If I told you by making one simple tweak in your life, you could see the following:
[+] Quicker strength gains - your KBs start feeling lighter and you’re lifting heavier bells
[+] More muscle mass - tighter shirt sleeves and broader shoulders
[+] Lowered body fat - looser pants
[+] Enhanced energy - say goodbye to the 2pm crash and the need for coffee or an energy drink
[+] Lower stress, anxiety, and even negative thoughts - and greater peace
[+] Lower hunger - and reduced desire for junk food and other cravings
[+] Less decision fatigue and feeling overwhelmed and increased 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- Diminished cognitive function (including memory problems, decreased concentration, and impaired decision-making).
2- Metabolic dysregulation (including insulin resistance and elevated risk of type 2 diabetes)
3- Compromised immune function (increasing susceptibility to infections).
4- Mental health issues (including increased risk of depression and anxiety)
5- Hormonal disruption:
Poor sleep disrupts key hormones involved in appetite regulation, particularly increasing ghrelin (hunger hormone) and lowering leptin (satiety hormone).6- Insulin resistance:
Sleep loss impairs insulin sensitivity, supporting fat storage, especially visceral fat.7- Higher caloric intake:
Sleep-deprived individuals tend to consume higher calories, particularly from high-carbohydrate and high-fat foods.8- Decreased energy expenditure:
Sleep loss may diminish physical activity and non-exercise activity thermogenesis.9- Reduced protein synthesis:
Sleep deprivation hinders the body's ability to create and regenerate muscle tissue.10- Elevated cortisol:
Poor sleep raises stress hormone levels, which can encourage muscle catabolism (breakdown).11- Lowered testosterone:
Sleep loss lowers testosterone levels in men, compromising muscle maintenance and growth.12- Impaired recovery:
Insufficient sleep obstructs post-exercise recovery and adaptation.So, as you can see , while your workouts are crucial to stimulate the change you want…
Without enough sleep, you won’t completely see those changes because you can’t recover 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.
Don’t forget:
It’s not how hard or how often you workout that creates results. It’s how well you restore from those workouts that delivers results.That’s why I usually recommend more info the majority of guys workout 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 optimal and you’re getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
And improve 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 choose ones that:
[a] Simultaneously “recomp” you - get you stronger, leaner, and more muscular at the same time
[b] Enhance your conditioning along the way
[c] Minimize the mental friction of finding the “perfect program”
I provide links to my best programs that will help you sleep like a baby in the description below.
At the end of the day, smart workouts are important.
But sleeping enough - 7 to 9 hours a night - is like the “cheat code” for the busy, fatigued, Modern Man to get results.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert