What is deload week?

A recurrent concept in many of our HWPO Training programs is that of a “deload week.” Deload weeks are planned weeks in the programming where intensity and volume are reduced, allowing for an important break for the central nervous system, muscles, and even for the mind. These weeks help the body stay fresh over time, and they help by mentally giving athletes an easier week to manage so that they can have the mental space to push harder when it counts. The highest-level athletes need deload weeks in their training programs, but if you train with a program written in a progressive manner; like FLAGSHIP/60, LIFT, STRONG, or PRO; then you likely do as well.

Physical benefits of deloading

Physically speaking, deloads are valuable in that they help prevent injury and allow for increased recovery. This increased recovery allows more time for adaptation to happen, which is where the “gains” come in for any exercise routine. To put it simply, small stresses are put on the body every time we train (or sometimes, these are LARGE stresses), and where you are not taking weeks to allow the body to catch-up from these stresses, then you are keeping the body in a constant state of stress. This constant state of stress can make it much harder to be able to see results from your hard work in the gym. If you are trying to ensure you can stay in the gym for years to come, deloads are a tool in this process.

Personally, I have skipped out on deload weeks in favor of continually pushing hard or adding in volume way too many times in the past, and I have paid the price of these decisions by picking up overuse injuries that I then had to deal with. These injuries ultimately affected the results of my training and at times kept me out of the gym altogether. 

Mental advantages of taking a break

Mentally speaking, deloads have their place in that they can be less daunting than a normal week of training. Training can be hard, and pushing hard in the gym can be very mentally taxing. If you don’t allow for specifically planned periods of time to step away from pushing as hard as you normally might, then you might find it harder to keep pushing over time. Just like deload weeks keep our bodies fresh when training, they keep the mind sharp. Often on the Monday after a deload, I have found myself being much more motivated to give my all in the gym than I was the week before. If any athlete is hitting their training from a more motivated mental place, then they are usually able to push harder in that training, so ultimately, this mental difference leads to better physical results as an athlete.

When to schedule a deload week

Deload weeks should happen ideally slightly more than they are absolutely necessary. If we can always stay a bit under our maximum capacity in training, then we can be sure to be far away from the line of underrecovering, and we can ensure that we are able to train hard for long periods at a time. It is important to note that in deload weeks, we usually are not getting LESS fit either, but rather, doing enough to maintain the fitness that was already built and preparing ourselves to be able to express that fitness after recovering. To put it simply, it takes less work to maintain fitness than to build it, and it usually takes more than a week to lose fitness, so when on a deload, you probably do not have to worry about becoming less fit. 

What to do during a deload week

On deload weeks, but sure to use the extra time gained for good purposes. Usually, deloaded training requires less time in the gym, so try to spend that extra time mobilizing or seeking out recovery implements such as contrast therapy or bodywork. Get outside the gym, go for a walk, or engage in light physical activity like yardwork or casual sports with friends—this will keep the body loose and help keep the mind at ease, too. Be sure to eat well, even if you are not as hungry as usual, and get extra sleep if you can. One hour of extra sleep per night leads to nearly another full night of sleep over a week of time. As Mat Fraser has said before, if sleep was a drug, then it would be classified as a PED, as it is the number one recovery tool. Doing all of this is a good way to make sure you are getting the most out of your deload week.

Know that it is normal to feel physically and/or mentally terrible on a deload week itself. The goal with any deload week is to to feel better by the next week, not during, so if you find yourself in the middle of a deload week and feeling terrible, then the chances are that you needed that deload. Trust that you will likely feel much better once the week of reduced volume and intensity is over. 

Making a deload week work for you

Finally, know that if you need to, you can always add in a deload week of your own to your training. This might be necessary when coming back from sickness or a competition weekend, or just because you know your body is feeling particularly run down from your training. To do this, reduce reps, sets, or weights of any strength work up to 50%; lower the weight or volume of any accessory work, or make them bodyweight accessories; skip any bonus work; and substitute machines into any metcons.

The long term value

People who master the skill of modifying their training program to be deloaded will have a leg up in the long term on those that do not have this skill. Life will inevitably happen, and those that have developed the skill of deloading will be able to ensure that their training stays valuable when it does, and they can better ensure they are staying injury-free. Properly executed deload weeks will help keep you in the gym for the long term.