De-Load, the Overlooked Technique

[chazzy1864]

I would say go for a de-load.

[Spire]

I would say go for a de-load.

Would you mind explaining your reasoning?

I like details, learning, etc. Just curious if a deload would end with negative results during a cut.

[chazzy1864]

Would you mind explaining your reasoning?

I like details, learning, etc. Just curious if a deload would end with negative results during a cut.

My thoughts:

if you burn out, you won't do your cut (or strength gains for that matter) any good.

The reason it is commonly advised to stick to heavy weights during a cut, is because the strength range, doesn't generally break muscle down as much as higher volume/moderate repetition work. If you are in a caloric deficit, your body can't adequately repair the muscle you break down.

That however generally isn't referring to a deload. A deload is to let your joints, CNS, etc refresh themselves. So take your deload week, and then go back to your regularly scheduled program.

[abdul90]

Introduction:

There are countless posts on the best way to train biceps, the optimum split for getting huge, how to bench press properly, or any of a million other questions on how to become bigger, leaner, or break through plateaus.

But one technique that helps achieve all of these goals is very seldom discussed: De-Loading. A de-load is a planned reduction in volume or intensity (usually for one week, or one cycle of your training split), whose purpose is to allow the body to dissipate accumulated fatigue, allow you to fully recover, and prepare you for further gains. Also, remember that weight training does not just tax your muscles. It also puts stress on your joints, ligaments, connective tissues, and central nervous system.


Why should you De-Load:

• To allow your joints, tendons, ligaments, and other supporting tissues to repair.

• To allow your central nervous system (CNS) to recover

• To give yourself a mental break from the intensity of heavy lifting

• To reduce the risk of under-recovery (overtraining)

• To prepare you for greater gains

Experienced lifters know that you can't go 100% all out in the gym all the time. Your body can't take it, and you can't keep up that mental intensity forever. If you try to, you often wind up getting injured, start just "going through the motions" in your workouts, stall out in your progression, and perhaps even give up completely.

If you de-load at regular intervals, you will find that over time you will make better progress, reduce your injuries, and keep yourself in the game mentally.


When to De-Load:

This depends on your experience & intensity level, your age & recovery ability, the program you are following, and many other factors. If you are new to lifting, you lack the ability to overtax your CNS, muscles, and connective tissues as much as a very experienced lifter, so you may only need to deload once every couple of months. If you are older and have a reduced ability to recover from weight training, then you may need to deload as often as every couple of weeks. In general, you need to set your frequency of deloading according to how hard you train and how quickly you recover. Somewhere in the range of every 4-8 weeks will work well for most people.

Signs that a de-load may be in order:

• You feel tired, persistently fatigued, have a decreased desire to train, or other symptoms of under-recovery (overtraining).

• Your weight progression is stalling and you can't seem to increase most lifts

• You are experiencing aches, sprains, tendinitis, etc.

• You train regularly

Note that last point again: If you train regularly, then you should de-load regularly as well. In fact, a regularly scheduled de-load should come before you start exhibiting any of these symptoms.


How to De-Load:

A de-load is a planned reduction in either volume or intensity, usually a week long (or one training cycle of your split). How you do it is up to you. The main thing is to back off your total effort to about 50-60% of what you would do during a normal training week. A few examples of how to train during a de-load week:

• Do your normal routine and normal volume (sets & reps) but reduce the weight you use to about 50-60% of what you normally work out with for each exercise.

• Use the same weight as you normally would, but drop your number of total volume (sets x reps) to 50-60% of your normal volume. (Note that you should stick to an 8+ rep scheme here.)

• Train muscle groups that normally don't get a lot of attention

• Use light weight and focus on refining your form and technique

• Decrease your lifting and increase your cardio

... or any combination of the above. The main thing is to make sure that at the end of the workout you still have a decent amount of "gas in the tank". Personally, I prefer to de-load by dropping my weights to 50-60% of what I normally use, stick with the same volume, and focus on refining my form, technique, and mind-muscle connection.

