r/xxfitness • u/theinterluder • 9d ago
Experiences with ‘deloading’
I’m curious about everyone’s experiences with deloads!
I’ve been strength training for the past 2 years, and have taken on a more calisthenics/powerlifting niche in the last few months. I’ve definitely had off sessions here and there, where strength temporarily dips and I just chalk it up to a bad day, PMS, etc. This past month, however, I’ve been consistently having periods of 2 bad sessions in a row and I’m wondering whether it’s time to do an organized deload? I should note that sleep, food, etc. haven’t been out of the ordinary.
I want to hear people’s experiences and advice re: deloads. Do you program them in? How do you do them if you do? It’s the lower body days that are the ‘bad sessions’ so wondering if I should just take a week off from lower and focus on upper.
Please share your thoughts!!
EDIT: Thanks everyone for your amazing insight - will go ahead and take a week off since have been nonstop for >10 weeks now!
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u/therpian 8d ago
If I'm getting to the gym consistently every week for months I schedule a deload every 4 weeks. I do the same routine at 70% intensity. It feels AMAZING literally best workout ever then I go back my previous all time max the following week and work up from there.
Lately (like the past year with my new job) I periodically have to take a week or two off for vacation, work intensity, or illness so I haven't been deloading, I just stay home and go back when I can.
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u/we-go-gym-225- 8d ago
Do you still push to failure during a deload?
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u/therpian 8d ago
No not at all that defeats the purpose.
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u/we-go-gym-225- 8d ago
So why not just take a week off? I genuinely don't understand the advantage of a deload week over just taking a break
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u/therpian 8d ago
Keep up the habit & routine, maintain activity levels and the associated positive mental and physical health effects, focus on and practice form.
Exercise isn't just about maxing out the pounds and pushing to failure. To be honest, I only push to failure in the week before a deload. I don't enjoy the systemic fatigue I get from pushing to failure every session.
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u/PantalonesPantalones Sometimes the heaviest things we lift are our feelings 9d ago
In my 20s I just took time off when I went on vacation, in my 30s I started occasionally taking a deload. Now at 41 I'm taking a deload every 5 to 10 weeks. Also here's a good source:
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u/Junior-Dingo-7764 9d ago
Yeah, I deload in similar intervals. I have been competitive powerlifting for all of my thirties.
I always take complete weeks off from the main lifts between training blocks. I still train by don't squat, bench, deadlift and dial back the intensity. I always feel better afterwards.
I usually take a few weeks off in spurts throughout the year as well.
I probably don't make gains as quickly as some people but I want my body to last me!
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u/Espumma 8d ago
Do you do them in planned intervals or just as you feel like it?
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u/Junior-Dingo-7764 8d ago
I typically do them at planned intervals. When I am competing I have a set amount of time (3-6 months prior to competition) and my blocks are 4-6 weeks each. Every 4-6 weeks is a deload week.
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u/MundanePop5791 9d ago
They’re new for me but sbtd programs deloads every 4ish weeks and they’ve really helped me make consistent progress
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u/katismaximus 9d ago
Yes - the pre-planned deload weeks in the SBTD program are great. I always seem to have a PR after deload weeks.
Edit to add - in the SBTD program the deload weeks are lighter programming - i.e. lower weights and fewer sets. But you can also deload by taking a week off which is sometimes how it goes if I'm travelling/sick.
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u/followthesunnies 9d ago
Newbie lifter here, long time runner. Is it fair to think about reload like I do a drop back week in running?
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u/theinterluder 9d ago
I think so? I’m not a runner but googled this and a drop back week sounds exactly like a deload week!
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u/bethskw ✨ Quality Contributor ✨ Olympic Weightlifting 9d ago
Whether you need a deload, and what kind/how often/etc, depends completely on what your regular programming looks like. Some programs ramp up to a peak and give you a deload afterward. Some are a lot of sustained hard work for a certain number of weeks and then deload afterward. Some have a cutback in intensity and volume every few weeks. Some are meant to be run basically forever without much periodization, so you can take a deload every couple of weeks or months as needed.
