Workout and nutrition tips

[MFA]

1. Warm-up (2 Rounds)​

The warm-up prepares the body for the workout:

• Jumping Jacks: Hands up overhead, feet kicking out to the sides.
• Butt Kicks: Kick your feet up high so your heels reach your glutes.
• Bodyweight Squats: Drop down comfortably, ensuring knees track over ankles and pushing up through your heels.
• Arm Circles: Start small and gradually increase the size of the circles, then switch direction (backwards).

2. HIIT Circuit (2 Rounds)​

Remember the structure: 30 seconds of work, 30 seconds of rest.

• Reverse Lunges (Right Leg, then Left Leg): Step back, gently tap the knee down, and explode back up. Push through your front heel and keep the reps fast.
• Push-ups: Hands down on the mat. Keep your core engaged and spine neutral.
  • Modification: Drop to your knees (assisted kneeling pushup).
  • Focus: Use a wider grip for chest focus or elbows tucked in for tricep focus.
• Bicycle Crunches: Lay on your back, hands behind your head for support. Bring opposite elbow to opposite knee, exhaling as you crunch. Keep your low back pressed into the ground and contract your abs.
• Glute Bridges (Right Side, then Left Side): Lay on your back, bring your heel close to your glute. Pull your opposite knee into your chest to help isolate the working glute. Push up through the heel into full hip extension, squeezing your glutes and hamstrings.
• Spider-Man Planks: Start in a high plank position. Bring your knee to the elbow on the same side (e.g., left knee to left elbow). Really crunch the obliques and control your breathing.

3. Cool-down​

Stretch out the working muscles:

• Standing Toe Touch: Reach down for your toes.
• Walking Hamstring/Groin Stretch: Take a wide step and slowly walk your hands over to the other side.
• Seated Forward Fold: Sit down, point your toes and reach forward. Then, flex your feet (toes to the sky) and pull them toward you.
• Seated Straddle Stretch: Kick your feet out, then crawl down towards the center. Slowly walk your hands over to one side to stretch the adductors and hamstrings, then repeat on the other side.
• Seated Side Bend: Sit upright, reach one arm up and over to stretch your lats and obliques. Repeat on the other side.
• Kneeling Lunge with Arm Reach: Step back into a lunge (straight back leg, bent front leg). Reach your arm across your body, and then up and over for a stretch. Switch sides and repeat.

 

[JayKosta]

If you really do 20 minutes of that HIIT program - meaning 30s full-out doing the exercise, and then rest for 30s and do more bouts, then immediately move on to the next exercise and continue the routine - it will be a very hard workout and will leave you drained for hours - don't plan on doing much else except rest. And 30s rest between bouts might not be enough for recovery - you might need to extend up to 90s recovery between bouts.
For a similar Sprint Interval Training (SIT) google 'sprint 8'.
If you lay back on the intensity of each bout, it can still be a good workout, but really isn't High IIT .

 

[MFA]

This 10-minute session is a bodyweight mobility HIIT workout designed to boost your mobility, burn calories, and build strength in a deep range of motion.

The main circuit consists of two sets of three exercises, with a high intensity 50 seconds of work and only 10 seconds of rest (just enough time to transition to the next exercise).

1. Warm-up (1 Minute)​

• Rotational Lunges: Take a step back, and as you lunge down, rotate your torso in the direction of the back leg. You can alternate sides or twist in both directions. Keep your chest tall and get your back knee low.

2. Main Circuit (2 Rounds)​

Round 1: Focus on Right Leg for ReachbacksRound 2: Focus on Left Leg for Reachbacks

• Reachbacks:
  • Set up with one leg turned out in front and the back leg bent, resting on the ball of the foot (heel up).
  • Place the hand opposite the front leg on your shoulder (e.g., right leg in front, left hand on right shoulder).
  • Using the arm of the back leg, lean back and try to tap your kneepit or heel, then return to a straight leg.
  • Focus on keeping your hips flat and your base wide for stability. You should feel the quad and calf working.
• Plank to Low Squat Catch:
  • Start in a solid plank position (hips low, core tight).
  • In one powerful movement, push up and jump your feet forward, catching yourself in the deepest squat you can comfortably reach.
  • Step or jump back to the plank position. If jumping is too much, you can step forward and back. Maintain a low position on the jump-in.
• Dolphins:
  • Start in a forearm plank, then push your bottom up into a Downward-Dog-like position (high hips, straight legs).
  • Lean forward, getting your chin to touch your thumbs, and then push back to a full shoulder stretch.
  • Keep your hips high for more intensity, or walk your feet back for a rocking motion.

3. Finisher (1 Minute)​

• Low Lateral Lunge Shifts: Get into your lowest lateral lunge possible. Keeping your chest tall, shift your weight side-to-side, maintaining a low position. Keep the knee of the bent leg pushing out. You can use your hands to assist if needed.

