Last week the topic of training smarter rather than harder was discussed.
In that column, I illustrated the significant strength and muscle gains I achieved in 14 months with training just three days per week rather than going ‘balls to the walls’ daily like a pro bodybuilder on anabolic steroids.
However, I didn’t underscore enough the importance of rest and recovery if a natural lifter is to make progress.
As a natural, it’s counterproductive for you to attempt to mirror the training of an enhanced competitor you see splashed across the muscle magazines.
Let me break it down. To allow the body to build muscle tissue, rest and recovery are essential. The two components of rest and recovery are adequate sleep each night and sufficient time in between weight training workouts.
Adequate sleep: It is important to sleep as many hours as possible each and every night. Many people don’t realize just how important sleep is when it comes to making gains. If you don’t allow your body to get enough sleep each night, you are neglecting a very important component of your muscle building programme that could completely erase all of your efforts in the gym.
Don’t forget that your body only builds muscle tissue when you are not weight training. Yes, you build muscle while you are sleeping, not while you are at the gym. If you weight train and don’t get enough sleep, or train too often it can have the opposite of the desired effect.
Sufficient rest between workouts: It is very important to incorporate rest days into your weight training programme so that you allow time for your muscles to recover in between workouts. I avoid weight training on consecutive days, even if I am targeting different muscle groups.
Do not weight train every day. Try to allow at least one day in between workouts, even if targeting different muscle groups. Your muscles and nervous system need this time to repair themselves.
Rest and recovery are an extremely important part of your muscle building programme. A bodybuilder needs at least eight to nine hours of sleep each night to maximize the body’s ability to build muscle.
Inadequate rest and recovery
Whether you do not sleep enough each night, or do not allow enough rest days between your weight training, you will be compromising your muscle building efforts. Rest and recovery are extremely important, and should be a top priority if you are serious about your muscle building goals.
Aim for a minimum of six hours of sleep each night. Any less and you may be robbing your body of the time it needs to help repair your muscle tissue.
Avoid anything that will increase adrenaline levels. Watching TV, surfing the net, or performing any activity that involves deep concentration can cause an increase in adrenaline, which will make falling asleep a bit more difficult. Try to avoid any activities that you think might affect your sleep.
Late night workouts are generally not a good idea, nor are any activities that will increase your heart rate. Elevating your heart rate before your bedtime can make it difficult to fall asleep.
Eating a large amount of food before bed (especially carbs) means that the digestive system will be working while you try to sleep. This can make it difficult for your body to get into the state of deep sleep that it needs to repair muscle tissue. If you need a snack before bedtime, try to eat something small that is high in protein that is easier to digest.
Get on a consistent sleep schedule as this will help improve the quality of your sleep.
Lack of sleep is responsible for a number of factors that will hinder muscle growth including a decrease in anabolic hormones, an increase catabolic hormones and a decrease in energy levels. Ultimately, it will become very difficult to build muscle with inadequate sleep.
Incorporating rest days into your weight training regimen is also very important, since your body uses these days to repair and rebuild muscle and connective tissue. Not allowing enough rest days, or weight training on consecutive days can result in overtraining and injury.
When designing your muscle building programme, make sure that rest and recovery are not overlooked. Rest assured (no pun intended) that your body will reward you for your efforts.
Stay tuned friends.
Email questions or comments to emmersoncampbell@gmail.com
