Nutrition

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Don't get me wrong here, I believe the majority of sports supplements on the market are gimmicky wastes of money, but a protein supplement is the one supplement that I believe has any worth.

There are some people who lump protein supplements in with the rest of the supplement industry - as just another money grabbing product you don't really need sold by snakeoil salesmen. While I completely disagree based on personal experience and study, I feel it is important to present both sides of the story in an objective manner as possible so you can make up your own mind. All of the arguments for and against will be supported with published articles from sources such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which are available online if you wish to research further.

I am not going to differentiate between the various types of whey, soy, and other protein supplements, but rather establish the case for and against protein supplementation altogether.

The basic premise of the arguments against protein supplementation revolves around the belief that the human body does not require protein supplementation - that all protein required can be derived from regular foods obtained from eating a balanced diet. Those against protein supplementation believe it is a fallacy that more intense training demands an increase in protein consumption.

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First, let's establish why you may want to consider consuming a protein powder.

If you are a healthy, adult male, are happy with your weight, and engage in moderate to high physical activity such as boxing 3-4 times a week you need about 2600-2700 calories a day. In accordance with the nutritional principles I mention elsewhere on this site, at times, up to 40% of that should be protein which equals about 285g of protein a day.

So, to consume 285g of protein a day, you would have to eat something like 4 chicken breasts, 7 cans of tuna,  48 eggs, 36 cups of milk -- get my drift.  Not only would this be near impossible for you to do on a consistent basis, but think of the cost.  I bought 2 chicken breasts for $7 yesterday.  That's $14/day or  $98 a week just on chicken.  That doesn't take into account all the carbs and fats you need to consume as well.

So, how does a normal human manage to eat this much protein?

Eat Your Egg Yolks

I have a confession.

I've been discriminating against egg yolks for years.  Believing the egg white was the only healthy part of the egg, I've been dropping egg yolk after egg yolk down the drain.  I would cringe as my friends and family dipped their toast in the yellow goo spilling out of their eggs. 

I shudder to think how much time and nutrition I've wasted trying to pick every last speck of egg yolk out of my hard boiled eggs - when they would crumble and not separate from the whites nice and easy. 

I'm ashamed of my part in promoting these lies about egg yolks.

Turns out - egg yolks have been getting a bad wrap.  They aren't evil after all.

To all the yolks I've wronged - I'm sorry.  And now it's time to set the record straight.

Weekends are evil for boxers and their training plans.   Actually they are evil for anyone trying to control what they eat and train.  While they are just like any other day of the week, there is something mystical about a weekend that has us all partying hard Friday night, sleeping in late on Saturday only to repeat the cycle again Saturday night and Sunday morning.  It's a vicious war and the casualties are our training and nutrition.

The one bright spot, is that on occasion, you have a fight one of those nights which keeps you focused, but if you're not following the weekly routine on the weekend, you're going to end up cheating on your meal plan, skipping the gym, and overindulging in food, alcohol, and whatever else may be within reach. 

So how do you mitigate the damage, while still ensuring you have a little fun in the process?

Would you put diesel in a gas burning engine? Do you put tinfoil in a microwave? Some things just don't work without the right fuel, so stop putting crap in your body.

Boxers, and athletes in general, have specific nutritional requirements.  In order to become the best boxer around and reach your maximum potential, you have to be able to control what you eat.  As a boxer, or any person really, you need to know:

• How many calories your body requires daily just to survive.
• How many calories you need to eat to lose weight.
• How many calories you need to eat to add muscle.
• Of those calories you eat, what is the makeup of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and other vitamins you need to optimally fuel your body.
• How many calories you are actually burning on any given day taking into account your activities in addition to your basic metabolic rate?