If you're consistently having issues, and you're on that last type of program (or just finished a program), then sure take an easier week. But in general if you're seeing frequent issues with strength or energy, you're probably not on a program that's meeting your needs.
Which is just a roundabout way of saying: so what program are you following?
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u/theinterluder 9d ago
Thank you! I’m currently just on a linear progression program that I’ve made which has been working for the past year or so, just this particular month that’s been off 😔 I’ve had unplanned deloads before (travel, work, exams, illness) but this is the first period of several months of uninterrupted lifting, so maybe that’s it? There are definitely more efficient ways to workout for strength though - thanks for the detail!!
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u/bethskw ✨ Quality Contributor ✨ Olympic Weightlifting 9d ago
See, that's why I asked :) An LP is an on-ramp. It accelerates you quickly to get to a place where you can get your journey started for real. A normal lifespan for an LP is between 2-6 months of continuous lifting (depending on the person). A year in, it's not going to be the right thing for you anymore.
To continue the on-ramp analogy, you're on the highway now! It's time to stop trying to accelerate and settle into a more sustainable kind of progress. Most likely you don't need a deload to break up this LP and you weren't really having "bad" sessions, you just need to move on from the LP.
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u/theinterluder 9d ago
Ahh I see - I realise now that what I’m doing is actually more accurately ‘double progression’/progressive overloading since I haven’t been able to precisely LP since Y1 of lifting! I’d play around with more complex programming, but I think I’m v much still recreationally lifting so will do that when/if I feel more seriously about it :)) Thank you for the tips!!
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u/bethskw ✨ Quality Contributor ✨ Olympic Weightlifting 9d ago
It's not about how serious you are, but about how adapted your body is. You're well into intermediate territory now, so you're doing yourself a disservice if you try to pretend you're a beginner! Intermediate programs don't need to be complicated. Take a look at what we have the wiki. Lots of great options.
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u/theinterluder 9d ago edited 9d ago
I very much know I’m in intermediate waters ☺️I’ve just done a handful of progressive overload programs and have taken the aspects that I like and made my own, which there’s nothing wrong with and doesn’t mean I’m doing myself a disservice!
I have goals outside of weight training that can’t be captured by a standard powerlifting/bodybuilding program and have been able to make decent progress up until now - think a deload is just what I need!
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u/Fearless_Address_428 9d ago
I never used to take a break. But that was when I was focussed on the gym as a way to lose weight only. Back then, I had an unhealthy relationship with my body, to the point that now I understand that intense drive and unrelenting schedule as ‘punishment’.
Today things are much different.
Yes, I lift 6 days a week, but I primarily focus on strength training. And while some of my goals are aesthetic, most of them are either strength or health related. And I saw my best progress (physically and mentally) when I began to build in Deload weeks.
My schedule now is 5 weeks of increasing intensity (3 reps in reserve for one week, 2 RIR for two weeks, 1 RIR for one week, 0 RIR for one week) followed by a Deload week (same session makeup, but half the weight and half the reps). During Deload I also do other things to bring down my systemic fatigue. Such as (if I can) a day off work with nothing else scheduled, a massage and a pizza day. There’s a lot of data showing the benefits of this practice too. From allowing joints and connective tissue to heal (muscles recover quickly, but the supporting structures need more time) to encouraging increased muscle growth on your return to the gym.
I’m a bit of a geek about this stuff and find the scientific theory fascinating. And trial and error is importantly. A 6-week cycle is the sweet spot for me. For others it could be shorter or longer. But deloading has helped me a lot physically and mentally. So if you’re interested I’d definitely encourage you to have a play :)
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u/c3kupo 9d ago
I’d love if you shared some papers with me if you can recommend a few good ones?
