Extra hour of sleep or cardio?

[syvnick]

Hello everybody!

 

Soo say you aren't getting that much sleep, and have the options of either getting an extra hour of sleep, or getting up earlier to run outside or drive to the gym and run on the mill. Which do you think would be better for fat loss and muscle preservation? I usually get about 7 hours a night on average, sometimes it's 8 and a half but sometimes it's 6 and a half.

[Vegan Joe]

You could dream your being chased. It's got to be good for cardio. You'll wake up panting and your heart will be racing.

 

Honestly I don't have a good answer. But working out hard will definitely improve your sleeping pattern.

[Fallen_Horse]

SLEEP

[chewybaws]

Try it for a week or 2, if you're more fatigued during the day just stop.

[Wobbly Lifter]

Are you tired?

It sounds like you're getting enough sleep for most people. Hell I consider 6 and a half a damn good sleep. If you're tired, and can sleep the extra hour do it. If you're not tired, or are tired but can't sleep more, try the cardio.

In general cardio isn't great for either of your goals, sleep is good for both. Lifting weights, or other anaerobic work would be better. Try multiple sets of sprints if you hate weights.

[medman]

Everybody's sleep requirements are different. Some are refreshed by 5 hours; some need 8 or 9. You can try it and see how you feel.

 

And I also think that people make too big a deal about avoiding cardio when trying to build/keep mass. Unless you're doing an intense training program of over 40km a week or something, I personally think the health benefits of cardio outweigh the potential of slightly slowed muscle growth. Unless you're competing as a bodybuilder, the mental and physical benefits of moderate cardio will probably benefit your health and fitness more than an extra pound of muscle a month.

[Wobbly Lifter]

Medman I'm not suggesting one avoid cardio, but he asked which was better for his goals, and I think getting adequate sleep is far more likely to improve muscle retention and fat loss then extra cardio, assuming an already active lifestyle. Weightlifting is of course far better for both then cardio and still has some or most of the benefits to the heart and lungs depending on the intensity.

Anyways I'm not against cardio, I walk for hours a day at work, up to 20km some days.

[medman]

Sorry WL, I didn't mean that to sound like an attack. I agree with you, getting adequate sleep is more important for achieving his goals than extra cardio. It was more the way he mentioned "muscle preservation" as a goal - which sounded to me like he was suggesting that the cardio might burn off extra muscle, which I don't feel is the case for most people (only those going for the maximum mass possible, such as bodybuilders, are the ones who have compelling reasons to avoid cardio in my opinion).