You just finished an intense Ballard Boxing workout. You’re dripping in sweat, your legs and arms are burning and you feel like you’ve pushed yourself, but best of all you have that AHHH feeling. If your workout truly pushed you to the limit, chances are you used your muscles stored glycogen, which is your body’s fuel source. So what can you do to refuel your body.
Post-boxing exercise recovery can be simplified into 3 Rs: rehydrate, refuel and rebuild.
Rehydrating replaces lost fluids and electrolytes from sweat. To help you determine the amount of fluid you lose during exercise, you can weigh yourself before and after exercise. For each pound lost during activity, drink 24 oz. of fluid. If your body weight increased, you have over hydrated and you should drink less fluid in future exercise sessions.
Refueling focuses on carbs to restore muscle glycogen and essential amino acids from high- quality proteins help repair and rebuild muscle tissue and stimulate muscle growth. Since whole foods contain compounds such as antioxidants that may provide even more recovery benefits, so focus on whole foods first and supplements second.
Rebuild with proteins. Proteins help with growth of new tissue and maintenance of existing tissue. Based on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Position Paper on Nutrition and Athletic Performance, the general recommendations for protein intake are 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight for endurance athletes and 1.2 to 1.7 grams per kilogram of body weight for resistance athletes. Boxing provides both resistance and endurance training, so finding the happy medium should be sufficient. Try to eat high-biological-value protein foods such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products.
These 3-Rs post-boxing recovery principles include providing energy to replace muscle glycogen stored, helping to maximize the repair of muscle damage, and sufficiently replenishing any fluids and electrolytes lost during training.
For more information regarding pre and post-boxing dietary recommendations and recovery methods, contact Gary Ballard, Ballard Boxing & Fitness 714.914.3316 or via email: gary@ballardfitness.com.