Recover Like a Champ: Chapter 1 – Sleep

by Ian Warner on December 5, 2009

Athletes train their butts off every single day, you beat up your nervous system running fast, then through the weight room and tear down your body down even more.  The key people do not understand, is that you train to get better but also what you do outside of practice  plays a VITAL role in how much you will improve.

The number one way to get ready for another workout is not with a potion, gel or shake, but a solid 8 hours of sleep. Yes, everyone is busy and has “things” to do, and “people” to see, but if you are not sleeping you trully are not getting better.

You ‘re just decaying your body to the point of injuries where you have to stop, or where you just can not continue on.  Before you decide to get any protein shakes, or vitamins, first check your sleeping habits on a regular basis.  There is not much to say on the topic, deep down everyone knows what their sleeping habits are like. Most of the time when you do not sleep right it tends to be for stupid reasons that you stay up late.

Eliminate those distractions that keep you from becoming better as an athlete.  Once sleeping habits are held under control we can move forward to many more ways to recover better for another workout.

Tips For Sleeping Well

  • Work backwards from when you have to wake up so that you know what time you have to go to bed to get 8 hours
  • Set a time that would give you 9 hours a sleep as your goal for bed time
  • Set another time at 7.5 hours of sleep as the LATEST you will go to bed no matter what
  • Also, Do not drink any liquids close to those times you plan to be sleeping by

If you can do these things you should be waking up and feeling a lot better and ready to go for another workout. If you are training to hard and need more help, look out for Recovery Like a Champ: Chapter 2.

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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Zovel Hyre December 5, 2009 at 3:04 pm

Sounds like a good plan to me!

I never realize how much sleep affects my workouts and day-to-day activities until I am sleep deprived. When I get to that point, every stride seems longer, and my attentiveness depletes. A lack of sleep is definitely not conducive to performing well in sports.

Scheduling my day ahead of time usually helps me to reach my goal of having 9hrs of sleep that night, and I wake up feeling very energetic and opting to begin my day.

Very true article and well said.

Ian Warner December 5, 2009 at 3:08 pm

Ya Zovel that is why I get on you whenever you do not sleep. We both know it is very important and can almost decide how the next day will go. This will be important for both of us to remember as exam time is coming up. Once its gets to a certain time throw down the books and get some rest because sleep will pay off. Thanks for the support and the comment

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