Best Supplements for Combat Sports: Boxing, MMA, Wrestling and More

Competitive combat sports are epitomised by the need to exert powerful force repeatedly during a contest.¹ No matter what the discipline — boxing, wrestling, judo, Brazilian jiu jitsu, or MMA — combat sports athletes have all their physiological body systems challenged whilst competing.²

Combat sports athletes also have the need to exert maximal force whilst attempting to sustain body weight within a particular weight class, and as such relative strength is a greater benefit than hypertrophy.³

In order to perform at an elite level, diet and training requires optimisation of dietary supplementation. This article will outline the best supplements for combat sports athletes.

• Power production
• 1. Creatine monohydrate
• 2. Beta-alanine
• Strength and muscle maintenance
• 3. Protein
• 4. Maltodextrin
• 5. BCAAs
• 6. Omega-3 fatty acids
• 7. Multivitamins
• Take home message

Power production

Power endurance and anaerobic metabolic capacity are essential for a combat sports athlete to perform repeated high-intensity efforts for the length of a match or fight. This may be attempts to strike in boxing, kickboxing, or MMA, or attempts to change position and challenge the opponent during grappling (e.g. wrestling or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu).

Specific supplementation can assist with this ability.

1. Creatine monohydrate

Research suggests that physiological adaptations to training can amplify strength, power, and lean muscle mass.^4-7

In fact, such benefits have been observed specifically in combat sports athletes. In judo practitioners, a significant increase in peak power in both the upper and lower limbs was observed⁸ — changes three times greater than the control group. These results are also supported by a separate study which examined performance of a protocol simulating judo activities.⁹

The anaerobic effort to produce high-intensity power and speed in combat sports is boosted by the metabolic fuel provided with chronic creatine phosphate consumption.

However, athletes should be aware of the chance of weight gain during periods of creatine loading — an important consideration for any athlete who needs to sustain a particular weight for competition. Taking creatine can cause a rise in body mass between 0.5–2kg,⁷ and athletes should be wary if they walk around close to competition weight or require weight loss before competing.

Interestingly, similar performance benefits have also been found in wrestlers,¹⁰ and creatine has been considered of benefit as a recovery aid for acute weight loss prior to competition.¹¹

Dosage: Divide into loading and maintenance phases for chronic creatine supplementation.

• Loading: 20g creatine (approximately 0.3g/kg per day) in 4 equal doses for 5 days.
• Maintenance: 2–5g creatine (approximately 0.03g/kg per day) for several weeks or months.^12,13

2. Beta-alanine

The purpose of supplementing with beta-alanine is to increase intramuscular carnosine levels. This non-essential amino acid dipeptide is found in skeletal muscle, particularly in fast-twitch muscle fibres.

Supplementing with beta-alanine raises levels of carnosine in the blood to reduce lactic acid accumulation in the muscle.^14,15

The benefit of this lactic acid buffering is to improve the anaerobic threshold during activity,^16-18 thus allowing combat sports athletes to perform 60-second high-intensity efforts repeatedly for prolonged periods during competition, or when already fatigued.¹⁹

In a number of combat sports, such performance environments are common. For example, MMA involves periods of high intensity with short recovery periods.²⁰ Similar circumstances are seen in kickboxing,²¹ boxing, wrestling, and BJJ.^22,23

As such, combat sports athletes are ideal candidates to supplement with beta-alanine to raise intramuscular carnosine levels and prevent lactic acid accumulation during competition.

Dosage: 3.2–6.4g per day in 2–4 doses of approximately 1.6g or 3.2g.^18,24,25

Strength and muscle maintenance

A combat sports athlete's training programme should not just include a power focus, but also preparatory strength building to make best use of the power development stage.¹ As such, supplementation to assist the maintenance of maximal strength and muscle hypertrophy is commonly a component of combat sports nutrition plans.

