Is sleep really that important for making progress and building muscle? For truly optimal gains and long-term health, yes. Ideally you’d get around 8 hours per night. But real life happens, and sometimes you only manage 4–5. If you’ve had a rough night and you’re in the offseason, you can still train and be fine. The real risk shows up when you’re dieting and your sleep starts going downhill. In that case, still get your workout in—but don’t push to the absolute limit. Dial back the intensity a