Nutrition in boxing: Basics

By Beka Romero

In boxing, psychological, and physical preparation play an important role when it comes to sports performance, but let’s not leave aside nutrition in a sport as complete and complex as boxing itself.

Understanding that food is like gasoline, the better our diet is, the better results we will obtain in training and competitions. It is known that many champions have the resources to have a Nutritionist and sometimes even personal chefs, as is the case of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Floyd “Money Mayweather” to name a few.

But it is complex when starting out in the professional field, since the resources are used for other priorities. Here I tell you some tips that you can use in your process:

Do not use the term “diet” as this implies stopping eating for many, change it to “eating plan”, improve the quality of your food, try to keep meal times and pay attention to the portions you eat.

Agreeing on the ideal weight at which to compete. This is of utmost importance as it will allow your body to lose weight when competing, much healthier for your mind and body. This way you can work in advance for the objective and all your preparation will have a more agreeable process.

Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks: This way performance improves and our body is in continuous work. Make sure that strong meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are consumed two or three hours before training or competition and snacks or snacks at least one hour before, in this way adequate sugar levels are maintained in the body.

According to the American Boxing Confederation, athletes should consume between 4,000 and 6,000 calories a day. If the weight is between 65 and 70 kg, a consumption of between 2 and 5 grams of protein is estimated for every kg the boxer weighs. Always remembering that assisting with a professional is the best way to follow a diet plan but understanding that it is in our hands to prefer the best foods and improve little with what is available now.