Chapter 5: Rest & Recovery

Once you begin the weight training and cardio, recovery needs to be prioritized alongside them. If you fail to get the proper recovery from sleep each night, it heavily decreases the amount of growth hormone that is naturally produced in the body. Natural growth hormone is a key part of the actual muscle building and recovery process. If soreness is a problem, more sleep will make it reside faster. You wont actually put on any size if you are lifting 5 times per week and sleeping 5 hours per night. The body needs an absolute bare minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night to start producing natural growth hormone. Ideally, you never get less than 8 hours of sleep each night.

Many people say thats impossible for their life, but thats why this is just as important of a step as everything else here. It really comes down to time management and self discipline which should be engrained by this point. If you cut into your 8 hours of rest and recovery time, it's practically making most of your active efforts with training and nutrition in vain. Also, being in calorie deficits or surpluses all the time is mentally draining. Lack of sleep on top of that will just cause ups and downs and hormonal imbalances which are never fun, it just makes life more of an uncomfortable rollercoaster. With proper rest and recovery being added to the arsenal of newly mastered skills, you should feel more clear minded, and have a more steady mood. 

Other ways I prevent deficiencies or imbalances in my body is with supplements. It would probably serve you best to have a blood test done if possible to see your hormone levels and where any vitamin deficiencies may lye. Though most of the things I take would most likely be beneficial for anyone. I get all my supplements from GNC. I start with a basic multi vitamin, then I add a vitamin D-3 pill on top of that because in Michigan, the sun is not very strong or frequent year round and I'm inside most of the time anyways. A fish oil gel pill is great for heart health, reducing triglycerides, lowering cholesterol, and lowers blood pressure. Magnesium is also great for muscle recovery and some say it has a slightly calming effect. Another vitamin I take is MK-7 K-2 which essentially helps the body process the rest of the supplements more efficiently.

The most interesting supplement that I take in my opinion is Shila Jit. Shila Jit is meant to boost natural testosterone production. With slightly higher levels of testosterone, it increases your rate and ability to put on muscle, positively effects mental health and confidence, as well as increase reproductive health in males. Last but certainly not least, Creatine Monohydrate. Creatine is a classic for many athletes and bodybuilders. It functions by holding more water in your muscles which aids in recovery and slightly speeds up your rate of muscle growth. Beware that you would initially gain about 5lbs of water weight in your first couple weeks of using creatine since it makes you retain water.

My Supplement Stack

-Basic Multi-Vitamin

-Fish Oil

-Magnesium Glycinate

-Vitamin D-3

-Vitamin MK-7 K-2

-Shila Jit

-Creatine