You could be one of those who work out really hard and have been eating right since you were a child, but you will never see serious muscle growth/development or see your dream physique take shape if you don't get enough rest and recuperation.

When I say rest, I'm talking about at least eight hours of sleep at night, and if you can afford the luxury - an afternoon nap too. Many people fail to realise that muscle growth takes place when your body is at rest - NOT when you're at the gym (this is also why you need to eat well even on non-workout days). You only stimulate muscle growth at the gym by tearing it down so that it will need to recuperate and grow to be stronger then before.

Sleep is when your body is producing its highest amount of growth hormone.

Growth hormone is a chemical substance produced in the pituitary gland that, along with the thyroid hormone, supports proper growth, development, and repair in our bodies.

So, you could be having the best mind-blowing workouts of your life but get no growth from it if you party all night at your favourite club and hardly get to have some quality sleep. (If only Waikiki Bar in PJ didnt close so late - I would probably be getting more sleep during the weekends!.. hey.. I'm only human ;))

When you get adequate rest - you recover faster, your soreness goes away faster, and you are able to train at the gym with greater intensity and focus. So if your progress has come to a halt and your progress has plateaued, perhaps you should try getting a little more sleep to see if it helps.

Unfortunately, with today's busy lifestyle, most of us are happy to even get 6 hours of sleep a day. I sometimes only get 4 to 5, but then try to make up for it the next day by sleeping in for awhile longer. Whether it helps or not, I dont really know for sure - but I've got no choice and I don't have the luxury to sleep in the afternoons.

Sleep tight everyone... cos it's time to grow.