If you want, you can even just take a week off entirely. If you know you are going to be on vacation, for example, just plan your training around it so that you can use that time as a de-load period. You'll be training smart and not feel the need to try to find some way to work out when the rest of your family is relaxing.


Summary:

The goal of a de-load is to allow you to become stronger, faster, and bigger, by incorporating a planned "active recovery" phase into your normal workout program. If you do it correctly, you should be able to make more gains that you would without de-loading, reduce your risk of injury, give yourself a mental break, preemptively address hidden recovery issues.

.

Nice one mate. This information is new to me but I will definitely reduce my weight by 50-60% for a whole week and stick in 3 or 4 cardios that week. Probably try it within the next month.

[strongbuffbig]

beginning deload today

[Confuzzl3dOn3]

My thoughts:

if you burn out, you won't do your cut (or strength gains for that matter) any good.

The reason it is commonly advised to stick to heavy weights during a cut, is because the strength range, doesn't generally break muscle down as much as higher volume/moderate repetition work. If you are in a caloric deficit, your body can't adequately repair the muscle you break down.

That however generally isn't referring to a deload. A deload is to let your joints, CNS, etc refresh themselves. So take your deload week, and then go back to your regularly scheduled program.

I'm not sure of this, but I had believed that the point of high intensity lifting during a cut was not so that it wouldn't break muscle down as opposed to higher volume workouts, but rather it provides a stimulus for your body to preserve muscle and seek out other sources (fat stores) to catabolise to provide its energy while in a caloric deficit. That's why i've also been puzzling over whether a deload during a cut is good or not.

[Spire]

I'm not sure of this, but I had believed that the point of high intensity lifting during a cut was not so that it wouldn't break muscle down as opposed to higher volume workouts, but rather it provides a stimulus for your body to preserve muscle and seek out other sources (fat stores) to catabolise to provide its energy while in a caloric deficit. That's why i've also been puzzling over whether a deload during a cut is good or not.

It looks like we're not going to get much guidance on this one, mate.

I've been doing a lot of forum and google searches and can't find anything that goes specifically into the pros/cons of deloading while cutting .. having said that, I'll be deloading next week.

I'm on 5x5 intermediate/linear at the moment - full body workout, 3 times per week, ramping sets to a top set of 5. Next week I will keep my workouts and exercises the same, except I will do 5 straight sets with 60% of my 1RM.

When I get back to 5x5 the following week, I'll be starting about 5lbs less on all my lifts to ease back into it. I figure if I do lose any strength while deloading I still have 8 weeks left of my cut to gain that strength back, I doubt it would drop much in one week anyway.

I'll let you know how it goes - I'm just looking forward to having an active rest week.. losing motivation for workouts pretty bad at the moment!

[JBurke5x]

This is something i need to try

[XxFatToFitxX]

Started my first de-load a few days ago and am really enjoying it. Dropped my weights by

50% and working hard to perfect my form. Feels good to take it easy for a cycle.

I'm also on a cut, and have been increasing my weights week to week, so we'll see how I do

for strength next week. Will try to report back.

[chazzy1864]

I'm not sure of this, but I had believed that the point of high intensity lifting during a cut was not so that it wouldn't break muscle down as opposed to higher volume workouts, but rather it provides a stimulus for your body to preserve muscle and seek out other sources (fat stores) to catabolise to provide its energy while in a caloric deficit. That's why i've also been puzzling over whether a deload during a cut is good or not.

That is actually a far better iteration of what I actually wanted to say. Kudos.


I'd say, if you are even in the gym, it will be better than nothing.

My biggest reason for the deload during a cut, is if you burn out, you won't help anything. I've been in an overtrained state before, and everything drags down, and any progress on all fronts seem to stop. If you deload for even a few days, to give your body a rest, you can pick back up, nice and strong, and continue your cut.

But i am no expert on the subject either. So take what i say with a grain of salt.

