Meta-analysisSleep recovery
A meta-analytical review found that acute sleep loss impairs physical performance, with effects tending to be larger for tasks performed later in the day and for sustained or endurance efforts. Sleep deprivation degrades the ability to express and recover from training.
Rule: Protect sleep as a training variable; after a night of substantial sleep loss, reduce loads or expectations rather than testing maximal performance.
- Craven J, McCartney D, Desbrow B, et al. (2022). Effects of Acute Sleep Loss on Physical Performance: A Systematic and Meta-Analytical Review doi:10.1007/s40279-022-01706-y
Expert opinionSleep recovery
Reviews of sleep and muscle indicate that inadequate sleep is associated with impaired recovery, reduced muscle protein synthesis signaling, and blunted strength expression, making sufficient sleep an important support for resistance-training adaptation. Chronic short sleep works against the recovery that training gains depend on.
Rule: Advise adequate nightly sleep (commonly 7-9 hours) as a foundation for recovery and adaptation, and treat chronic sleep restriction as a limiter of progress.
- Knowles OE, Drinkwater EJ, Urwin CS, Lamon S, Aisbett B (2018). Inadequate sleep and muscle strength: Implications for resistance training doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2018.01.012
ObservationalSleep recovery
Observational work found that higher chronic life stress is associated with slower short-term recovery of muscular performance following resistance exercise, so psychological stress can prolong the fatigue produced by training. Recovery capacity is influenced by factors beyond the training session itself.
Rule: Account for a lifter's life-stress load when setting volume and recovery; scale back training demands during high-stress periods.
- Stults-Kolehmainen MA, Bartholomew JB (2012). Psychological stress impairs short-term muscular recovery from resistance exercise doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e31825f67a0
Meta-analysisSleep recovery
A meta-analysis found that protein supplementation augments gains in muscle mass and strength during prolonged resistance training, with benefits plateauing beyond a total intake of roughly 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass per day. Adequate protein is a support variable for training-induced adaptation.
Rule: Recommend a daily protein intake around 1.6 g/kg of body mass to support resistance-training adaptations; more than that yields little added benefit.
- Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. (2018). A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608