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  1. #1
    Registered User 209Trojan's Avatar
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    Weight Lifting And Sleep

    I've been busting my balls in the gym for some time now and I'm worried that I might be doing more harm than good sometimes. I workout five days a week (2 on and 1 off) and get an average of 4 to 4 1/2 hours of sleep a night. Work, school and family have definitely consumed most of my time and it seems getting out of bed at 1:50 a.m. is becoming harder and harder the more I train.

    My focus right now is muscle gain and I know that sleep is key when lifting, but I was wondering normally how long will it take for someone to gain muscle while getting proper rest compared to those who's sleep time is cut in half? My diet is pretty good and my supplements are up to par, but the only thing that is hurting me is sleep. I try to get a nap in before I head off to the gym, but I'm afraid that it's not enough sometimes.

    My schedule:

    Wake up- 1:50 a.m. (start work at 3:00 a.m)

    Home at 12:00 p.m. and have my two boys to watch after work.

    5:00 p.m. off to the college to workout.

    Home around 6:00 p.m.

    Eat, clean, shower, put oldest son to sleep, homework and finally in bed and asleep around 9:00 p.m.

    Thanks
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  2. #2
    Registered User Datrojan's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by 209Trojan View Post
    I've been busting my balls in the gym for some time now and I'm worried that I might be doing more harm than good sometimes. I workout five days a week (2 on and 1 off) and get an average of 4 to 4 1/2 hours of sleep a night. Work, school and family have definitely consumed most of my time and it seems getting out of bed at 1:50 a.m. is becoming harder and harder the more I train.

    My focus right now is muscle gain and I know that sleep is key when lifting, but I was wondering normally how long will it take for someone to gain muscle while getting proper rest compared to those who's sleep time is cut in half? My diet is pretty good and my supplements are up to par, but the only thing that is hurting me is sleep. I try to get a nap in before I head off to the gym, but I'm afraid that it's not enough sometimes.

    My schedule:

    Wake up- 1:50 a.m. (start work at 3:00 a.m)

    Home at 12:00 p.m. and have my two boys to watch after work.

    5:00 p.m. off to the college to workout.

    Home around 6:00 p.m.

    Eat, clean, shower, put oldest son to sleep, homework and finally in bed and asleep around 9:00 p.m.

    Thanks

    Sleep = Recovery. Recovery = gains.

    You are prolonging your success.
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  3. #3
    Squat or remove thy self caerus13's Avatar
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    Given the schedule there, not sure how you could maximize sleep. All I can tell you is that yes, sleep is quite important and you'd do well by getting more.
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  4. #4
    Bootless Errand ironwill2008's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by 209Trojan View Post
    .... I was wondering normally how long will it take for someone to gain muscle while getting proper rest compared to those who's sleep time is cut in half?
    There's no way to quantify this. You're asking a question that can't be answered. Suffice it to say that if you're not getting adequate sleep/recovery, your progress will be "less" than optimal.
    No brain, no gain.

    "The fitness and nutrition world is a breeding ground for obsessive-compulsive behavior. The irony is that many of the things people worry about have no impact on results either way, and therefore aren't worth an ounce of concern."--Alan Aragon

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  5. #5
    Living life without sugar ironsickel's Avatar
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    No way to know for sure. Everybody is different.

    However, statistically speaking, it is almost certain you're not getting anywhere near enough sleep for the average sedentary person, let alone somebody who's trying to gain muscle.

    Either reevaluate your priorities and let something go, reevaluate your goals, or simply realize that your progress will be necessarily slow. At 4 1/2 hours of sleep on a weight training program, I don't know how you're not nodding off at every opportunity...
    Lifting Heavy. Keto Style. Had major 3 year setback and am on the road to recovery after 4 major abdominal surgeries.
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  6. #6
    Registered User 209Trojan's Avatar
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    Thanks for the replys.

    Originally Posted by ironsickel View Post
    At 4 1/2 hours of sleep on a weight training program, I don't know how you're not nodding off at every opportunity...
    I actually do nod off pretty often. It usually happens a few hours after I get off of work and by Friday I'm pretty much a mess. I'm sure I have some form of sleep deprivation.

    I guess I'll just have to deal with minimal gains until something changes in my schedule. Maybe I need to start working on a positive attitude as well.

    Thanks again for the info.
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  7. #7
    Registered User Dirty Shoez's Avatar
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    To paraphrase Lil Troy: there's got to be a beeeeetter waaaay, better way, better waaay, yeah yeah.

    You didn't add much detail, so some of my comments might appear presumptuous. My apologies in advance....

    Wake up- 1:50 a.m. (start work at 3:00 a.m)
    Is this because of the commute, or because you're cooking, picking out clothes, etc? If you make your food the day before, have your clothes lined up, all of that stuff--you might be able to squeeze in another 20-30 minutes of sleep here.

    Home at 12:00 p.m. and have my two boys to watch after work.
    Sounds like they're both 5 or under? If there's any activities you can sign them up for, I'd do it. Karate. Swimming. Whatever. They'll enjoy it, and you might be able to get in an hour or two of naptime. Not sure what your cash situation is like, but if you can afford it....do it.

    5:00 p.m. off to the college to workout.

    Home around 6:00 p.m.

    Eat, clean, shower, put oldest son to sleep, homework and finally in bed and asleep around 9:00 p.m.
    Going along with the waking up early.....are you making meals, cleaning, doing homework, etc. during that 5 hour gap between getting home from work and leaving for the gym? Also, are you showering at the gym (no homo) or taking a (probably longer) shower at home? If not, then a significant portion of that 3 hours post-workout is just kind of...well...hanging out. Which is good. You have a family--you need to be hanging out with them. But you also need sleep--not just to gain size, but to be good at your job.

    Looking at your schedule, if you can get a solid 5 hours nightly, a 2 hour nap, and lots of sleeping in on the weekend/days off....you should be golden. But you're going to be treading water the way you're doing it now: which is welcome news for your family, but maybe not so good of news for your professional and physical gains.
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  8. #8
    WeightTraining.com Pro jjsmooth15's Avatar
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    If you can't prolong your "night time" sleep then at least try to fit in a solid nap
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