[Fri]

Awesome article

[Q115]

thanks for the good info

[TheBuffaloBills]

I think I may start to de-load considering how I have lost motivation, and am always fatigued. Recently, I have been getting 12-14 hrs a sleep in a day (Taking 1-2 hour naps during the day). Now, should I continue to to my normal cardio? Like a simple 30 minute jog on the Elliptical.

[D-Distortion]

Right, guys, I'm going to be taking a week out next week to de-load. One thing I'm wondering about though is should I eat exactly the same or eat less. I was going to get cardio in this week as much as possible seeing as it's summer and it shouldn't be hard dropping the little bit of fatI have around the lower midsection.
Any help would be appreciated and the article is great. Thanks Rhys

[titomuheedo]

do you think a deload week would be okay to use with a cut? I have about a week left so im thinking if i should do it then.
i notice ive been really tired towards the middle of the day so i think i need one.

[Masjo]

I kinda have the aforementioned symptoms, so i might aswell try that
Thank you

[ARJUK]

Great info, thanks, i def need to deload i think, found the last few workouts much harder than usual and i did'nt know why, looks like deload is the answer.

[jaitken1]

This is just what I need. I'm not new to lifting...did it during high school/college for sports... but since then, I've never been able to get past that "hump" you hit after several months. I started at the beginning of this year at a new gym. Over the last month, I've been absolutely exhausted. I'm not gaining strength, not losing weight, and I can't seem to find enough energy to make it through the day. And I'm constantly sore/in pain.

I read this yesterday and decided to take a week off starting yesterday and going throughout next week. I've never done that before. I've always just quit when I've hit that wall. I'm hopeful that this will work.

Thanks for the post.

[jaitken1]

Well, like I mentioned in my above post, I'm taking this week off. I've always been one to keep the weight/reps light if I'm going back to the gym after a break (like I said, I've never intentionally taken a week off before, I've just taken days off before) so as not to kill myself and do 100's more reps than I did the day before. After a week off, I've heard that you're usually stronger than you were before. When I go back next week, should I keep it light or jump back into it full force?

[VoxExMachina]

Well, like I mentioned in my above post, I'm taking this week off. I've always been one to keep the weight/reps light if I'm going back to the gym after a break (like I said, I've never intentionally taken a week off before, I've just taken days off before) so as not to kill myself and do 100's more reps than I did the day before. After a week off, I've heard that you're usually stronger than you were before. When I go back next week, should I keep it light or jump back into it full force?

Pick up right where you left off before the break, and continue the progression upward until your next deload.

[Rommel77]

Well with some hesitation and nervousness I'm starting my De-Load week today by taking the week off. I'm not showing the first three signs of when to de-load but I've been on over a year long cut losing over 100lbs. I run anywhere from 15-20 miles a week, walk 25 miles a week and been serious lifting 4 days a week, I've only been lifting for about 5 months though.

Its kinda of hard to slow down my routine since I've been doing it for so long but I hope the de-load will be more beneficial in the long run. I still plan on walking a couple miles days and will use this week to learn my maintenance calories. thx for the great post.

[MAndros]

Great article on de-loading I've tried this before and goes work well, I'm currently tired mentally and physically from constant gum and other exercise, but holidaying for 2 weeks will sort that out.

[kev120782]

I planned my deload around my vacation time. My vacation was suppose to be only 2 weeks, but I decided to take another week and extend my stay. It will be almost a month off from the gym. I know I needed to break because I did feel like I was just going through the motions and because if I didnt go I would feel guilty. My strength was also starting to decline. Anything wrong with taking a month off?

[strunkwhite]

thanks

[JasoniLift89]

"de-load to re-load"

[rikrodgers]

Just finished a week-long deload last week. I took a full week off from the gym for the first time in a few months. Although I wasn't feeling any of the aforementioned symptoms, I knew my body was in need of a bit of rest...

