You could be one of those who work out really hard and have been eating right since you were a child, but you will never see serious muscle growth/development or see your dream physique take shape if you don’t get enough rest and recuperation.
When I say rest, I’m talking about at least eight hours of sleep at night, and if you can afford the luxury – an afternoon nap too. Many people fail to realise that muscle growth takes place when your body is at rest – NOT when you’re at the gym (this is also why you need to eat well even on non-workout days). You only stimulate muscle growth at the gym by tearing it down so that it will need to recuperate and grow to be stronger then before.
Sleep is when your body is producing its highest amount of growth hormone.
Growth hormone is a chemical substance produced in the pituitary gland that, along with the thyroid hormone, supports proper growth, development, and repair in our bodies.
So, you could be having the best mind-blowing workouts of your life but get no growth from it if you party all night at your favourite club and hardly get to have some quality sleep. (If only Waikiki Bar in PJ didnt close so late – I would probably be getting more sleep during the weekends!.. hey.. I’m only human ;))
When you get adequate rest – you recover faster, your soreness goes away faster, and you are able to train at the gym with greater intensity and focus. So if your progress has come to a halt and your progress has plateaued, perhaps you should try getting a little more sleep to see if it helps.
Unfortunately, with today’s busy lifestyle, most of us are happy to even get 6 hours of sleep a day. I sometimes only get 4 to 5, but then try to make up for it the next day by sleeping in for awhile longer. Whether it helps or not, I dont really know for sure – but I’ve got no choice and I don’t have the luxury to sleep in the afternoons.
Sleep tight everyone… cos it’s time to grow.
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This post was written by...
Noel Chelliah, ACE-CPT, ACE-LWMC, has been recognized as one of the Top Transformation Experts in Malaysia. No stranger to being overweight himself, Noel has gone through a life-changing transformation himself, from fat, to fit. In 2010, Noel founded the DailyMuscle Body Transformation Camp, which today helps hundreds of individuals exercise and practice healthier habits. In his spare time, Noel serves the community with various programs that promote a healthier lifestyle, and enjoys playing with his dogs.
My name is Noel Chelliah, and I’m a Transformation Specialist and founder of the 
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
for me, 6-8hours would be niceee for me, before 12midnite “pengsan” already, hihihi
mihun: lucky you..
8 hours would be the perfect time. After woke up fully energized. hohooho
I happen to jog for two days (jog and walk) for appx. 1 hour. So at the second day, my leg muscles are in pain. Its been two days, but there is a little more pain left. Well, it seems like I need to exercise more. It happens to me most of the time after not exercising for sometime. What can you say about this?
i think your body would tell you when to rest… just follow the cue.. for me if i’ve been working out hard, i’ll start to feel tired and sleepy by around 10 ish but i usually ignore the signs and sleep at 11 or later…
surfnux: What you’re experiencing is very common and nothing to worry about actually. In fact, everyone who has engaged in some sort of physical activity would have definitely experienced this.
Taken from the Wikipedia:
Known as Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness (DOMS), it is the pain or discomfort often felt 24 to 74 hours after exercising and subsides generally within 2 to 3 days. Once thought to be caused by lactic acid buildup, we now know that it is caused by tiny tears in the muscle fibres caused by eccentric movements, or unaccustomed training levels.
eksk:Guess that works for some people.
icic. So, its just a normal reaction. Thanks for the info bro. Will try to force myself to exercise again. There are already 3 days break.
Yeah – but hey, do listen to your body. If a particular bodypart hurts, don’t exercise it. Focus on another bodypart that doesnt hurt.
icic. Will do. Thanks
I’ve been working out for about 3 weeks now
My Routine is as follows:
I wourkout my Abs, Triceps, and Biceps on Mon/Wed/Fri/ Then just abs sunday, giving my muscles a one day reconvery and 2 days on Sunday besides my Abs.
I workout Forearms/Shoulders/Lats/Deltoids on Tues/Thurs/Sat
Also allowing one days rest, I sleep about 9-10 hours for them to rest on both routines. On sunday I usually sleep 14 hours.
I do take in a good source of protein and other vitamins, yet I hear you should take in as much protein as your body weight about such as:
152Lbs=152G. Protein
Is this true? I take in about 70-80Grams of protein after I workout, and a little bit before.
Also, I wanted to know if that’s a good routine, and if some streches from the everyother day could effect the others the next day due to soreness.
Thnx :)
-D-Rizzle
Sorry for the typos, I meant WORKOUTS from the day before, not stretches. :)
Can a persn get big on this process or can they also grow lean?
Once i rest a lot and im out of pain can i work as hard as before or do i do less for my muscles to recuperate??
-Jon
jonathan: This process applies to both – getting lean, or getting big – the point is that our bodies need rest. Once rested, and when you don’t feel the pain, why do less? Work out hard!
Im 17 i have a kidney disease and I have to leight the old fashion way without any type of protein supllement I run 4 miles on weekends and 6mile during the week. I also do series of abe workouts and go to the gym and do 4 sets of tens on everything. I have been doin this for two weeks on the running and leighting weights real hard for only a week how long does this take to start showin muscles.
My question is, I take 50 Grams of protein per day, sometimes I forget, and I have a normal routine, chest, triceps, biceps, back, etc. i work out at my house and well, and the thing is that I dont see any progress, is it because I dont rest as I should?
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