If you’re working hard and spending every free moment in the gym, even skipping sleep to get in more workout time but not seeing the results you want, maybe you need more rest and recovery time. You need to make quality sleep a priority to get the best results. When you sleep, that’s when the magic happens. It’s when your body repairs the micro tears in the tissues that come from exercise and causes the muscles to become stronger. You also need to spend less time at the gym. It can be counterproductive.
Working at intense levels for an hour or longer each day is counterproductive.
You might think exercising more and doing it at high intensity will get you fit faster, but it’s not true. Those micro tears that occur in muscles don’t have time to heal. Instead, more muscle fibers tear. Before you know it, you’re losing more muscle than you gain and tiring quicker. It can cause your immune system to shut down due to the stress of overexercising. While exercise burns off stress hormones, it can also create them, especially when you don’t rest between sessions. That creates many health problems both physical and mental.
Sleep is necessary for a healthy heart.
The heart is a muscle and benefits from getting adequate rest. Sleep rests the entire body. When you sleep, your body goes through various stages that control the heart rate and help build cardiovascular health while you rest. You’ll improve your immune system because your body creates cytokine hormones that boost your immune system as you sleep. Sleep helps keep you healthier and increases your endurance for better performance.
Cut back the intensity of your workouts several days a week.
Don’t do strength training for the same muscle groups every day. It doesn’t allow for recovery. Doing a high-intensity workout every day can also cause problems. Focus on a blend of exercise with a day or two of high-intensity workouts, several days of active recovery workouts like walking, and normal workouts on the other days to give your body a chance to bounce back. Create a sleep schedule and stick with it, even on weekends. Sleep in a cooler, completely dark room, and keep your electronics out of the bedroom. Shut them off before you go to bed.
- When you sleep the body releases human growth hormone—HGH. It starts the repair process in the muscles and helps you build muscle tissue. Lack of the hormone minimizes muscle growth.
- You’ll be a better athlete when you get adequate R&R. Sleep helps your brain organize and create memories of the day, including training skills. Sleep boosts cognitive functioning, so you’ll make better decisions when playing sports.
- Research shows that sleep-deprived athletes tend to suffer more injuries and have slower reaction times. Tennis players who lack sleep had decreased accuracy. Sleep-deprived volleyball players and runners lacked endurance.
- Our trainers can help you find the sweet spot that provides the best results yet doesn’t interfere with recovery. Only you can control the amount and quality of sleep you get.
For more information, contact us today at UpFit Training Academy
