Almost no sleep, should I lift or not?

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liftsforchocolate
liftsforchocolate Posts: 273
in Fitness and Exercise
So I know sleep is CRUCIAL for gains in muscle and/or preserving muscle while losing bodyfat. In the occasional scenario that I only get 2-3 hours of sleep, should I still workout? It's hard for me to sleep as it is sometimes, but often I'm up studying or working.

I usually leave for the gym around 4am and do weights + 30 min cardio 5-6x week. If this happens once a week, would it still be okay to go to the gym and lift or is it useless as I'm doing more harm than good by not letting my body rest?

In the past, I have gone to the gym still when a little tired (I just drink some extra coffee and suck it up). Maybe once I felt a little shakey and took the rest of the workout a little easier doing things I probably couldn't hurt myself with. I just have extreme guilt when I skip a workout, and working out is usually my favorite part of the day.

I have noticed I lose weight much much slower when I'm not sleeping atleast 4-6 hrs, so I obv try to get in as much as I can but sometimes things come up no matter how much I plan ahead.

Thanks :)

Replies

  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
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    Go lift, but do a light (80% or less previous session) weight workout.
  • liftsforchocolate
    liftsforchocolate Posts: 273
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    ^Thank you, I was thinking that would probably be the safest option :)
  • ludds
    ludds Posts: 40 Member
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    I'm a shift worker so I know what you mean about having days when you just KNOW you're too tired to do your normal efforts. I too, LOVE, my gym sessions so when it's a day when I'm at less than full pelt I still go but just do what I feel like doing, rather than pushing myself to the limits I normally do. I figure 30 mins on the treadmill reading a magazine makes me feel better than the same 30 minutes on the sofa! The weights and high intensity stuff will still be there tomorrow!!

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