Manny Pacquiao, "PacMan," is a global sports icon celebrated for his speed, power, and work ethic. His training regimen and nutritional habits are crucial to his enduring success. This article delves into the details of Pacquiao's diet and workout routine, revealing the dedication and discipline required to maintain his elite performance.
A Day in the Life: Following Pacquiao's Training
On a typical Monday morning in Los Angeles, the atmosphere around Manny Pacquiao's mansion buzzes with activity. A caravan of cars, filled with his friends and training partners, prepares to head to Griffith Park. Pacquiao has run over a thousand miles in these scenic mountains, making it his go-to course for fight preparation in L.A. since his arrival in America in 2001.
Despite being over 40 years old, Pacquiao trains with the passion and motivation of an athlete half his age. He often engages in two-a-day workout regimens. Even when he's not preparing for a fight, Pacquiao plays four hours of basketball a day during his offseason.
The Rigorous Training Regimen
Pacquiao's training is intense and diverse, providing a blueprint for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. He trains six days a week, with double sessions on three of those days.
- Morning Runs: Pacquiao's day starts with a 5 to 8-mile run.
- Sprint Training: Sprint intervals are incorporated to develop explosive speed and agility.
- Sparring Sessions: Regular sparring sessions with partners help him mimic various fighting styles.
- Heavy Bag and Speed Bag Training: He uses heavy bags for power and speed bags for rhythm and timing.
- Boxing Mitt Work with Trainers: Boxing pad sessions with trainers like Freddie Roach focus on accuracy, timing, and combination punches.
- Weight Training: His strength training includes exercises like bench presses, deadlifts, and squats.
- Plyometric Exercises: Plyometric exercises are used to improve speed and footwork.
He'll spar a total of 10 rounds with two separate opponents to improve timing and targeting. He’ll immediately follow that up with 15 rounds on the heavy bag, double-ended bag, speed bag, jump rope, and shadowboxing. The workout will be over after a thousand sit-ups.
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Even though he's boxed over 470 rounds in his pro career, Pacquiao is still training like he’s in his twenties. For this camp, he’s been at it six days per week. Three of those days are double sessions, split into morning and mid-afternoon workouts. In between, he spars twice a week, too, staying technically sharp to take on the challenge Thurman, an elite, undefeated American champion ten years his junior, is expected to pose.
The Importance of Recovery
Pacquiao emphasizes recovery techniques, including massages and adequate rest. He listens to his body and takes rest days when needed.
Pacquiao's Nutritional Philosophy
Nutrition is a critical component of Pacquiao's training program, ensuring he maximizes his gains and gets the most out of every session. Pacquiao burns up to 7,000 calories a day during training, and as such he consumes just as much across six meals on a daily basis. His first meal comes at 3am when he downs his first protein shake.
Algieri noticed Pacquiao was more of a boxer and less of a slugger when they fought in 2014And it's not only his diet where Pacquiao keeps it simple. While training for his 2014 bout against Pacquiao, Algieri filmed a segment with HBO, where producers gave him a small window into his opponent's camp.'When I was training to fight him and HBO came to film my strength and conditioning, they're like, "Wow, man, you're doing a lot of new age, really cool stuff."'Pacquiao, they said, was more of a throwback while working with long-time trainer Freddie Roach. 'They're like: "Man, he basically just runs and boxes,"' Algieri laughed.
The Pacquiao Diet: Fueling a Champion
Pacquiao follows a nutrient-rich diet high in proteins, complex carbohydrates, and essential fats.
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- Protein: Essential for muscle repair and growth.
- Complex Carbohydrates: Provide sustained energy for intense training sessions.
- Essential Fats: Important for overall health and hormone regulation.
As Pacquiao's strength and conditioning coach, Justin Fortune, told Yahoo! Sports in 2019, the former eight-division world champion has the metabolism to burn 7,000 calories a day - a necessity for naturally petite fighter hoping to bulk up against larger competitors.
So while other welterweights are starving themselves to clear 147 pounds, Pacquiao typically gorges himself on what Fortune described as 'clean food': steak, chicken and beef tinola broth, typically served with white rice or some dried squid.'This guy's a warrior,' Algieri said. 'He doesn't get real heavy between fights. He doesn't seem like he's super indulgent. All those things have led to him being almost eternal.' Pacquiao is pictured dining at a hotel in Manilla in 2004 while enjoying some music Pacquiao is seen cheating a bit by eating a Butterfinger bar at a weigh-in in 2015
Examples of Other Boxer's Diet
- Floyd Mayweather: Mayweather loves to conserve his energy and makes good fuel-efficient strategies heading into his bouts.As rich as he is though, Mayweather, of course, has a personal chef preparing all of his meals. Mayweather opts to consume fibrous fruits and vegetables in every sitting.
- Gennady Golovkin: Golovkin loves to maintain a devilish pace during training and works out like an absolute machine in order to build himself up for his coming bouts.To supplement hard training, Golovkin consumes lots of water throughout the day. He has oatmeal, eggs, and juice (multiple varieties) in the morning for breakfast. He typically has a smoothie after workouts, with no supplements or powders. Just good old fashioned fresh food. At lunch, his favorite go-to meals include grilled chicken, potatoes, and a salad with ranch dressing. At dinner Golovkin loves to eat steak and mixed vegetables.
- Canelo Alvarez: During training, Canelo likes to stay away from carbohydrates for the most part. He is only allowed to eat bread or rice just once a week and he consumes a lot of protein like fish, chicken, and steak. Snacks consist only of fruits and vegetables. Truth be told, there isn’t much variety in Canelo’s fight camp diet, just a lot of repetition.
- Anthony Joshua: In the mornings, Joshua likes to start his day with a tall glass of water. This kickstarts the metabolism and prepares his digestive system to better process the food that later serves as fuel for his workouts. During lunchtime, Joshua goes with lean meats and fish like salmon, paired with a lot of vegetables. Salmon provides enough protein for a man as big as Joshua.
The Mental Fortitude of a Champion
Pacquiao credits his impressive run in the sport to durability and determination. He is known for his strong work ethic and dedication to training.
"I’m addicted to training and exercise, even when I don’t have a fight scheduled," says Pacquiao. "I work hard so I can fight easy."
Trainers and coaches Freddie Roach, Buboy Fernandez, Justin Fortune, and Marvin Somodio have been pleading for Pacquiao to dial down his prep and work in more days off, but the fighter is still calling the shots. Whenever he’s tired, he communicates. If he needs a day off or wants to cancel a second workout, he’ll say so, but those instances are few and far between. If he wants to train on his scheduled day off, which happens frequently, it’s his prerogative to do so. If he wants to drill for a few more rounds, they’ll first need to rip the gloves off his fists so that it doesn’t happen. Pacquiao credits his impressive run in the sport to durability and determination. Twenty-four years after he first turned pro as a 106-pound 16-year-old, everyone around him says he’s still scared to waste a workout.
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“This is God’s grace, giving me good health, protecting me and giving me strength,” says Pacquiao, a born-again Christian pastor. “I’m thankful to God because my power and speed is still there.”
He told me one time, ‘I want to stop, but I can’t because my body wants it.’ He’s a training addict.