4. Cool-down​

• Tucked-Toe Seated Stretch: Sit on your heels with your toes tucked under to stretch the bottoms of the feet. Rock gently side to side.
• Kneeling Hip Flexor Stretch: Bring one leg forward, bending the knee. Keep the back leg straight with the heel down. Tuck your tailbone under and rock slightly forward and back to feel the stretch in the front of the hip. Switch sides.
• Standing Shoulder/Hamstring Stretch: Clasp your hands behind your back. Hinge forward and let your arms drop toward the floor. Shift your hips side to side to stretch the hamstrings, calves, shoulders, and chest.
• Roll Up: Give a small knee bend, pull your hands toward your back, tuck your chin to your chest, and slowly roll all the way up to finish.

 

[MFA]

1. Warm-up​

The warm-up focuses on dynamic movements to open up the chest, shoulders, and hips:

• T and Y Swings: Step side to side while swinging your arms open wide to form a big "T" shape, then switch to a big open "Y" shape overhead.
• Dynamic Hamstring Kicks: Perform big, open kicks, trying to kick up as high as you can to actively stretch the hamstrings. Keep the standing leg as straight as possible.
• Quad and Hip Stretch: Grab the opposite foot with one or two hands, hinge forward slightly, and gently pull to extend the hip and stretch the quad. Stand up and switch sides.
• Plank to Downward Dog Calf Cycle: Start in a high plank, then press back into a Downward Dog position and cycle the heels to the ground to stretch the calves. Return to a plank.
• Side Squat with Knee Hug: Step out into a side squat, then drive up, pulling the opposite knee toward your chest. This opens up the inner thigh and stretches the hamstring.

2. Main Workout Circuit (2 Rounds)​

Structure: 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest.

1. Suitcase Squat with Clean: Hold dumbbells at your sides (suitcase position). Perform a deep squat, then drive up explosively, using the momentum from your lower body to "clean" the dumbbells up to your shoulders. Focus on a slow eccentric (way down) and an explosive pop (way up).
2. Front Rack Reverse Lunge with Punch: Hold dumbbells in the front rack position (at your shoulders). Step back into a reverse lunge. As you drive up, perform a punch straight up overhead with one arm, then return the dumbbell to the front rack. Alternate lunge sides and punching arms.
3. Side Squat with Clean: Step out to the side into a side lunge/squat (splitting the knee with both dumbbells). Drive off the stepping foot explosively into a clean, bringing the dumbbells to the front rack position. Perform all reps on one side for this round.
4. Deadlift to Upright Row: Hinge your hips back, keeping your back flat for the deadlift. As you return to standing, drive up and immediately pull the dumbbells into an upright row, getting the elbows high and sticking the squeeze at the top.
5. Wood Chop (Single Dumbbell): Hold one dumbbell with both hands. Swing it across your body (from low outside hip to high opposite shoulder), punching it over the top of the shoulder and returning with control. Alternate the chop side continuously. Keep your core tight.
6. Single-Leg Deadlift (Hinge) to Row: Stand on one leg (or tap the back toe for balance assistance). Hinge forward into a single-leg deadlift. At the bottom, perform a row, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Return to the standing position. Alternate legs with each rep.
7. Bicycle Press (on the ground): Lie on your back. Starting with opposite arm/leg up (e.g., right arm/left leg), press the dumbbell up as you switch the leg position (punching up with the opposite arm). You can float both heels for more core work, or tap the non-working heel to the ground.
8. Mountain Climbers: Finish the round with a high-plank position, rapidly cycling your knees toward your chest to raise the heart rate.

3. Cool-down​

• Snow Angels: Lie on your back and perform big, slow snow angel motions with your arms to relax the shoulders and chest.
• Supine Straight Leg Raises: Lie on your back and raise one straight leg up, holding for a count of four, then slowly lower it. Alternate legs.
• Tabletop Forearm Stretch: Start in a tabletop position (on hands and knees). Place your palms facing away from you on the ground for a forearm and bicep stretch. Shift your hips back and forth for an active stretch. Then, flip your hands so the top of your hand is on the ground to stretch the top of the forearm and wrist.
• T-Spine Rotation: Start in a tabletop position. Thread one arm underneath your body, then open up, rotating your spine and extending the arm toward the ceiling. Exhale at the top and alternate sides.

 

[MFA]

Post-Workout Nutrition: What Should You Eat And When?​

Exercise is one of the most essential tools for maintaining your long-term health and well-being. After a workout, it’s important to ensure that your body has everything that it needs to recover. The timing and composition of your post-workout meals can have a significant impact on your recovery process.
Making sure that you’re eating the right nutrients at the right time can help you to recover faster and to gain more benefits from your workout.

