The 5 Best Supplements For Boxing (Explained With Benefits)

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Do you want to improve boxing performance and have shorter recovery times after high intensity exercise?

If so, keep reading to see our choices for the best supplements for boxing!

These supplements have been scientifically proven to improve your life inside and outside of the ring.

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Best Supplements For Boxing

The best supplements for boxing are:

  • Whey Protein
  • Creatine Monohydrate
  • Vitamin D3
  • Caffeine
  • Fish Oil

These supplements are for people over 18 years old with a balanced, healthy diet for boxing and a proper sleeping schedule.

If your diet isn’t right, taking these supplements might cause more harm than good to your body.

Whey Protein

First, we recommend that you supplement your diet with whey protein for boxing.

Many people fail to meet their daily protein requirements by eating food like eggs, fish, and nuts.

The good news is that you can meet your protein requirements by taking protein powder!

Since you can mix protein powder easily in water or milk, it’s perfect for blending into a delicious smoothie.

Some of the benefits of taking whey protein include:

  • Reduced muscle soreness
  • Increased muscle growth

Research also shows that taking whey protein as a dietary supplement can also reduce the risk of aging diseases like osteoporosis.

In order to choose the best quality protein supplements, spend some time researching different protein powders and their ingredients.

Even though a certain protein powder is cheap and has your favorite flavor, it could be poor quality.

Creatine Monohydrate

Next, we recommend that you supplement your diet with creatine monohydrate for boxing.

Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid that is used to increase short-term production of ATP, which is your body’s main energy source.

Some of the benefits of creatine supplementation include:

  • Improved muscle recovery
  • Increased lean muscle mass
  • More explosive athletic movements

Because creatine draws water into your muscles, you’ll feel thirsty and have to drink more water than usual.

If you’re prepping for a fight, taper off creatine use weeks before the fight since it can increase your water weight.

There are also preliminary studies with results that suggest that creatine reduces the risk of brain injury and concussion since it increases the amount of water in the blood-brain barrier.

If so, this could be huge for boxing and other combat sports.

Vitamin D3

Next, we recommend that you supplement your diet with Vitamin D3 for boxing.

You can get this vitamin naturally just by getting enough sunlight.

However, if you’re spending all your time inside at work and in the gym training, chances are that you aren’t meeting your daily Vitamin D requirements.

Some of the benefits of taking Vitamin D include:

  • Improved bone density
  • Stronger immune health

Recent research also shows that Vitamin D intake can speed up recovery time for muscle hypertrophy and damage.

Even if you don’t box, you can avoid Vitamin D insufficiency just by taking a daily pill in the morning.

Caffeine

Next, we recommend that you supplement your diet with caffeine for boxing.

This supplement is best for intense training sessions since it can reduce fatigue and improve reaction time.

Additional benefits of taking caffeine as a supplement include:

  • Increased blood flow
  • Improved cognitive performance

According to research, caffeine can also improve perception in all senses.

It’s important to time your caffeine dose so it doesn’t interfere with your sleep schedule. How long caffeine’s effect lasts depends on what form you ingested.

We all know what it’s like to lie in bed unable to fall asleep because of a post-lunch coffee.

Fish Oil

Lastly, we recommend that you supplement your diet with fish oil for boxing.

Usually you can get these healthy fats from eating fish, like salmon.

However, if you don’t have a balanced diet, chances are that you aren’t meeting this requirement for your body weight.

Some of the benefits of taking fish oil supplements include:

  • Reduced muscle pain and inflammation
  • Increased bone density

In a systematic review, athletes that consumed fish oil before exercise had reduced heart rates and lowered oxygen consumption.

Like Vitamin D, you should still be taking this supplement even if you don’t box.

Conclusion

In boxing training, taking nutritional supplements can be beneficial if you have a healthy diet first.

It won’t make a significant difference to your boxing performance though, as this is more dependent on your skill than any supplement you can take.

For each supplement, take the time to research its manufacturer and ingredients. We recommend taking products that have been formulated and checked for quality in the United States.

In general, we’ve found that the cheaper a supplement is and the more sensational its marketing, the less likely it’ll get the job done.

If you’re having trouble deciding what boxing equipment to get, check out these articles:

Sources

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  • Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Nutrition, Trauma, and the Brain. Nutrition and Traumatic Brain Injury: Improving Acute and Subacute Health Outcomes in Military Personnel. Erdman J, Oria M, Pillsbury L, editors. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011. PMID: 24983072.
  • Owens DJ, Allison R, Close GL. Vitamin D and the Athlete: Current Perspectives and New Challenges. Sports Med. 2018 Mar;48(Suppl 1):3-16. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0841-9. PMID: 29368183; PMCID: PMC5790847.
  • Peoples GE, McLennan PL, Howe PR, Groeller H. Fish oil reduces heart rate and oxygen consumption during exercise. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2008 Dec;52(6):540-7. doi: 10.1097/FJC.0b013e3181911913. PMID: 19034030.
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