Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino professional boxer, once said, If you work hard in training, the fight is easy. and most athletes can relate to what he meant when he said that.
You cant jump into the ring without several hours of training. The first step is usually the hardest. Training encapsulates a whole lot of everything training your body, mind, and eating right everything is critical to the entire process.
A Chinese adage says, If you know the art of deep breathing, you have the strength, wisdom, and courage of ten tigers. And, you can learn the art of deep breathing if you are feeding your body healthy food. For boxers to gather the courage of ten tigers inside the ring and while training for several months toiling in the gym, it is equally important to eat right. Planning their diet and eating healthy is as essential as training & working out.
According to a Statista report, participants in boxing in the US rose to 6.53 million in 2017 from 2.04 in 2006. But not all of them have been able to make their dream come true. So, to enter into the successful lot and become a world champion, you must plan your diet correctly before sweating out, skipping & giving your first uppercut in the ring.
When Muhammad Ali said, I hated every minute of training, but I said, Dont quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion. he also meant planning the diet. Whether you are an amateur boxer or a world champion, you always need to take care of your diet.
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Dont worry; were together in this!
Not just boxers but any serious athlete need to pay attention to what they are eating and how often. A boxers diet is pretty much similar to that of weightlifters and runners.
A boxers diet is all packed with nutrition in the required proportions, which should be consumed at the right time in the right amount. In general, a boxers diet comprises of the following foods:
1. Complex carbohydrates: potatoes, fresh fruits, bread, oats, rice
2. Lean protein: low-fat dairy, lean red meats, white meats, fat
3. Healthy fats: Avocados, olive oil, nuts, fish
4. Water: to keep the body hydrated
While carbohydrates are required more before the workout, you need protein in more quantity after the workout. Boxers are advised to eat just before they start feeling too hungry and stop just before they start feeling too full. On top of that, keeping the body hydrated all the time is significant boxers must eat at least one gallon of water every day.
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In the general scenario, boxers must eat at least three meals a day. But this should increase to five meals a day when training. After every intense workout, you must not forget to take a glass full of protein shake; they are fantastic to give your muscles an easy recovery from all the wear & tear. Health experts also recommend taking snacks regularly (as recommended by a dietician) to feel satiated. It all helps in the way of correcting basic boxing techniques.
Heres a quick look into the foods under the four Essential nutrition categories for boxers diet:
Lets understand the four crucial elements of a Boxers diet that would help with workout & in improving basic boxing techniques:
You cant even correct the basic boxing techniques without maintaining an adequate amount of energy. Carbohydrates help improve stamina for workouts or a fight by releasing energy at regular intervals, replenishing the depleted glycogenic levels. A fighters diet is incomplete without carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are stored in the human body in glycogen, which is ultimately converted to glucose when the body needs energy. It prevents fatigue during fights & practices advanced & basic boxing techniques.
So boxers and athletes are prone to everyday wear and tear of muscles an adequate amount of protein can help in the foundation, care, and building of muscles. Injuries, fatigue, and pain are common when you are an athlete. Protein works towards preventing any kind of muscle damage by enhancing the level of muscle mass by regeneration of tissues & cells. Boxers must consume the recommended amount of protein to around 35-60% of the protein in their daily diet. Whether you are working on the basic boxing techniques or are practicing advanced level techniques, protein should be a crucial part of a boxing training diet.
You have gotten it wrong if you think all fats are bad! Good fats are essential for your body, and making sure your body is correctly learning advanced & basic boxing techniques, it is way too crucial. Good fats help build damaged cells, improve the absorption of vitamins, & provide a boxers body with the required energy. In addition, fats also help in the protection & insulation of body organs which is essential for fighters and athletes who go through such intense training for several months & days. Its important irrespective of whether they are trying hands at advanced or basic boxing techniques. Good fats also help in the proper absorption of fat-soluble vitamins in the body.
Boxers and athletes have long-hour intense training sessions. And, when they are training a lot, it would mean sweating a lot but how to compensate for the lost fluid from the body? Thats where water comes in! Even when one is learning a basic boxing technique, he will sweat a lot that means you need to drink a lot of water. Athletes must train their minds to sip through their water bottles every now & then and should increase the amount of water during the training sessions. A healthy boxers diet must include lots of water!
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Summing up
The perfect diet for all athletes, including boxers, runners & weightlifters look almost similar. The only difference between a boxer and other athletes health plans is boxers have to maintain a certain weight to be eligible to compete under a specific division except for the heavyweight fighters who do not have to follow any weight cap. You will get this if you have watched the movie Rocky!
To advance from learning the basic boxing techniques to the advanced level, dont just focus on training vigorously, but also focus on how you are nurturing your body. Someone has very rightly said, "The King who cannot rule his diet will hardly rule his realm in peace." So if you want to come up as a successful boxing champion or win the world over in any realm of life, make sure you are nurturing the gift of nature, your body.
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