Bulk Up on Lean Muscle While You Sleep

Despite what you'll inevitably see on television infomercials or read in various print ads, there is no possible way of getting lean muscle without working for it. It is generally known that eating right in conjunction with sustained, consistent exercise is the only way to build lean, healthy muscle. However, someone that focuses only on the above steps is literally begging for failure. Why? Because they've forgotten or ignored one of the more vital aspects of all in any exercise or weight training program.

Sleep.

Sleep allows your body to recover from strenuous activity. The tiny tears you create in your muscle fibers when lifting weights are only repaired during sleep. Read that sentence again if you have to. It isn't a theory or some lofty notion. It's scientific fact. The more sleep you get, the more service you're doing for your body, and the farther you'll be able to take any exercise or weight training program.

Why aren't we taught this though? Why is it overlooked as a step in any program where you're learning how to get lean muscle? The answer is, of course, because there's no money to be made in telling your customers to sleep. Unfortunately, most of the talking heads in the health and fitness industry spend their time hawking miracle supplements, along with pills, powders, and shakes. But the simple fact of the matter is if you over-train, you're not only setting yourself up for injury, but you're also severely limiting the lean muscle you'll be able to add on to your frame in the future.

So listen to your body. There's certainly be a fine line when it comes to you feeling lazy and unmotivated vs. you really just needing the rest, but try and differentiate between the two. Did you have a hard workout in the previous day or two? Maybe you didn't get a lot of sleep the night before because of school or work? Odds are, you need the rest. It can not be understated how literally shocking to your body a weight training program to bulk up muscle can be. You definitely need sleep to help yourself recover, so if you're feeling like you need some, make sure you get it.

To get that lean muscle you're after, make sure you eat right. Then decide what days you're going to train. On the days you do workout, make sure you do a proper warm-up. Then get a physically taxing workout in, working to failure in all your exercises. Try and do a "cool down" before quitting altogether. Before you hit the sack that night, eat a few spoonfuls of cottage cheese. It's loaded with protein and moves extremely slow through your digestive tract, thus allowing your body to feed on it while you sleep! Finally, make sure and get at least eight hours of sleep each night, although ten (yes, ten!) is preferred.