Professional boxers’ job—is to always push themselves beyond their limits. Thus, it’s rather unlikely that you’ll catch fighters—not waking up to train. Nutrition is a major part in this equation, as well. To fuel their body appropriately, it’ll be best to consume only healthy foods.
Pro boxers don’t have cheat days included in their nutritious plan. They understand that if they want to hold a championship belt, they must sacrifice instant-gratification activities, such as procrastinating or eating junk food. As a result, they remain strict with their diets, especially when they want to eat unhealthy foods.
However, today’s culture—is filled with individuals who believe that cheat days are beneficial to your fitness goals. As a result, they advise everyone to have at least a single cheat meal per week.
Nevertheless, such advice—is inaccurate and not based over accurate scientific data. Boxers want to be at the top of their game, all the time. As a result, having cheat days in such levels—may hold your progression back, even if not by much.
Professional boxers understand that to be a part of the elite, they must act like they’re a part of the elite. Do you think Mike Tyson indulged in instant-gratification activities, such as sleeping late? Of course not. He was too busy working until his body had no more sweat to give.
Before we dive in, if you want to learn more about how often professional boxers train to ensure they’re always in their prime, follow the link to an article of mine on the topic.
Do boxers drink alcohol?
Alcohol will harm your progression. Even if you don’t get drunk, it’ll affect how you feel when you decide to wake up. Mike Tyson used to wake up to jog at 4 am every morning. Would that be possible if he were to get wasted the night before; of course not. He understood the importance of giving extra thought to his actions.
Professional boxers don’t drink alcohol, especially when preparing for a big fight. Our actions have consequences. And so, if you miss a workout or an early-morning run because you drank last night, and you don’t feel like waking up, your chances of winning the boxing match—slim down.
When preparing for a big fight, you must ensure you constantly push your physical and mental limits, without hesitation. You won’t be able to wake up every day at 5 am and shadow box for an hour if you drank alcohol, even if you went to bed at 7pm. That’s just the reality of it.
If you’re unwilling to sacrifice comfort and instant-gratification activities for becoming the best, you won’t be the best. Instead, you become what you do, which is drinking alcohol.
I’m not saying to not enjoy a cold beer once in a while. But, if you think pro boxers drink alcohol when preparing for a fight, you have been misled.
If you want to read about why your hand shakes from boxing, follow the link to learn how to prevent this phenomenon.
Do boxers eat a lot?
According to the famous physics equation F=m*a, the force you generate is dependent on two factors: mass and acceleration. We can divert this equation into our world, boxing. If you wish to increase your punching power, you can either increase the acceleration in which you throw your punch, or, your muscle mass.
Boxers eat a lot to ensure they build muscle mass when training. Prior to fights, they often cut down their body fat to ensure their aerobic shape is on-point and that they’ll be able to last for 12 rounds. Nevertheless, professional fighters bulk up when they’re cutting body fat. In that phases, they eat a lot.
Increasing muscle mass—will increase your punching power. That’s just the way it works. However, there’s also the second metric of the equation, which is the acceleration.
In the boxing world, the acceleration is how you throw the punch. In simpler terms: your technique. Hence, you can start to improve your punching power not only by increasing your muscle mass, but by also improving your technique.
Eventually, to bulk up, you must eat more than you burn. Likewise, boxing is a sport that burns a lot of calories. For that reason, boxers eat a lot when trying to bulk up, to compensate for the calories they burn, which amounts to plenty.
What foods should boxers avoid?
Nutrition is one of the most important parts in the life of a pro boxer. If you want your body to become the best it possibly can, you must feed it only healthy and nutritious foods. Only that way will it perform extraordinarily.
Professional and amateur boxers should avoid eating foods that are either rich in sugar, fats, or carbs. Of course, there are some exceptions; for instance, while rice is full of carbs, it’s one of the healthiest complex carbohydrates out there. Likewise, avocado is full of fat – but, it’s still a healthy food.
I wrote a guide on everything you should know about nutrition for professional boxers. If you want to perform like the best, you must train and eat like the best. Do give it a read if you want to learn more about what to avoid eating.
The main takeaway is to avoid sugary-filled foods, such as sweets and snacks. You’ll progress much faster if you stop consuming them altogether, although it may be challenging, for some.
Do boxers train fasted?
Training fasted is one of the most valuable actions you can do to increase your physical health. Professional boxers know that. As such, they often use it for their advantage; hence, they do it in preparation for major fights or to ensure their physical shape is on-point.
Boxers do train fasted, especially in the early mornings when going out for a run. The benefits of training fasted have long been known. For example, you can burn more fat if you run fasted. Likewise, you’ll have more energy in the run itself, which may seem counter-intuitive.
Mike Tyson used to wake up every day at 4 am and run fasted. He was able to stay in extraordinary aerobic shape thanks to these early rises. You can achieve the same notions, too.
Returning from your run and eating a healthy, large breakfast—is one of the best feelings I have in my early runs. From personal experience, burning fat is extremely easy when you run fasted. Your day just seems to go much more smoothly, as well.
You should definitely try running fasted in the early mornings, if you want to get your shape to a professional boxer’s level.
Final words
Boxers don’t eat cheat meals as much as most people think. People love to divert the truth to fit their reality. The truth is, you won’t benefit from eating sugary foods or junk food all that often. If you can, avoid them as much as possible.
However, if you feel your diet is strict in a way that hurts you, you can, once in a while, indulge in eating junk food. Of course, don’t do so regularly, as you’ll hurt your boxing progression.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you’ll also enjoy reading about: should boxers take creatine? Supplementing your body—will help you with progression, so do give it a read.