3. Protein

Competitive athletes will commonly require an intake of protein greater than the normal recommended daily allowance of 0.8g per kg of body mass.^26,27

The combination of supplementary dietary protein alongside resistance training exercises and combined skill training (e.g. striking or grappling) will provide the combat sports athlete with a muscular system better physiologically prepared to create force during competition.¹⁹

An increased consumption of protein has been seen in practitioners of both karate²⁸ and judo.²⁹ In one study of judoka, increased soy protein supplementation over a four-week period increased both maximal oxygen uptake and power output.³⁰

Due to the necessity of power, speed, flexibility, and agility during combat sports, it is essential that hypertrophy training is within a periodised programme to prevent excessive muscle mass being developed — which may hinder accurate technique and reduce speed and fluidity of movement.¹

Whey protein — available as concentrate, isolate, or a whey and collagen blend — is a well-evidenced choice for combat sports athletes. For those who also want to support the joints, tendons, and ligaments that undergo significant load during striking and grappling, a whey and collagen blend is particularly worth considering, as collagen forms the building blocks of these connective structures.

Dosage: 1.4–2.0g/kg per day of protein is recommended for combat sports athletes.^19,31

4. Maltodextrin

Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide (carbohydrate) which is often used as a food additive. Due to the rigorous demands of combat sports training, the inclusion of an easily consumed carbohydrate not only increases the fuel available for recovery but also assists muscle protein anabolism and growth.³²

5. BCAAs

Branched-chain amino acids are another useful addition to a combat sports supplement regime. Alongside an appropriately intense training regime and high protein intake, BCAAs can stimulate protein synthesis and assist muscle recovery, reducing feelings of post-training soreness in combat sports athletes.¹⁹

Studies have also indicated that BCAAs can reduce body fat (particularly visceral fat) and boost fat loss in weight reduction for weight class sports.³³

Additionally, evidence in wrestlers suggests that if a carbohydrate supplement (e.g. maltodextrin) and BCAAs are consumed before, during, or after combat sports events, this combination could be as effective as a carbohydrate-heavy meal consumed at the same times.³⁴

6. Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids have numerous benefits for the combat sports athlete.

Taking omega-3 improves aspects of insulin-sensitive protein metabolism and facilitates greater degrees of protein synthesis and lean body mass gains as a response to exercise.^35-37 These physiological changes in muscle tissue translate to specific gains in strength,^38,39 and researchers have found increases in grip strength — a beneficial characteristic of performance in grappling sports such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, wrestling, and judo.

Another key benefit is an improvement in efficiency of cardiovascular function and whole-body oxygen consumption, allowing the athlete to benefit more from aerobic metabolism and achieve greater aerobic performance.⁴⁰

Omega-3 supplementation also reduces exercise-induced muscle damage and post-exercise soreness, supporting smoother recovery between training sessions or competitive events.^41,42

The cumulative effect of intense training sessions — which would likely involve both technical and conditioning work — can also be boosted. Omega-3 may support immune system function and counteract the negative effect of free radicals released through intense training programmes.⁴³

Finally, omega-3 supplements may also assist with injury prevention by promoting greater bone density in combat sports athletes^44,45 — a significant benefit for striking sports athletes who are at risk of fracture when using their anatomy as weapons.

7. Multivitamins

The intensity and frequency of training in combat sports is significant. The degree of overtraining is likely widespread and, combined with dietary restriction to make a specific body weight, means athletes are at risk of nutritional deficiencies. The most common deficiency is iron, but it is by no means the only one seen in these athletes.⁴⁶

Previous studies in wrestlers indicate that dietary restrictions in the lead-up to competition were sufficient to reduce protein nutrition and impair muscular performance.⁴⁷

As such, it is appropriate to suggest that combat sports athletes consider a daily multivitamin to ensure they achieve the recommended daily allowance of minerals and nutrients — particularly important during periods of weight reduction before competition.

Take home message

As with any supplement programme, a combat sports athlete should balance which supplements they consume with an appropriate diet plan and a structured training regime.

For the repeated power application of combat sports in striking and grappling arts, creatine monohydrate and beta-alanine are the most well-evidenced starting points. These can be further supported by protein intake above normal levels to build functional muscle strength — and for those who want to also support the joints, tendons, and ligaments under load during training and competition, a whey and collagen blend is worth building into the routine. BCAAs, maltodextrin, omega-3 fatty acids, and a daily multivitamin round out a comprehensive supplement stack for the serious combat sports athlete.

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