Coach Delgado: Rest and Recovery Crucial for Muscle Growth

Recovery is just as significant as—if not more important than—the work you put in while in the weight room.

As strength and conditioning coaches, we are often asked questions regarding the best ways to visually see progress when working out. It is very easy to tell students and athletes that they must be consistent with their efforts and to always challenge themselves. While this is all true, it is our responsibility to inform our students how significant rest and recovery is for actual “gains” and growth in the weight room.

Taking care of our bodies outside the weight room is just as important as, if not more important than, the time we spend in the weight room. We have to ensure we are getting the right amount of sleep, eating the right foods with appropriate portions, and staying hydrated on a consistent basis in order to see true progress with our bodies.

To dig deeper into recovery, let’s understand the specifications needed to achieve full rest and recovery. We go through two main stages of sleep—REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and non-REM sleep. REM sleep occurs during the later parts of our sleep cycles and accounts for 20% to 25% of total sleep time. REM sleep provides the energy to our brains and is necessary to restore our minds. Non-REM sleep is known as our deep sleep and is crucial for our muscle recovery. It accounts for 40% of our sleep time.

We have three cycles of non-REM sleep, and during our third cycle of non-REM sleep is when muscle and tissue repair and growth happen. For this reason, it is key that we get seven to nine hours of solid sleep each night. When we get a student who comes up to us and asks for our opinion on supplements, such as Creatine, because they are not seeing the growth they want, our first question should be, “How long are you sleeping at night consistently?” Similarly, we get asked about protein powders and supplements for food, but we should start by asking our students if they are seeking their main source of nutrition through food intake before anything else.

We must be aware that our students also have assignments and other stressors in their lives, so it may be tough for them to focus on doing the right things for their bodies. If we can educate them on the right steps to take, we can encourage them to begin to create good habits for their overall health and growth.

As a community, let us make it an effort to educate all our students on the significance of sleeping, eating right, and drinking enough water daily for overall health, wellness, and muscle growth.
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