If I told you by making one simple tweak in your life, you could see the following:
[+] Faster strength gains - your KBs start feeling lighter and you’re lifting heavier bells
[+] Greater muscle mass - tighter shirt sleeves and broader shoulders
[+] Reduced body fat - looser pants
[+] Higher energy - say goodbye to the 2pm crash and the need for coffee or an energy drink
[+] Reduced stress, anxiety, and even negative thoughts - and more peace
[+] Reduced hunger - and reduced desire for junk food and other cravings
[+] Reduced decision fatigue and feeling overwhelmed and greater calm, collected, coolheadedness
Would you do it ?
And no, it’s not taking the latest “magic supplement.”
And no, it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg.
In fact, financially, it costs you zero.
What is this Deep Magic?
SLEEP.
Now before you disregard it and say you don’t need more sleep, here’s what the research says happens to you when you get less than 7 hours of sleep each night.
Whether you know it or not, like it or not, or agree with it or not, you suffer the following:
1- Reduced cognitive function (including memory problems, decreased concentration, and impaired decision-making).
2- Metabolic dysregulation (including insulin resistance and increased risk of type 2 diabetes)
3- Weakened immune function (increasing susceptibility to infections).
4- Mental health issues (including increased risk of depression and anxiety)
5- Hormonal disruption:
Poor sleep changes key hormones involved in more info appetite regulation, particularly increasing ghrelin (hunger hormone) and lowering leptin (satiety hormone).6- Insulin resistance:
Sleep loss impairs insulin sensitivity, encouraging fat storage, especially visceral fat.7- Higher caloric intake:
Sleep-deprived individuals tend to consume more calories, particularly from high-carbohydrate and high-fat foods.8- Lowered energy expenditure:
Sleep loss may reduce physical activity and non-exercise activity thermogenesis.9- Reduced protein synthesis:
Sleep deprivation hinders the body's ability to create and repair muscle tissue.10- Increased cortisol:
Poor sleep boosts stress hormone levels, which can trigger muscle catabolism (breakdown).11- Decreased testosterone:
Sleep loss diminishes testosterone levels in men, hindering muscle maintenance and growth.12- Impaired recovery:
Insufficient sleep obstructs post-exercise recovery and adaptation.So, as you can notice, while your workouts are important to promote the change you want…
Without enough sleep, you won’t completely see those changes because you can’t bounce back properly.
How much sleep do you actually need?
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society:
7 to 9 hours a night.
REMEMBER :
It’s not how often or how often you workout that drives results. It’s how well you recover from those workouts that produces results.That’s why I regularly recommend the majority of guys train 3 days a week, for 20 to 30 minutes a day.
At most, 3 days a week for up to 60 minutes if your recovery is excellent and you’re getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
And work on their sleep in the meantime.
If you’re not sure what the best kettlebell workout plans are for 3 days a week, I recommend you try ones that:
[a] Concurrently “recomp” you - get you stronger, leaner, and more muscular at the same time
[b] Boost your conditioning along the way
[c] Lower the mental friction of finding the “perfect program”
I provide links to my best programs that will help you rest deeply in the description below.
At the end of the day, effective workouts are important.
But sleeping enough - 7 to 9 hours a night - is like the “cheat code” for the stressed , fatigued, Modern Man to get results.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert