Naptime

You’ve heard it a thousand times—if you want to recover and grow from your training, you need to get enough sleep. In a perfect world we’d all get at least eight hours of uninterrupted rest every night, but in the real world schedules often prevent such satisfactory slumber. Family, school and/or work might make it necessary for you to stay up late and rise early.

Even if you are fortunate enough to have the time available, things like young children, pets, noisy neighbors or even snoring spouses can interrupt your quality sleep. What’s a growing bodybuilder to do? 

Why not follow the example of eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman and grab a nap every day whenever possible? Ronnie and many other pros boost their total amount of sleep with daily naps, which ensures complete recovery and maximum energy levels. Even if you can manage to get only 30 to 40 minutes in the afternoon, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the difference it makes.

I feel that a half-hour nap in the daytime does more for me than an hour or two at night. Not everyone has the time or opportunity to take naps, but if you get the chance, do it. Adequate sleep is very often the missing ingredient that keeps many bodybuilders from realizing their full physique potential, and every little bit of rest helps. 

—Ron Harris
www.RonHarrisMuscle.com