Boxer Joe Leyland Talks Health and Fitness
Next up on our Q&A feature is semi-professional boxer Joe Leyland. Joe has been a fan of boxing for the majority of his life, but only actually started fighting when he was around 15, and is aiming to make the leap up into the higher divisions and turn professional next year. Fighting out of @masdagym, he is currently the North West and English super lightweight champion, with the training assistance of @alexforman82 and @jamiecaldwellcoach as his coaches (These @’s are on Instagram, no other channels).
What is your favourite exercise?
My favourite exercise in terms of boxing would have to be hitting pads, it’s good to keep your technique consistent and combinations flow well.
What muscle do you consider to be the most important to be trained on?
I think the most important muscle to be trained on in boxing is either my legs or more core.
What’s your favourite pre workout meal / snack?
I usually just tend to have a protein bar before training. I don’t like to train feeling full.
What’s your favourite post workout meal / snack?
My Fresh Box Meal prep, doesn’t matter which one I love all the meals I choose and always eating them soon after training.
What’s your favourite MyFreshBox dish?
Got to be the Malaysian chicken curry, it’s unreal – Not hard to see why it gets 5/5 reviews by everyone haha!
What’s your favourite cheat dish?
Pizza
How many times a week do you train?
When I’m in a fight camp I will train about 5 times a week with active rest days for the remainder.
How do you deal with sugar / junk food cravings?
Drinking a lot of water or snacking on fruit
What is the best diet to follow for losing weight?
Cutting down on carbs and trying to eat healthier
What and when should I eat around my workouts?
I eat light before I train and tend to eat a meal afterwards.
What has been your toughest fight?
think my toughest fight would have been for my north west title. I was 17 and only been boxing for 18 months, my opponent was really experienced and gave me a tough fight but I managed to get the decision.
What has been your favourite fight?
My English title fight. I worked the hardest I’ve ever worked in camp and everything went right on the night and got the stoppage in the 3rd round.
What’s your key to balancing a working life around going to the gym and training to be a fighter?
Keep a good team around you and be commited to the sport. Consistency is key when it comes to training externally to what pays the bills, so you need to ensure you keep working or studying or whatever it is you’re doing, but put in the additional hours when you can.
If you’ve got any questions to do with boxing, from tips to information about upcoming fights, drop Joe a message on Instagram through @JL_Boxing_Liverpool, where he’ll do what he can to help you out and share his knowledge and expertise on the sport.
If you’re a personal trainer or knowledgeable about fitness / nutrition and would like to get involved with this, then please drop us a message on any of our social channels or via email at hello@my-fresh-box.co.uk and we’ll send over the questions, featuring you in our next available slot.
