Monday
A) Squat 3×5
B) In teams of 2 or 3, 20 Minute AMRAP
2 athlete’s work, 1 rests or 1 works, 1 rests
Finish first superset before moving on
100 Push-Ups/ 20 Lengths Farmers Carry (2/1.5pood)
100 Sandbag Squats/ 20 Lengths Lunges

Tuesday
A) Deadlift 3×5
B) 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Burpees
Pull-Ups

Wednesday
A) 400m Time Trials (1 Warm-Up, 2 Attempts)
B) 21-15-9
Power Cleans (135/95lbs)
Ring Dips

Thursday
A) Power Snatch to OHS 3×5
B) One minute per station, 1 minute rest between sets, 5 sets
Double Unders
Thrusters (75/55lbs)
Rowing

Friday
A) Push-Press 3×5
B) The Dirty 7’s (7 Exercises, 7 Rounds, 7 Reps)**
Pull-Ups
Push-Ups
Air Squats
KB Swings
Box Jumps
Power Clean (95/65)
Push-Press (95/65)
** Compare to time 2 months ago

Sleep better and feel less tired by making sure you are getting vitamin D. New research suggests you need a vitamin D blood level between 60 and 80 ng/ml to get the best sleep. In addition, vitamin D deficiency is repeatedly linked to excessive fatigue during the day.

A research group from the University of Texas recently noticed conducted a study of 1,500 people who experienced headaches and insomnia and found that they were all vitamin D deficient. The researchers gave them vitamin D, and found that by raising the subjects blood vitamin D level to between 60 and 80 ng/ml over a 2 year period, they experienced normal sleep and much fewer headaches.

A few important points came out of the study: First, the subjects were very vitamin D deficient, so they were given 20,000 IUs a day of vitamin D3. The effect on sleep from the large dosing was immediate—sleep quality improved right away. Over a period of months as the subjects’ vitamin D blood levels increased they returned to completely normal sleep cycles. During the 2-year study, researchers observed that when vitamin D blood levels dropped below 50 ng/ml or went over 80 ng/ml, sleep difficulties were reported. In addition, supplementing with vitamin D2 prevented normal sleep in most patients. Avoid this form in favor of the D3 from of the vitamin.

The mechanism via which vitamin D influences our ability to sleep has to do with the fact that there are vitamin D receptors throughout the brain. A large concentration of these receptors are in the cells of the brainstem that allow us to sleep. If vitamin D is deficient in the blood, the sleep-wake cycle is disrupted. In addition, vitamin D influences many other hormonal processes in the body, including reproduction, metabolism, digestion, and cardiovascular health, all of which influence fatigue and sleep regulation.

Researchers suggest that the increasing rate of sleep disorders over the last 40 years is due in part to widespread vitamin D deficiency since we are spending the majority of our lives indoors, or wearing sunscreen out of doors. It’s true that vitamin D deficiency is rampant in warm sunny climates and the northern latitudes, making supplementation absolutely critical for health.

Be aware that in addition to helping you sleep better and avoid that mind-numbing fatigue that comes from insomnia, vitamin D is needed for body composition, and athletic performance. Read more about this in the article Take Vitamin D to Lose Fat & Gain Muscle.

References
Bominak, S., Stumpf, W. The World Epidemic of Sleep Disorders is Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency. Medical Hypotheses. 2012. 79, 132-135.