Supplements have without a doubt become and essential part of any athletes’ development in today’s world of sports. But for boxers looking to take their training and performance to the next level, supplements can help play a key role in getting the best out of their overall performance and fitness. In this article I’ll look at some essential supplements boxer should consider including the benefits and some cons for each of them further below.
Before you consider buying any supplement, I highly recommend you get your nutrition intake, training pattern and motivation in order first. Investing in supplements can all add up in cost and will to go to waste if you don’t use them consistently and properly. Make sure you know in yourself that you are ready to go to the next level before purchasing.
What supplements should boxers take?
There are six main supplements boxers should definitely consider taking to improve their nutrition and training performance. This includes the following:
Whey Protein
Creatine
Caffeine
Fish Oil
Multivitamin
CBD Oil
Should boxers take supplements?
Now I’ve seen arguments for both sides of supplement usage. Many say there is a risk in taking supplements due to the risk of taking performance enhancing drugs or that the past greatest fighters never used them so why bother now.
However, we live in a very different sporting performance world now where supplement usage is very much accepted and used. Considering the above, these are all verified in most boxing governing bodies which means they are absolutely fine to use as part of your intake plan.
I would always recommend in using a trusted supplement supplier/brand. All their products go through a quality assurance throughout their creation making sure nothing ‘dirty’ gets through the product line. This means you will have a safe and beneficial product to use.
Supplements boxers should avoid!
Many of the top boxers are using multiple supplements to get the best performance in their training, not by cheating with illegal drugs. Well some of them are, as unfortunate it is to hear that.
You want to stay away from any form of weight cutting supplement, anabolic steroids (injecting needles), testosterone products. This is very much cheating and life threatening to your opponent, especially in this sport which can end a life with one punch. So please stay away and don’t be tempted – would you like to be know as cheat for the rest of your life? Probably not, so just don’t even consider this.
Now…going back to supplements which you can take as a boxer:
Check out below for the following supplements to see the benefits for boxing training including some cons. I have also left some great options for you to check out.
Whey Protein
Now this is probably the most common supplement you will see out there and one which most use. To quickly some up the benefits of whey protein, it is fantastic additional ‘whey’ to get protein into your diet quickly and effectively.
Obviously natural protein is the best alternative to this, but taking this right after your boxing training will really aid you in recovery which means it will help you to perform at the highest level day after day.
This is a supplement I personally like to use out all them as it really does help to aid my own muscle recovery.
If Protein Powders aren’t your thing, why not consider Built Bar who have some of the best protein-to-calorie ratio bars out there!
Built Bar
Creatine
Creatine is another supplement which gets thrown about in fitness circles, but how does it actually benefit you? Well what creatine is great for is increasing your muscle mass and strength performance. So how does it do this, well it does this by increasing phosphocreatine stores within your muscles which helps them to grow and improve your overall strength.
In terms of dosage, creatine itself usually comes in pills or powder form (I personally prefer powder form and mixing with water.) As a boxer you should probably take smaller doses of creatine 1.5g – 3g daily. Also, make sure you take this with your post meal after exercise to give your muscles a better chance of storing the creatine. The only negative I have with creative is that is can increase your weight slightly due to increase in muscle mass after training with if for a while – something to keep in mind if you are trying to lose weight for a fight.
Now this something you will be definitely be more familiar with – especially if you are the type of person who needs a coffee or two in the morning to give you that energy to start the day! In terms of caffeine supplements, they are great to take if you want that extra boost before a training session.
If you don’t like caffeine drinks such as coffee or tea, this can be a really good alternative for you to get that boost and motivation to train. If you do plan on taking caffeine supplements, remember not to take too much at once and it’s also important you don’t take it too late in the day or you will be up all night!
Now once again this is a supplement which I would recommend you take if you really want to increase your healthy lifestyle in general and if you are boxer fish oil is an awesome supplement to consider.
Fish oil is overall great for your improving your overall health, especially for things like your bones, joints, skin care and lowering your blood pressure. (Check out this article to see more fantastic benefits of fish oil)
Like the above multivitamin supplements are not essential as you can get a lot of them from your diet. But saying that they will improve your overall health by giving sufficient amounts of both vitamins and minerals you might not usually get enough of.
These supplements will generally help with increasing overall energy levels – great if you are going to be doing a lot of hard training to keep up your energy levels out the gym. It also helps with your immune system and can help increase metabolism.
CBD is short for cannabidiol. Unlike with marijuana, it does not have any psychoactive properties.
CBD Oil is made from the leaves and stalks of the hemp plant which is a strain of the Cannabis sativa plant species which has specifically grown for the industrial uses of its derived products.
This is the only part of the plant which contains cannabidiol.
They’re in fact many benefits to CBD oil which is why this has become a very popular product among boxers. CBD oil is also generally great for anyone looking for healthier lifestyle. These include:
Now considering all the above supplements the most important for boxing I think is whey protein powder. Due to the amount of hard training you will be doing it’s important that you get this into your diet when your in a training routine to improve your recovery so you can continue to perform at the highest level.
If you are looking for that extra boost in your training and improvement in strength, creatine is something you should consider seeing if it can help make a difference. Fish oil and multivitamins are great options to improve that overall healthy lifestyle that is so important for boxer, but are not essential.
Despite all the above supplement choices, you should use them to compliment your overall diet and food intake which is much more important.
Remember to always consider talking to doctor or a dietitian if you unsure over a certain supplement products affecting your health.
Hope you enjoyed this article and thanks for reading.
Why not check out more of my Diet And Nutrition articles below:
I'm an amateur boxer and blogger trying to pass on my boxing experiences and passion to anyone looking to learn or find out more about the sport of boxing. Whether that be reviews, news, training tips or my own personal journey, I'll be covering it on "Boxing Life".
2 thoughts on “Best Supplements For Boxing Training”
Caffeine is a substance that many consume almost every day in the form of brewed coffee.
According to statistical studies conducted in the United States, out of 24,808 Americans, 89% regularly consume caffeine, with 98% of the caffeine consumed being ingested as a component of various drinks.
According to the results of the same study, the average volume of caffeine daily received by men is 240 mg. per person and women – 183 mg.
Thus, it is obvious that caffeine is an integral part of the daily diet for most people.
If we talk about those who use caffeine in sports supplements, then the dose of the substance changes dramatically: the lower limit of the daily dose corresponds to 436 mg. and the upper – more than 1000 mg.
Best Caffeine Pills vs Coffee (Tea), Caffeine Anhydrous
https://tonusjournal.com/health/best-caffeine-pills/
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Optimum Nutrition Creatine Caps
Caffeine is a substance that many consume almost every day in the form of brewed coffee.
According to statistical studies conducted in the United States, out of 24,808 Americans, 89% regularly consume caffeine, with 98% of the caffeine consumed being ingested as a component of various drinks.
According to the results of the same study, the average volume of caffeine daily received by men is 240 mg. per person and women – 183 mg.
Thus, it is obvious that caffeine is an integral part of the daily diet for most people.
If we talk about those who use caffeine in sports supplements, then the dose of the substance changes dramatically: the lower limit of the daily dose corresponds to 436 mg. and the upper – more than 1000 mg.
Best Caffeine Pills vs Coffee (Tea), Caffeine Anhydrous
https://tonusjournal.com/health/best-caffeine-pills/
Really interesting point on how so many realy on Caffeine. I’ll definitly check your article out/
J