Atletico Madrid Players Take Part In 'Murder Hill' Training Exercise And It Looks Brutal

Diego Simeone's side are based in Los Angeles de San Rafael and in the mountains towards Segovia for a traditional two-week training camp to kick off their preparations for the new season.

The Los Rojiblancos have been regular visitors to the Sierra de Guadarrama and their most recent venture marks 50 years since they set up base.

And when we say the players are being put through their paces, we're not lying.

Atleti's fitness coach, Oscar Ortega, nicknamed 'El Profe', had a special ramp area built behind the training pitch for the squad to be beasted.

Atleti players are required to sprint up the 50 metre, 30% slope as the scorching hot sun beams down on them. It looks like absolute death and it all starts to make sense when you read up on Ortega.

In his 60s, Ortega is known as a "sadist" and someone who enjoys pushing his players until they are vomiting and collapsing.

Ahead of the 2016 Champions League final against Real Madrid, he had the players doing laps around the San Siro.

And this boot camp was clearly taking its toll on the first-team stars. Footage online shows them looking completely shattered and breathing heavily.

Antoine Griezmann, Atletico's all-time top scorer, was seriously struggling and his facial expression said everything about how he was feeling in that moment.

New signing Axel Witsel was also thrown straight into the deep end and forced to participate in the brutal exercise, while Thomas Lemar and Yannick Carrasco are said to have excelled.

Atleti's first pre-season fixture is against Numancia in Soria and they will then head to Osla, Norway, to play against last season's Champions League round of 16 opponents Manchester United on 30 July.

The final friendly will be against Cadiz on 4 August, before their La Liga campaign begins against Getafe on 15 August.