You Had A Terrible Night’s Sleep

The noted sports scientist William Shakespeare defined sleep as ‘sore labour’s bath’. He was right: it’s when your body repairs the damage caused by the previous day’s activities. ‘If you didn’t get adequate sleep, you’re starting a little bit in the hole,’ says Pate. In a study in Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise, cyclists tasked with riding at an ever-increasing intensity gave up sooner when they were sleep-deprived compared with their fresh counterparts. But guess what? They survived.

Not everything worth doing comes easy. Training can often be a good way to give your tired brain a lift. One study at the University of Georgia found that exhausted volunteers who took part in moderate-effort exercise experienced a significant decline in fatigue, while separate research revealed that a 10minute stair climb can boost alertness more effectively than 50mg of caffeine.

Pate advises avoiding anything intense and building your sessions around mobility, stability and fun stuff such as skill development. Bear in mind, though, that your coordination will be impaired: this is not the time for hefting barbells. Gently working through your pull-up regressions, however? Perfect.