The Importance Of Sleep

Well we all know that sleep is one of the most important aspects of recovery, is therefore critical to muscle development. Yet we rarely afford sleep the same attention as to nutrition or training.

Phil Heath the 7x Mr. Olympia says that during the competition season he only gets around 4-6 hours of sleep per night. However, he supplements this as often as possible with naps. In the offseason, he tries to make up for the rest of the year with extended sleep cycles:

“For me it’s very tough. I can say I get 6 consecutive hours, and then I’m up eating or doing something else. The other part is I will take a nap. I love being an adult because now I can take naps. I value naps like so much. So if I do have time to catch an hour nap I will do that. Now when I’m not competing I literally go into hibernation…the months of November December I literally will probably sleep ten to 13 hours per day.”

In the following videos, Phil Heath discusses the importance of sleep:

https://youtu.be/pghXvPus-tE?t=5m14s

Phil Heath as champion bodybuilder understands the critical nature of proper sleep. With physique that size, it is no surprise that he has a difficult time reigning in natural circadian rhythms. But their reverence for sleep should be an indicator that it is a critical aspect of recovery for every bodybuilder.