The world looks different with the FIFA World Cup underway, and for Weston McKennie, it is his second time stepping onto the hallowed grounds with the United States.

McKennie's World Cup prep hinges on one principle: hydration and endurance training designed to outlast opponents in Qatar's heat.

"There's not really any real way you can try and prepare for it," McKennie told Men's Health. "I guess the only thing you can do is stay hydrated as much as you can, and train your body to have a good level of endurance to be able to push through."

For hydration, he reaches for Vita Coco in the morning and Celsius as his go-to "cheat sheet."

McKennie is surely a Juventus standout, having made history as the club's midfielder to score more than 10 goals in a campaign. He can change direction quickly while sprinting.

His routine for sprints includes 10-yard sprints and sharp cuts, as well as heavier endurance training. He front-loads this work early in the season to preserve leg freshness for matchday.

His strength days include compound exercises such as deadlifts, squats, and TRX band work for the legs, as well as bench press, shoulder press, dips, and curls for the upper body.

Well, all great athletes have one exercise they avoid. For McKennie, it is Bulgarian squats — "You can miss me with Bulgarian split squats. I do not like those at all,"

The soccer player also prioritizes his recovery. He employs a few key methods.

Weston McKennie Breaks Down His Unconventional Post-Game Recovery Routine

An ice bath is the first thing that comes to mind for every athlete when talking about recovery, but Weston McKennie wants nothing to do with it.

"I'm not a big ice bath guy. I've done like seven ice baths in my career. I absolutely do not like them," the USMNT midfielder told Men's Health.

Instead, his post-match routine centers on doing as little as possible. "After a game, recovery is just for me to do nothing. I just sit there and relax. That's worked out very well for me," he said.

So relaxation for him after practice is a 15-minute bike ride, and light band stretching, sitting against a wall with his legs propped up, and short bursts of running, followed by a light upper-body finish.

Mentally, McKennie says he stays checked out until kickoff: "I'm in my own world until the whistle blows, and then I'm in what I know best, which is playing soccer."

Which team are you supporting? Let us know in the comments!

Follow Bodybuilding Bros for more.

Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil