What Should I Eat After a Boxing Workout?

This is an important question that I am often asked. To better understand things, let's first talk a little bit about boxing and energy systems. As I am guessing you already know, a good boxing workout can be as intense as anything someone can do. Besides being both cardio and strength training put together, boxing is all about explosive bursts of energy. You are producing maximum force in minimal time. It is not primarily a steady-state, aerobic exercise where you are constantly pumping oxygenated blood into the working muscles. It is an anaerobic exercise, which means "without oxygen." To create these short, bursts of energy, the body can't rely on oxygenated blood the way it would with something less intense. So what does it rely on? Something called glycogen, which is a form of glucose that is stored in your muscles (and liver). It is used as the primary fuel for those anaerobic bursts of energy we use in boxing and other forms of high-intensity training. When you work really hard, your glycogen levels deplete and if they deplete too much, your body starts consuming muscle for energy and other problems can arise.

So you need this glycogen to survive and especially to exercise at a high, anaerobic level. But how does one "fill up" with glycogen for fuel? The answer is the same way that we provide fuel to the body in general - with food. More specifically for glycogen though, we need carbohydrates to replenish our glycolytic levels. I realize that there is a lot of science going on here and I don't want Neil Young or anybody who's had a lot of success with lower carb diets to boycott my blog but I do think everybody can agree that creating glycogen is indeed a function of consuming carbohydrates.

Therefore, in answer to the original question, something with significant carbohydrates is recommended to eat after boxing. That doesn't mean you should crush a donut after every workout though. Something healthier like starchy vegetables and whole grain foods are much better choices on several levels. The only problem, at least for me, is I can't honestly say I like eating vegetables, fruits and whole grains. My personal, preferred solution is a smoothie (somehow blending things into a drink makes all the difference) but you might have other options. If I'm at the club and don't have access to smoothies, I eat a lot of protein bars. Not necessarily optimal but at least I eat ones that are low in sugar (ie no Cliff Bars).

Speaking of protein, that is another thing that is somewhat universally recommended after a workout, as it is essential for building/rebuilding muscle. It can also help replenish your glycogen supplies! But not enough that you could just eat something high in protein after a workout, like nuts or an egg or even meat just on its own. Without some carbohydrates, your glycogen levels may not recover completely. This means your body may have to consume muscle for energy, negating some of the positive effects of protein, and also may feel weaker in general when exercising at higher intensity levels.

I realize that it is not always that simple, that every body is different, and that you may have a different dietary program that works for well for you and I certainly don't want to convince you otherwise, but if you are looking for a general, rule-of-thumb recommendation that you are going to hear from doctors, sports scientists and anyone with an understanding of how the human body produces energy for high-intensity exercise, it is this: Consume something with healthy carbohydrates and some protein after your workout. If you feel yourself getting extra shaky, feeling light-headed and maybe a little clammy while boxing, there is a good chance your blood sugar levels are low and you'll need to replenish quickly.

Which leads me to one extra point, which is when you should eat after boxing. For me, I like to eat my relatively-healthy carb and protein snack immediately afterwards. As soon as possible, especially if I am feeling shaky. But as long as you eat within an hour, you should be okay. Now, I have mostly been talking about snacks here. But what about eating breakfast, lunch or dinner after boxing? Great! Just make sure it includes some (healthy) carbohydrates and protein. But if you're not within an hour of one of these meals, I'd highly suggest a light snack. And of course, water. Plenty and plenty of water.