Quick question: how many of you are consistently getting 7–8 hours of sleep before training or match days? Here's why I ask. A 2025 study measured what happens to muscle protein synthesis — your body's ability to repair and build muscle after training — when you're sleep deprived. The result: −18% drop in muscle protein synthesis. That means the same training session, the same post-match meal, the same protein intake — but your body rebuilds 18% less effectively when you're under-slept. For a sport that demands explosive recovery between points, that's not a small number. Beyond muscle repair: - Reaction time slows measurably on under-7-hours sleep - Ghrelin (hunger) rises → harder to eat well pre-match - Decision-making under fatigue degrades faster Sleep isn't passive recovery. It's where the adaptation from your training actually happens. How are you managing sleep around your training and match schedule? What's the biggest barrier — late matches, travel, stress? Let's talk about it.

Answer the poll— no judgment - so that I know where everyone's at so I can make sure I'm posting the right stuff for this group.

Heard this from a club-level player recently. Wanted to dig into it. Squash burns roughly 600–900 kcal/hr depending on intensity. That's real energy expenditure. But "eating whatever you want" doesn't automatically mean: ✅ Enough protein to recover between sessions ✅ Enough carbs to fuel back-to-back matches in a tournament ✅ Enough micronutrients to support joint health and connective tissue You can be lean and under-fuelled at the same time. And it shows — in energy in the fifth game, in recovery time, in how you feel two days after a hard tournament. Training volume earns calories. It doesn't automatically earn optimal fuelling. Agree or disagree? Would love to hear from the competitive players in here.

It's fuelling. Squash is a glycolytic sport — you're burning through carbohydrate stores fast. A 90-minute match at match intensity can deplete muscle glycogen significantly, especially if you played on an empty stomach or skipped carbs the day before. Three things that make the biggest difference for on-court endurance: 1. Pre-match carbs: 1–4g per kg of body weight, 1–3 hours before. Don't show up fasted. 2. Intra-match: If your match is 60+ min, 20–30g of fast carbs at the break (banana, sports drink, dates). 3. Recovery: Within 30 min post-match — protein + carbs together to start rebuilding glycogen. Which of these are you currently skipping? Be honest 😅

Any changes you think will happen before the end of the year?