Images taken from Foxhound Fuel Instagram page: instagram.com/foxhoundfuel
Nutrition is critical to improving performance in Muay Thai training. Although you can get all the necessary nutrition from whole foods, supplements can help to boost your energy and accelerate recovery, leading to more performance gains.
Most workout supplements cater to people who seek to build big muscles or lift heavy weights. Foxhound Fuel comes and tries to fill this gap for combat sports practitioners.
After seeing Foxhound Fuel show up in a number of notable Muay Thai Instagram pages and receiving rave reviews, I reached out to the brand. I requested for a sample of the supplements as I wanted to try it out and give an honest review.
They replied, shipped a single packet of their post-workout recovery supplement over and here I am. This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are mine and research is done solely on my part.
About Foxhound Fuel
Foxhound Fuel is a new startup by Angeleno (Los Angeles) George Yu. He is a Muay Thai practitioner and mixed martial arts enthusiast.
George basically wanted a supplement to help with his focus and energy during training. After months of testing and experimenting, he arrived at the perfect mixes for the ideal results. He shares,
“I started taking natural ingredients like matcha, electrolytes, b vitamins, turmeric, BCAA etc. and started making my own drink mixes. I found they significantly helped my focus, training and recovery.”
When he noticed most people who trained in combat sports drinking water, gatorade or even worse, energy drinks, he figured this would be a very useful product for combat athletes. So that’s basically the origin of Foxhound Fuel. George adds,
“The ultimate goal is to be a brand synonymous with combat sports. We want to be the trusted brand that athletes can rely on for good taste, quality ingredients and effectiveness”
The company currently sponsors a few martial artists and Muay Thai fighters such as TJ Johnson (better known by his Instagram handler, @tjthethinkingman) who is the owner and head trainer at Kingdom Martial Arts Academy.
Foxhound Fuel also works with a few local gyms such as Adam Castro Boxing, Zenith Active and Cali Speed Boxing.
Supplements for Muay Thai Training
Foxhound Fuel sponsored athlete @tjthethinkingman
The majority of sports supplements in the market caters largely to the weight-lifting community. Combat sports training has a slightly different set of needs that Foxhound Fuel seeks to address.
Bodybuilding supplements concern more with boosting training performance and increasing muscle mass while combat sports supplements prioritize training performance, muscle synthesis, accelerated recovery/repair and hydration.
Training Performance
Increased focus, mental alertness and energy boost can contribute to better training performance instead of just going through the motions. It also helps to minimize risk of injuries by being in optimal mental state.
Muscle Synthesis
Microscopic tears happen during and after an intense workout. Some muscle breakdown is normal and this is all part of the process of getting stronger. Muscle growth takes place when there is effective muscle synthesis after training along with adequate dietary protein intake.
Anti-Inflammation
Inflammation can occur from training in the form of muscle soreness and joint pain. Inflammation actually slows down recovery and affects muscle gains. It can also cause injuries over the long term if you don’t manage it properly.
Hydration
Muay Thai training is one of the best ways to work up a sweat. It is important to replace fluid loss from training to prevent dehydration. Proper hydration is also vital for proper immune, nerve and muscle function.
It isn’t just the fluid loss but you also lose crucial electrolytes from exercising. Besides hydration, electrolytes are also essential for proper body functions like nerve signaling and muscle contraction.
Foxhound Fuel Review
Foxhound Fuel has a small range of supplements that are made specially for combat sports training. They are Ready (pre-workout), Hydrate (during workout) and Recover (post-workout). Each with its individual distinct mixture and flavor.
Most workout supplements contain a lot of artificial ingredients and flavors, taste like chemicals, or make the athlete feel super cracked out. What I like about Foxhound Fuel is that they use only clean and natural ingredients.
Foxhound Fuel’s supplements are also all proudly made in Southern California under stringent safety control.
The Ready pre-workout supplement consists of green tea, caffeine, Vitamins B6 and B12 as well as electrolytes.
The Hydrate supplement consists of coconut water powder, electrolytes and Vitamins B6 and B12.
The Recover post-workout supplement consists of BCAAs, L-glutamine, turmeric extract, pepper, and electrolytes.
Let’s break down some of these ingredients and see how they can help with our post-workout recovery:
Green Tea & Caffeine
Caffeine is a common ingredient in pre-workout supplements as it offers a number of benefits like increasing focus and energy.
Some studies have also shown that caffeine may increase pain tolerance or reduce sensitivity to pain. This can help to maximize your endurance for better cardio and strength.
