Far from being the name of a new ‘analogue’ festival that exclusively plays music from vinyl records, a deload week could be your next big training revelation. As any self-respecting gymgoer knows, there's such a thing as too much training. We've all been there: toiling away in the gym for months, we suddenly get the sneaking feeling that our muscle gains have plateaued, no matter the sets and reps. If this is the case for you, a deload week could be the solution.
When we have certain goals in the gym, we might feel like we have to go every day, challenging ourselves and ending up exhausted after each session. But we tend to forget that muscle is really gained by going home and resting – it's why trainers and fitness experts tirelessly stress the importance of adequate rest.
In all sports, athletes know that they need time in which they rest completely or reduce the level and intensity of their training. So why don't we do the same with the gym? If you've found your progress stagnating, perhaps it's time to rethink your strategy.
What is a deload week?
A deload week means you schedule a week every so often in which you reduce the intensity or volume of your training routine, to allow your body to recover optimally between sessions. You can do this by reducing the number of sets per exercise, or lifting a lower amount of weight than you're used to.
When training, we increase strength and performance, but also muscle strain, which can eventually lead to an extreme fatigue that ends up affecting our performance. If we're permanently tired, we won't be able to make any progress in our training.
Take a deload week as an opportunity to boost your progress and prepare yourself for the next stage of your fitness journey. Through it, you can get your body to adapt to training, reducing the likelihood of injury. When we treat ourselves to a deload week, fatigue and tiredness are reduced, and we begin to see the results of our efforts again, making it much easier to motivate ourselves to keep working.
How to incorporate a deload week into your workout routine
There are three different methods to choose between, suitable for various lifestyles and needs.
This is the simplest. Just steer clear of the gym, don't lift weights and resist the temptation to try any intense cardio. It is useful during the week, however, to stretch and go for walks, as this helps active recovery and improves circulation.
Continue to lift your normal weights, but do half as many sets. Decreasing the training volume but maintaining a high intensity will give your body a bit of a break and help it steadily recover and build.
This is perhaps the most popular method – a week in which you continue to train as normal, but with a lighter approach. Moderately reduce the volume and intensity of training, lifting less weight and taking out one or two sets per exercise. If you usually do three or four sets, drop to two or three, and lift slightly lighter than you would when getting your full pump on.
How often should you have a deload week?
It depends on whether you're looking to be proactive or reactive. If you're someone who's good at planning ahead, you can schedule a deload week every four to eight weeks. For those of us who are more reactive, taking deload weeks in a more intuitive way still works – if the recovery vibes are lacking and you feel like you're not bouncing back properly after training, it's a good bet that your body's telling you to take a deload week. You can also include deloading in a period between finishing a training program and starting another one.
Reaching that moment when it seems impossible to gain muscle after months of training can be frustrating. A week of deloading can reset your body, and help you see those gains pile in once again.
