RECO
VERY
M
uch of a bodybuilder’s or non-competitive lifter’s successes in the
gym stem from adequate recovery. By recovery, I mean time away
from the gym, rest during waking hours, and ample sleep at night.
Recovery is the means by which we turn over cells, renew skin, clear
vital organs, and repair damages done as a part of either daily living or
musculoskeletal work.
Sleep is crucial for any human being – even those who don’t work out.
But for those who do work out and tax muscles with the end-goal of
mass gains, or changes in body composition, your sleep needs increase.
According to the National Sleep
Foundation, not only do different age and
activity groups require a different amount
of sleep, but every single individual
requires a different amount of sleep too.
It’s all based around what researchers
call a person’s basal sleep need –
what our bodies require for optimal
performance – and based on sleep debt.
Sleep debt is the deficit we accumulate
due to life’s many factors, such as
school, work, stress, and medications
that may inhibit sleep.
Experts estimate that pre-schoolers
may need as much as 12 hours per day,
school-age children up to 12 require 10 to
11 hours per night, and the average adult
that is not engaging in heavy activity,
requires between seven and nine hours.
So people seeking serious mass gains
may need as much sleep as a 12 your
old!
Catch Those Z's
Sleep Research Facts:
• Athletes who don’t heed increased
needs for sleep, risk a lot more than just
slow muscle gains. A 2010 article in the
journal “Best Practice and Research:
Clinical Endrocrinology and Metabolism”
warns athletes who fail to sleep risk
increased levels of ghrelin, which
increases appetite and makes you want
to eat more.
• The International Sports Science
Association, said those who
experienced limited sleep or operate in
the deficit, night after night, risk elevated
cortisol levels, which act as a deterrent
to circulating levels of testosterone,
human growth hormone and other
muscle-building hormones, and break
down muscle tissue to release amino
acids in order to access energy.
• Researchers at Washington State
University warn that extended periods
of insomnia typically leads to a rise in
cortisol levels, which may significantly
hamper bodybuilding progress.
• A May 2003 study published in
“European Journal of Applied
Physiology” examined the energy levels
of people who enjoyed a normal night’s
sleep and those who did not. Those
who did not sleep well, or barely slept,
showed lower maximum and average
energy levels, and experienced a
marked increase in risk for injury and
accidents
36 PRIMAL MUSCLE TRAINING GUIDE