Over the past few months, I’ve been working with strength and functional fitness coach Kaisa Larkas as she prepared for a run of HYROX, ATHX and trail-running events. With more than 25 years of coaching experience, Kaisa already had a solid understanding of nutrition. My role wasn’t to overhaul anything – just to help her make a few small adjustments in line with her increasing training load.
Kaisa mentioned early on that something didn’t feel quite right:
“I suspected I was hitting my protein goals but not having enough carbohydrates to fuel my body as well as I could.”
Once she began tracking her intake, that intuition proved spot on. Her carbohydrates were lower than ideal for the amount of strength and endurance work she was doing. From there, we focused on practical, manageable changes that aligned her fuelling with her workload. As she put it:
“Matt was awesome at keeping it simple… not just what foods would be ideal to hit my carb goal, but what supplements to take and when, as I find the whole thing a minefield.”
Supplements We Used
Alongside her nutrition adjustments, we put together a consistent supplement routine using products from aminoman.com:
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Omega 1400 Fish Oils
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Vitamin D
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Multi Nutrient
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Collagen
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ViNitroPlus
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Metabolic Amino Complex
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R5 Aminos
These were chosen to support joint health, immune function, connective tissue, energy metabolism and overall recovery – all essential when training volume increases.
Kaisa shared:
“I was taking the staple ones, but Matt added some extra bits which I feel have made a difference in my training and performance.”
How It Translated Into Training and Racing
Once the fuelling and supplement changes settled in, Kaisa noticed a clear shift in her performance. Her results over this period include:
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Hyrox Pro Doubles (Rome) – 3rd place
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Hyrox Pro Women’s Doubles – 1st place in 1:06 and qualification for the World Championships in Stockholm
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Multiple 15km trail races and half marathons, finishing in the top 3–4
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Hyrox Open – 1st in age group and 2nd overall out of nearly 2,000 participants
Interestingly, her body composition didn’t change dramatically – but how she felt and performed certainly did:
“My weight or measurements haven’t changed much at all in the last two months, but I’m feeling much stronger and leaner.”
“I can definitely feel that I have more to give, thanks to the little tweaks Matt advised me on in my diet.”
Looking Ahead
With more races ahead – including the ATHX final and the HYROX World Championships – I’ll continue supporting Kaisa through the next phase of her training.
I’m grateful for the trust she placed in me and for taking the time to share her experience. It’s a reminder that often, the biggest improvements come from small, consistent changes.
If you’re increasing your training load or preparing for similar events and want help tailoring your nutrition to your goals, feel free to reach out: matt@aminoman.com.