"How Important Is Sleep + Vagabond Olympic Lifting Class @ 6:35 pm"(8.31.2015)

Training, Recovery, And The Importance of Sleep
by
Mike Kesthley
An element of recovery that most folks will under-estimate is SLEEP.  An athlete can have everything dialed: nutrition, training, preWO/PWO intake, but if sleep is not there, all progress is halted, and recovery suffers.  I’ve even seen this in athletes on aggressive PED/AAS cycles.  THAT’S how important sleep is.  But why?
Hormonal regulation and secretion of cortisol, melatonin, serotonin, dopamine, DHEA, testosterone and growth hormone, to name just a few, are all dependent on quality sleep.  Many studies have been done on sleep deprivation, and from 20 years of personal experience, I can tell you the effects are acute and drastic.  Couple mixed-modal training + sleep debt, and you massively and chronically hammer on your endocrine system; this leads to an accelerated phase of over-reaching, possibly overtraining, and potential adrenal dysfunction.
Key Points & Strategies for Optimizing Sleep:
  • Shoot for 8 hours; prioritize this, make time in your life.  Training increases this need.  Google “How Much Sleep The Pros Get” for a quick infographic.  Avg = 8-10hrs.
  • Alcohol affects stages of sleep; while it’s a CNS depressant and can help you FALL asleep, it reduces SWS (slow wave sleep), aka Stage 4, where the most gH (growth hormone) is released.
  • Bright sun exposure during the DAY will improve sleep quality at night by maximizing endogenous melatonin secretion.
  • Bedroom = Cave.  Dark, cool, quiet.  Blackout blinds, white noise can help reduce REM sleep, and lower body temps help induce sleep.
  • Reduce electronic use 1hr prior to bed.  iPhones, computers, TVs are all back-lit with blue-wavelength light—the same as the morning sun.  This suppresses melatonin production.  If you have to use a laptop, install F.Lux to alter the hues of the screen to more red-wavelength tones.
  • Naps: Hard to fit in, but worth every penny (minute) you can get.  Brief naps, <30min, can be restorative mentally and emotionally; you cannot “make up” sleep debt. 5hrs sleep plus a 3hr nap (who can even do that?) is not equal to a solid 8 hrs. Why? Length and completeness of sleep cycles.
  • Naps, Part 2:  Naps have the potential to speed recovery, based on the fact you naturally release gH (growth hormone) as you sleep, and naps will improve immediate performance in sleep-deprived athletes. We know that sleep extension improves performance and recovery; I don’t think it’s a stretch to hypothesis adding naps to an already optimal sleep-wake timeframe (8hr) will also improve recovery.
  • Reduce Caffeine; half-life is approx. 5-7 hours.  Cut-off for intake should be early afternoon.
  • Supplementation:  Complex topic, the above ALL needs to be in order, but items like ZMA, GABA, Glycine, Melatonin, L-Dopa can all help.  This needs to be individualized on a case-by case basis by someone familiar with these supplements.

*Vagabond Olympic Lifting Class on Monday, August 31st, 2015 @ 6:35 pm. CLICK HERE FOR WORKOUT.*

Nichole Kelleher

I. Dynamic and Mobility Prep Warm-Up:
Lifestyle + Fitness Phase Prep
3 minutes of zone 1 work
+
3-5 minutes of Coach Dynamic Warm-Up
+
3-5 Minutes of the following:
90 Degree Quad Stretch
II. Phases Strength and Conditioning:
A. Lifestyle Phase
Front Squat CP/Posterior Chain + AMRAP Two Variation Time Domains
A1. Front Squat of the following, rest 45 seconds between sets.
4 reps @ 80%
3 reps @ 80%
3 reps @ 85%
2 reps @ 85%
A2. DB Good Mornings @ 31×1, 10-12 reps x 4 sets, rest 45 seconds between sets.
+
B. AMRAP 14 Minutes of the following:
100 Meter Run
9 Wall Balls or Goblet Squats
25 Jump Rope Singles
9 Burpees
B. Fitness Phase
Press Intense(Jerk or Press)/Upper Body Pull + Conditioning
A1. Push Press, 4 reps x 4 sets, rest 1 minute between sets.
A2. Kipping Pull-Ups, 12-15 reps x 4 sets unbroken, rest 1 minute between sets.
People can scale to Negative Pull-Ups, 3-4 reps or Dead Hang Holds x 30 seconds
A3. Side Bridges, 22 seconds.each side x 4 sets, rest 1 minute between sets.
+
B. 10 Minute AMRAP of the following:
12 Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs, 53/35 lbs
8 Box Jumps
6 Burpees
C. Competition Phase
Snatch + Front Squat + Clean Pull + Jerk + Aerobic Conditioning-High Volume-Low Intense + Barbell Conditioning Snatch
A. Mid Thigh Snatch Cluster, Power or Squat, 70% x 1.1.1 x 4 sets, rest as needed.
You can use blocks as well for this from mid thigh position
B. Front Squat, 85% x 4 reps x 5 sets, rest as needed between sets.
C. Split Jerk, 82% x 1.1.1 Cluster x 2 sets, 85% x 1.1 Cluster x 2 sets, rest as needed.
D. Clean Pull, 100% x 3 reps x 4 sets, rest as needed.
+
E. 6 Rounds of the following:
15 Cal Row
15 Burpees
15 Wall Balls @ 25/16 lbs to Ten Foot Target
+
F. Complete 5 sets of the following:
Snatch(2 rep) + Overhead Squat(2 reps) @ 65% of Best Snatch, rest 30 seconds between sets.
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