changed dramatically in the ten years I’ve worked in football. We don’t have players coming back overweight or coming back having done nothing. That’s very different from when I first started working in football. The first day we return we do a physical diagnosis to see where everyone is at. When the results come back good we know we can push on and get into football-specific work immediately.”

West Ham face Manchester City in their league opener before their two-legged UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round fixtures on August 17 and 25.

Moyes’ side reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, losing to eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt. The Thursday/Sunday schedule was taxing on Moyes’ small squad but Ewens and the fitness team found solutions.

“We use cryotherapy chambers and the plunge pool at the training ground,” he explains. “Not so much during pre-season because it can stunt adaptation when we’re trying to build the players’ strength and fitness. I try to save them when the lads really need them, like after quick-turnaround games.
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PL 2021-2

“For cryotherapy chambers, we get them brought into the training ground throughout the season. We were the third-highest team with only two days between games. So the tytcryotherapy chambers gets the lads through it and in three to six minutes you can get a positive effect on how they feel.”

Nagel 2:12 Thu Jul 14
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

SnarestoneIron 10:20 Mon Jul 11

You're missing the point. The article credits Ewens as the reason for Antonio playing almost double the number of games as the season before. So, if Antonio getting injured less was down to Ewens, why did it take 6 years?

As you say, Antonio reckoned that it was the diet and lifestyle changes he made himself that helped stop the various niggles and hamstring problems.

wd40 2:00 Thu Jul 14
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

That's why we don't conceid late goals due to this man keeping every one fit.

SnarestoneIron 10:20 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

For those sighting Antonio, he's not really a great example. He's had injury issues, which are slightly different to fitness issues, no? I'm sure Antonio recently said he'd made some lifestyle changes which were helping him to avoid the repeating injuries. You can tell players what to do whilst they're with you, but once they go back home...

chim chim cha boo 6:42 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

Thanks Irish, hope you are relatively well.

Charoo 1:21 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

This is the job I wish I had and should have pursued.

Fucking love this shit. Physical performance, recovery, building sessions etc.

I did my UEFA B at 20 and trained as an advance personal trainer but never did the degree as I hated studying. My Dad was on me to do it and I never listened. That is my one regret.

Only thing is the pay is horseshit further down. West Ham recently advertised for a strength and conditioning coach for the academy boys age groups 11-15 - salary £29k a year.

Who can live and support a family on £29k a year.

That’s a massive responsibility that job, they want degree education and experience and offer that sort of salary.

BRANDED 1:02 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

This shit’s the shit

ted fenton 12:32 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

Banjo 11:46 Mon Jul 11

Banjo 11:46 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

Good stuff Irish.

cheesebgt 11:00 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

Nagel 10:23 Mon Jul 11

I thought the very same thing.

Thanks Irish 10:51 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

Thanks Irish

Nagel 10:23 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

Cheers Irish.

"He is doing something right as he has got Antonio, the forward, in the best shape of his career."

If Ewens has been the 1st team fitness coach since 2015 then is he also responsible for the many seasons where Antonio wasn't in great shape?

With Kind Regards 10:05 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

Thank you Irish.

Mex Martillo 7:54 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

Sounds good
Thanks Irish

Manuel 4:54 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

First team fitness coach since 2015 and this is the first time we have heard of this genius? Okay.

As for the oxygen thief Randolph..

Don Ravioli 12:42 Mon Jul 11
Re: Meet Josh Ewens, the man responsible for getting West Ham in shape

Sounds different to the old days of running round Hainult