How An Intense Training Regimen Got Karla Souza in Triathlon Shape

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How An Intense Training Regimen Got Karla Souza in Triathlon Shape

Talk about going the extra mile! To get ready for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on September 17, How To Get Away With Murder star Karla Souza followed a "very intense" workout and eating routine, sweating five days a week (“sometimes only for 30 to 40 minutes”) and went through the entire race (half-mile swim, 17-mile bike ride, four-mile run) every Saturday. But despite the finely tuned regimen, she confessed to still having nerves ahead of race day: “No matter how much I train, every time I’m swimming in the ocean I feel a panic,” she confessed to Us Weekly. Here she outlines a full 24 hours of preparation.

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How An Intense Training Regimen Got Karla Souza in Triathlon Shape

Talk about going the extra mile! To get ready for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon on September 17, How To Get Away With Murder star Karla Souza followed a "very intense" workout and eating routine, sweating five days a week (“sometimes only for 30 to 40 minutes”) and went through the entire race (half-mile swim, 17-mile bike ride, four-mile run) every Saturday. But despite the finely tuned regimen, she confessed to still having nerves ahead of race day: “No matter how much I train, every time I’m swimming in the ocean I feel a panic,” she confessed to Us Weekly. Here she outlines a full 24 hours of preparation.

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Cheering Section

It may have been a solo race, but Souza knew she had a lot of people rooting for her success, especially the members of her Team Disney family. "They provided someone to basically hold my hand throughout the entire process, which is what I needed because I didn’t even know what a training process would look like," she explained. "They helped me get the right wetsuit, gave me little tricks and my bike, so for me it was easier having all that support."

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Fueling Her Day

Souza always kicks off her morning around 8 a.m. with journaling. “It’s the time when I really connect with myself,” she explained. Next comes breakfast: an açai or pitaya bowl enhanced with plant-based vanilla protein powder, organic almond butter and bananas.

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Stretching Her Limits

While she's generally an active person, Souza knew that completing a triathlon would be an "intense" endeavor. Visiting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where her fundraising will support cancer patients, “really motivated” her to push herself.

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Smart Sips

When her shooting schedule has her getting up at 4:30 a.m., she'll stop by Alfred Coffee. Most mornings, though, she makes her own homemade matcha latte. "I like knowing what's in it," explained the actress. "I don't put in any sweeteners in it — maybe just add a little honey."

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Mix Master

When left to her own devices, the Mexico City native prefers to work out in a hot room. “The heat helps me stay flexible,” she explained. She typically gravitates toward hip-hop, yoga and CrossFit classes.

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Sea Change

On weekends, Souza’s husband of three years, banker Marshall Trenkmann, brings home fresh catches from the Pacific Ocean. Usually they “grill, bake or broil it,” but her triathlon fitness regimen allowed for more carbs in the form of a 2 p.m. taco lunch: “I put hot sauce, pico de gallo or red salsa on everything.”

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Afternoon Delights

Souza's ideal snack session "would be on my back porch around 3 p.m. with either my husband or some friends, relaxing and eating some fig spread and rosé with ice in it," she mused. "It reminds me of my days in the south of France. We used to live there, and that was our weekly routine."

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Egging Herself On

For her 5 p.m. pre-training meal, Souza, 31, topped a quinoa and brown-rice bowl with poached eggs and avocado, plus sauteed kale and spinach. “I like to keep it fresh and have all colors of the rainbow in my fruits and vegetables,” she said, so she often tossed in bell peppers and other ingredients from her fridge.

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Buddy System

Training with castmates and fellow Team Disney triathletes Conrad Ricamora and Jack Falahee had her trying new things like a 7 p.m. tennis session at a local court.

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Winding Down

“If my body is demanding pizza, I like to put as many vegetables on it as possible,” said Souza of her dinner order (on this day, that meant a 9 p.m. pick-up order from Fig Santa Monica). Post-meal, she likes to wind down with a cup of buttermint, lemon or ginger tea and heads to bed by 10:30 p.m. so she and her spouse can squeeze in “intentional pillow-talk time.”