I have come back with a brand new mental attitude and as well as maintaining my current weight, I also seem to have started to lean out a bit more too!

Keep up the eating, chill out and enjoy a good deload - so happy I took one!

[erik50000]

i do this all the time
i call it a cool down though

[w.brouwers88]

Thank you very much for the post.. I need more de loading% I'm always training and training.. I know that reparing yourself is very important but doing it to less..Time to start !

Thanks very much!
Willem

Introduction:

There are countless posts on the best way to train biceps, the optimum split for getting huge, how to bench press properly, or any of a million other questions on how to become bigger, leaner, or break through plateaus.

But one technique that helps achieve all of these goals is very seldom discussed: De-Loading. A de-load is a planned reduction in volume or intensity (usually for one week, or one cycle of your training split), whose purpose is to allow the body to dissipate accumulated fatigue, allow you to fully recover, and prepare you for further gains. Also, remember that weight training does not just tax your muscles. It also puts stress on your joints, ligaments, connective tissues, and central nervous system.


Why should you De-Load:

• To allow your joints, tendons, ligaments, and other supporting tissues to repair.

• To allow your central nervous system (CNS) to recover

• To give yourself a mental break from the intensity of heavy lifting

• To reduce the risk of under-recovery (overtraining)

• To prepare you for greater gains

Experienced lifters know that you can't go 100% all out in the gym all the time. Your body can't take it, and you can't keep up that mental intensity forever. If you try to, you often wind up getting injured, start just "going through the motions" in your workouts, stall out in your progression, and perhaps even give up completely.

If you de-load at regular intervals, you will find that over time you will make better progress, reduce your injuries, and keep yourself in the game mentally.


When to De-Load:

This depends on your experience & intensity level, your age & recovery ability, the program you are following, and many other factors. If you are new to lifting, you lack the ability to overtax your CNS, muscles, and connective tissues as much as a very experienced lifter, so you may only need to deload once every couple of months. If you are older and have a reduced ability to recover from weight training, then you may need to deload as often as every couple of weeks. In general, you need to set your frequency of deloading according to how hard you train and how quickly you recover. Somewhere in the range of every 4-8 weeks will work well for most people.

Signs that a de-load may be in order:

• You feel tired, persistently fatigued, have a decreased desire to train, or other symptoms of under-recovery (overtraining).

• Your weight progression is stalling and you can't seem to increase most lifts

• You are experiencing aches, sprains, tendinitis, etc.

• You train regularly

Note that last point again: If you train regularly, then you should de-load regularly as well. In fact, a regularly scheduled de-load should come before you start exhibiting any of these symptoms.


How to De-Load:

A de-load is a planned reduction in either volume or intensity, usually a week long (or one training cycle of your split). How you do it is up to you. The main thing is to back off your total effort to about 50-60% of what you would do during a normal training week. A few examples of how to train during a de-load week:

• Do your normal routine and normal volume (sets & reps) but reduce the weight you use to about 50-60% of what you normally work out with for each exercise.

• Use the same weight as you normally would, but drop your number of total volume (sets x reps) to 50-60% of your normal volume. (Note that you should stick to an 8+ rep scheme here.)

• Train muscle groups that normally don't get a lot of attention

• Use light weight and focus on refining your form and technique

• Decrease your lifting and increase your cardio

... or any combination of the above. The main thing is to make sure that at the end of the workout you still have a decent amount of "gas in the tank". Personally, I prefer to de-load by dropping my weights to 50-60% of what I normally use, stick with the same volume, and focus on refining my form, technique, and mind-muscle connection.

If you want, you can even just take a week off entirely. If you know you are going to be on vacation, for example, just plan your training around it so that you can use that time as a de-load period. You'll be training smart and not feel the need to try to find some way to work out when the rest of your family is relaxing.


Summary:

The goal of a de-load is to allow you to become stronger, faster, and bigger, by incorporating a planned "active recovery" phase into your normal workout program. If you do it correctly, you should be able to make more gains that you would without de-loading, reduce your risk of injury, give yourself a mental break, preemptively address hidden recovery issues.