Why you need protein after a workout​

During a workout, your muscles experience some damage. This actually isn’t harmful in the long term—in fact, it’s the process of repairing this damage that causes the muscle to become stronger.
Muscle cells are filled with proteins. After a workout, they need to repair damaged proteins, and also build extra proteins to become stronger. For this healing process to occur, your muscle cells need amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. You get these from the protein that you eat—your body breaks down the proteins in your food into amino acids, which are then used by muscle cells to build their own proteins. Because of this, it’s important to make sure that you’re eating enough protein to allow your muscles to recover and get stronger after a workout.
The general expert recommendation is to get 20 to 40 grams of protein during your post-workout meal. This amount is contained in a regular-sized serving of lean meat or fish, or in about five eggs. You can also make a protein shake or smoothie using protein powder, in order to get the post-workout dose of protein that you need.
Plant-based foods, like tofu, beans, and lentils, can also be good sources of protein, but they may be low in one or more specific amino acids. If you prefer plant-based protein, combining multiple different sources is recommended, in order to ensure that you’re getting all of the different amino acids that you need.

Why you also need carbs after a workout​

Besides making sure to get enough protein, it’s also a good idea to include some carbs in your post-workout meal.
During exercise, your muscle cells need a lot of fuel in the form of glucose, which is a type of sugar. Your muscle cells can take up glucose from the bloodstream, but there often isn’t enough available there to fuel a period of intense activity. Because of this, muscle cells store extra glucose in the form of a starch called glycogen. When a muscle cell is resting, it gathers up glucose and stores it as glycogen. During a workout, it breaks down the glycogen into glucose to use for energy.
After a workout, your muscle cells need to replenish their glycogen stores. Eating some carbohydrates (starches or sugars) during your post-workout meal makes it easier for your muscle cells to gather up the glucose they need to build their glycogen stores back up. This will provide you with the proper fuel for your next workout.
If your workout involved endurance exercise (like long-distance running, cycling, or swimming), then your glycogen stores will be very depleted, and your body’s need for carbs will be higher. If you did resistance exercise (like weightlifting), then your muscle cells likely didn’t use up all of their glycogen, and you won’t need to eat as many carbs to replace what was used.

When should you eat after a workout?​

In general, it’s recommended to eat a meal containing both protein and carbs within 2 hours after you finish your workout. This period is known as the “anabolic window.”
During the anabolic window, your muscle cells have an enhanced ability to take up glucose from the bloodstream. This allows them to replenish their glycogen stores more efficiently. Within this window, they also have an enhanced ability to take up amino acids and to use those for making their own proteins. Research has found that consuming amino acids within two hours after a workout increases the amount of muscle strength that’s gained.
Exercise improves virtually every aspect of your health, from your heart health to your mood to your sleep. The recovery after a workout is at least as crucial as the workout itself. Ensuring that you’re providing your body with the right nutrients will help you to get the most benefit from your exercise plan.

 

[JayKosta]

Post-Workout Nutrition: What Should You Eat And When?​

...

Why you also need carbs after a workout​

...

Just be careful to not REWARD yourself with excess calories.
Depending on what activities you need to do after a workout, you can delay refueling your carbs. Your body 'knows' that you've burned calories, and it will try to restore your 'supply of accessible fuel' by burning fat - AS LONG AS you haven't just eaten a bunch of carbs that are more easily available.

 

[MFA]

Just be careful to not REWARD yourself with excess calories.
Depending on what activities you need to do after a workout, you can delay refueling your carbs. Your body 'knows' that you've burned calories, and it will try to restore your 'supply of accessible fuel' by burning fat - AS LONG AS you haven't just eaten a bunch of carbs that are more easily available.

I agree that total calories matter and post-workout food shouldn’t turn into a free pass to overeat. That said, a sensible amount of protein and carbs after training isn’t really a “reward,” it’s part of recovery. Protein helps repair muscle, and some carbs help refill glycogen so the next workout doesn’t suffer. You can adjust carb amounts or timing based on your goals, but skipping fuel altogether can slow recovery and progress in the long run.

 

[JayKosta]

... You can adjust carb amounts or timing based on your goals, but skipping fuel altogether can slow recovery and progress in the long run.

Yes, re-fuel is necessary.
If 'fat-loss' is a goal, a few hour delay to carb re-fuel can help with that - but it does extend the duration of post-exercise fatigue.

 

[red_flanders]

Fuel your body with whole, mostly plant based foods. Sure, get enough protein, but you can get a huge amount from plants. Lean meat, and fish are fine, but IMO the whole protein obsession in this country has done off the deep end.

Eat a plant-forward mediterranean diet and you don't have to starve yourself after a ride. You can deliver the fuel your body wants, when it wants it. If you're some ultra-distance athlete and need to enhance your metabolism of fat because you're doing 8+ hour efforts, sure, work on some fasting to train your body to burn fat.

I don't quite get who are the athletes who would benefit more from fasting after exercise than just smartly re-fueling one's body with good, healthy food. If you're 20 lbs overweight, just eat right. If it's 50, do the same, but it's gonna take a long time. There really aren't shortcuts or better answers. If you can't for some reason bring yourself to do the simple, obvious thing which is proven to work for health and performance, I guess you go into the rabbit hole of things like fasting and counting "macros" and worrying about carbs, and crap like that.

It's not that hard. Just eat right, train hard, fuel the body. If you're not a professional athlete, have a beer with your bros after the ride along with some good food and enjoy your life.