Istvan Balyi said something very interesting at a recent coaching course.
He feels that of all the variables of “sustenance”, sleep is the most essential for athletes. More important than nutrition or hydration!
Teenage boys can sleep as many hours as a baby. A teenage boy who trains intensely needs even more recovery sleep than his peers.
Consider interviewing your athletes regarding their sleep patterns.
related:
Psychiatric News – Sleep May Be Athletes’ Best Performance Booster
European Journal of Sport Science – Nutrition, sleep and recovery
5 comments ↓
I found that when I did morning workouts (not gym, but other stuff) that I would want to sleep afterwards. So much for the “energized” fiction. I wanted rest and sleeeep. And after afternoon workouts and a nice meal…and a history assignment to read…bam! Nap time.
I coached a great sleeper, Mark Cordingley.
At training camps he would sleep every chance he got. Always between training sessions.
It worked for him.
Sleep is most important when peaking, yet too much is also a bad thing.
8-10 hours per night depending on the intensity of the training session that day.
While training for the CrossFit Nationals I was sleeping 8-9 hours on the days we had single training sessions and 9-10 hours on days with double or triple training sessions.
Sleep is key for recovery, but as is nutrition AND water Rick. If any of these are off, performance is effected. You can sleep all you want but poor eating habits will never get you in top shape. Lack of hydration will slow the recovery process that occurs when you are sleeping.
I do remember my younger days in college when after a hard workout there was nothing better than some food and a nap.
I’ve known a few of my guys who probably would love to take a nap if they had the time to during the day with school and gym. I think they do so during the summer.
@lion9008 She was going too fast, hoevewr she still never made it. It wasn’t that she couldn’t stop her rotation, it was that she hit with her legs facing 45 degrees away from where her chest was. If she didn’t take a step her legs would probably twist and crack because she didn’t complete the twist.
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