Coffee is a good source of caffeine and is a go-to for many people as a Muay Thai pre-workout beverage. However, the bitterness in coffee can irritate the stomach in some people causing IBS or nausea.
Green tea offers a more stable stream of energy and it contains healthy bioactive compounds that promote good health.
With Foxhound Fuel’s Ready pre-workout, I get all the benefits of caffeine and green tea without over-stimulating my stomach acids or the jittery feeling of coffee. It helps that I like the green tea flavor too.
BCAAs & L-Glutamine
BCAAs (Branched-Chain Amino Acids) protect lean muscles, promote muscle building, and reduce muscle soreness from training. L-glutamine is also a type of amino acid which is beneficial for slow recovery and tissue repair. It also helps with digestive health.
It is easy to see why professional athletes include these amino acids as part of their supplementary diet. Strength and muscular endurance are vital for Muay Thai performance. Training leads to microscopic tears in muscles and only by repairing them do they get stronger.
The combination of BCAAs and L-Glutamine excels for this purpose. Using Foxhound Fuel, I’ve seen less muscle soreness and I’m able to get back to training with better performance. The effects may also be compounded due to the curcumin content (as I explain below).
You can also get protein from whey powder which is a popular supplement for amino acids. However, most whey powder supplements are too sweet and milky for my personal liking. BCAA’s also have a lower caloric content which is great if you are trying to maintain muscle while cutting weight.
Turmeric & Black Pepper
Another key ingredient in Recover is curcumin which is the main compound in turmeric. It is also the natural ingredient that gives curry -and the supplement- its bright yellow coloring. Curcumin has powerful medicinal benefits like anti-inflammation effects and is a strong antioxidant.
Curcumin reduces muscle damage and soreness with faster recovery. With faster recovery, there is less downtime and more consistent training which leads to improvements in performance.
However, curcumin is hard to absorb into the bloodstream so Foxhound Fuel adds black pepper to enhance the absorption. Black pepper contains piperine which improves the absorption of curcumin by 2000%.
One thing to note is that black pepper lends a very slight and mild spicy heat to the taste that you may feel on your lip after drinking.
Stevia & Allulose
There are no artificial sweeteners or colors. Foxhound Fuel uses natural sweeteners like stevia (from plants) and allulose. I also like its natural-tasting flavor which makes it palatable and yet not overly sweet.
Turmeric powder is a nasty tasting spice on its own but you can barely taste it here. Strawberry lemonade flavors are personally not my favorite but on this occasion, it actually tastes good enough that I look forward to drinking it after training.
Electrolytes
The electrolytes help greatly for replacing fluid loss from Muay Thai training. But besides hydration, electrolytes also help to regulate nerve-muscle function, balance blood pressure, and rebuild muscle tissue.
I tend to get a migraine headache if I don’t hydrate adequately after working out. This is because the body requires proper balance of water and electrolytes and an imbalance can actually trigger a migraine.
Thailand has a hot and humid climate. It’s even more important to hydrate under such training conditions.
You may not get enough amounts of electrolytes from drinking water alone. Many people turn to sports drinks for this purpose but the artificial flavorings and colorings have chemical compounds with bad long-term side effects.
Foxhound Fuel supplements are all perfect thirst quencher rich in electrolytes. I no longer experience migraine headaches after training after taking this supplement.
Besides sodium, calcium and potassium, it also includes magnesium which is anti-inflammatory, prevents muscle cramps, keeps the bones strong and blood pressure normal.
Final Verdict
Foxhound Fuel sponsored athlete @trainerjaylee
After taking Foxhound Fuel for a few weeks, I see better training performance, less muscle soreness, faster recovery, and less migraine headaches due to dehydration. It helps that I also enjoy the natural taste which makes it palatable. The flavor is not overly sweet and doesn’t have that artificial taste that you get from most commercial workout supplements.
If you train Muay Thai or other high-intensity sports, I highly recommend giving this supplement a try.
Conclusion
George’s ultimate goal for Foxhound Fuel is to be a brand synonymous with combat sports. He adds,
“We want to be the trusted brand that athletes can rely on for good taste, quality ingredients and effectiveness. We will be expanding our product line to include other natural and effective supplements in the future.”
Based on my personal experience using all of Foxhound Fuel’s supplement, I highly recommend it for all martial arts training and intense workouts. I will also be looking forward to the company’s future supplement products.
Foxhound Fuel supplements and products are available for purchase via its website at: www.foxhoundfuel.com.
