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Are You Sleeping on Muscle Growth?

October 12, 2026 · 43 min

Show notes

How much muscle growth are you missing out on by not getting enough sleep? In today's episode, we discuss a new scientific review exploring how sleep affects your hormones, muscle protein synthesis, recovery, and ability to train hard.

The evidence suggests that poor sleep makes it harder to build muscle. But despite everything we know about the importance of sleep, there's surprisingly little direct research showing how much muscle growth you actually lose by not getting enough of it. We dig into what the science tells us, what remains uncertain, and how much you should worry about the occasional bad night's sleep.

We also answer a listener question about barbell rows versus Pendlay rows, and take a closer look at Madcow 5x5, a classic strength program for lifters who've moved beyond the beginner stage.

Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - Opening banter
  • 02:45 - Study review: Are you sleeping on muscle growth?
  • 27:15 - Listener question: Barbell rows or Pendlay rows for Madcow 5x5?
  • 34:45 - Program of the week: Madcow 5x5

***

Do you like what you hear so far? Please leave a five-star review in your podcast player. And hit that follow button!

You can also follow us on Instagram. You'll find Daniel at @strengthdan, and Philip at @philipwildenstam.

Become a part of our Reddit community here.

***

This podcast is brought to you by Styrkelabbet AB, Sweden.

To support us, download the world's best gym workout tracker app StrengthLog here. It's completely ad-free and the most generous fitness app on the market, giving you access to unlimited workout logging, lots of workouts and training programs, and much, much more even if you stay a free user for life.

If you want a t-shirt with "Train hard, eat well, die anyway", check out our shop here.

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