.

[fitwarrior]

been doing this for years its good for body and soul

Introduction:

There are countless posts on the best way to train biceps, the optimum split for getting huge, how to bench press properly, or any of a million other questions on how to become bigger, leaner, or break through plateaus.

But one technique that helps achieve all of these goals is very seldom discussed: De-Loading. A de-load is a planned reduction in volume or intensity (usually for one week, or one cycle of your training split), whose purpose is to allow the body to dissipate accumulated fatigue, allow you to fully recover, and prepare you for further gains. Also, remember that weight training does not just tax your muscles. It also puts stress on your joints, ligaments, connective tissues, and central nervous system.


Why should you De-Load:

• To allow your joints, tendons, ligaments, and other supporting tissues to repair.

• To allow your central nervous system (CNS) to recover

• To give yourself a mental break from the intensity of heavy lifting

• To reduce the risk of under-recovery (overtraining)

• To prepare you for greater gains

Experienced lifters know that you can't go 100% all out in the gym all the time. Your body can't take it, and you can't keep up that mental intensity forever. If you try to, you often wind up getting injured, start just "going through the motions" in your workouts, stall out in your progression, and perhaps even give up completely.

If you de-load at regular intervals, you will find that over time you will make better progress, reduce your injuries, and keep yourself in the game mentally.


When to De-Load:

This depends on your experience & intensity level, your age & recovery ability, the program you are following, and many other factors. If you are new to lifting, you lack the ability to overtax your CNS, muscles, and connective tissues as much as a very experienced lifter, so you may only need to deload once every couple of months. If you are older and have a reduced ability to recover from weight training, then you may need to deload as often as every couple of weeks. In general, you need to set your frequency of deloading according to how hard you train and how quickly you recover. Somewhere in the range of every 4-8 weeks will work well for most people.

Signs that a de-load may be in order:

• You feel tired, persistently fatigued, have a decreased desire to train, or other symptoms of under-recovery (overtraining).

• Your weight progression is stalling and you can't seem to increase most lifts

• You are experiencing aches, sprains, tendinitis, etc.

• You train regularly

Note that last point again: If you train regularly, then you should de-load regularly as well. In fact, a regularly scheduled de-load should come before you start exhibiting any of these symptoms.


How to De-Load:

A de-load is a planned reduction in either volume or intensity, usually a week long (or one training cycle of your split). How you do it is up to you. The main thing is to back off your total effort to about 50-60% of what you would do during a normal training week. A few examples of how to train during a de-load week:

• Do your normal routine and normal volume (sets & reps) but reduce the weight you use to about 50-60% of what you normally work out with for each exercise.

• Use the same weight as you normally would, but drop your number of total volume (sets x reps) to 50-60% of your normal volume. (Note that you should stick to an 8+ rep scheme here.)

• Train muscle groups that normally don't get a lot of attention

• Use light weight and focus on refining your form and technique

• Decrease your lifting and increase your cardio

... or any combination of the above. The main thing is to make sure that at the end of the workout you still have a decent amount of "gas in the tank". Personally, I prefer to de-load by dropping my weights to 50-60% of what I normally use, stick with the same volume, and focus on refining my form, technique, and mind-muscle connection.

If you want, you can even just take a week off entirely. If you know you are going to be on vacation, for example, just plan your training around it so that you can use that time as a de-load period. You'll be training smart and not feel the need to try to find some way to work out when the rest of your family is relaxing.


Summary:

The goal of a de-load is to allow you to become stronger, faster, and bigger, by incorporating a planned "active recovery" phase into your normal workout program. If you do it correctly, you should be able to make more gains that you would without de-loading, reduce your risk of injury, give yourself a mental break, preemptively address hidden recovery issues.

.

[Arealbigdeal]

yes, reducing either the intensity or volume of a load to give the muscles and CNS a break.