“Rest: the sweet sauce of labor”

Rant and Tip for September 26, 2012

  

Quote: “Rest: the sweet sauce of labor” Plutarch

Resting the body is mandatory when training hard. This may be one of the areas that I am really lacking and I am sure it is the case with my trainee. She trains very hard but I am not sure if she gets enough sleep in a full shot. She is able to take a power nap that I envy in the afternoons but I sometimes wonder if she gets enough in one full shot. I have read those who train hard should make sure that they get a full 8 hours of sleep for the muscle to repair properly. I know I do not get that and even with her power naps I do not think my trainee does either. I am also aware it can affect your moods.

However what effect does it have on the rest of the body? Could it affect fat loss as well? The Japanese have done studies on the subject and have found that it does, even resting longer between sets on a workout helps. It has something to do with the stress hormone cortisol. When we are under mental stress your body releases more corotsol and will this inhibits fat loss. So try to get your rest and plenty of sleep.

Squats will be the call of the day today. I have a few weeks left to tweak anything I can to make some nice numbers in October.  At this point I may not get stronger but I may be able to sharpen up my form. Let’s do this!

Have a great workout!

Tip: NAP!!!!