Bodybuilding Essentials: Rest & Relaxation
Other than following a healthy, high protein diet, split over 6 or more meals per day, using protein shakes and training using true high intensity as described by people such as Dr Darden, Dorian Yates and Stuart McRobert, there are other ways of maximising your results out of the gym. In our opinion, the third most important aspect of a bodybuilding lifestyle is rest and relaxation.
There are times in your life when you simply don’t get enough sleep. This can be during exams when at Uni, after having a baby, when staying out late on weekends or during stressful periods in life. At these times, we have all lost muscle, lost determination and struggled with our routines. However, when the opposite is true, for example if you have reduced your hours at work, stopped drinking, finished Uni or are simply sleeping better, then results at the gym are improved significantly.
The answer to this dilemma is to simply get to be earlier on a night and avoid your body getting stressed. When I say stressed, this can be due to a poor diet, inadequate hydration, a nagging partner, overtraining, overworking or a combination.
My advice is to plan your diet, eat well, drink plenty of water, train smart, sleep well 7 nights per week and be happy. The results will follow.