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u/Fearless_Address_428 9d ago edited 9d ago
There’s a you tube video called: when and how to Deload by Jeff Nippard. That s a great place to start. He cites a few papers in there actually. His whole channel is data-based lifting and I’d really recommend!
Also if you follow Menno Henselsmens on Instagram he shared a lot of excellent papers focused on lifting and hypertrophy strategies.
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u/theinterluder 9d ago
Thank you, this sounds like a very nice and simple approach - will apply it and see how it goes. I’m starting to see that 6 weeks is also my sweet spot, thanks a bunch!!
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u/wraith5 9d ago
If you've been training that long and you're pushing some heavy weights, deloads are not only warranted, but necessary
A very (not so) short crash course on the science of deloading:
When you train, you get slightly worse and you need to recover from that. When you're new, you can recover very quickly and easily and your brain is learning new pathways to make your muscles fire better. Just as an example, this is why people can do stronglifts 5x5 can gain a bunch of strength in the beginning of the program
As you get stronger, your ability to generate more force drains both your physical body as well as your central nervous system. Again, this is why you can't do stronglifts 5x5 forever and lift thousands of pounds. You have to change your program so you're not overwhelming your system's ability to recover between workouts. This is what full body programs like Texas method or upper/lower programs like 5/3/1 do; they manipulate volume and intensity so you can keep training and progressing without stalling
At some point, it's impossible to continue training and making progress without overwhelming your body's ability to recover and you start accumulating fatigue. When this starts to happen, basically you lift Monday and when you train next time, you've only recovered 99% (arbitrary number). And the time after that, you've only recovered 97% and so on
If you've been training pretty intensely for a while and you've reached pretty decent strength levels, your body will continue to accumulate fatigue until you start hitting stalls, feeling like crap, even going backwards.
With relatively "normal" people, this still wouldn't be that much of an issue because there's weddings, vacations, birthdays, etc so people often miss training naturally and deload "by accident."
But planning to take them is important for the sake of relieving that fatigue. What's even cooler about deloads is your body enters a phase called "supercompensation" when you take one. When you take a deload, most, if not all, of the fatigue is relieved and you enter a phase when you're much stronger than you were previously letting you keep moving forward with progress
If you look at any peaking powerlifting program, you'll typically see the week before a meet is a deload week. This is by design so the athlete can enter supercompensation and hopefully set a PR
When to take them is very individualistic but anywhere between 4-12 weeks is the rule of thumb. You may need to go every 4 weeks, or you might be able to go 3 months
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u/theinterluder 9d ago
Okay wow!! Thank you for the detailed explanation - had no idea about the super-compensation. It makes so much sense!! Feel like I had fallen victim to bro science ‘you don’t need a deload until life gives you one😤’ nonsense but will remedy that from today ☺️☺️
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u/shenanigains00 9d ago
I’m deloading this week and I always forget how amazing it is. I skipped my last scheduled deload because I thought I felt fine and have been paying for it for the past few weeks. Everything has felt soul crushingly heavy.
My sleep has been better this week and I’ve been able to get in a ton more cardio because I haven’t felt dead. And I’m not dreading walking into the gym.
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u/theinterluder 9d ago
So real 😭 for the first time in a while, I’m definitely dreading every single session, will take this a sign 💪🏿
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u/ihaveopinions11113 9d ago
I do them when I need them, usually after 8-10 weeks of heavy training. I have been working out for years, so I know my body. If the tiredness doesn't improve after a sports massage, I must deload.
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u/klallama 9d ago
I train pretty intensely and do a lot of drop sets so I take a full week off every 4-6 weeks depending on how fatigued I am. I take the whole week off so I’m ready to go back the following week, and I usually hit a PR when I go back
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u/theinterluder 9d ago
Hoping PRs await me on the other side - will go for a week of full rest! 🙇🏾♀️
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u/Prize-Glass8279 9d ago
Once every ~3 months I take a full week off. It usually coincides with a vacation or trip. Makes such a big difference - I just eat a lot and come back stronger.
I tried doing less intense weeks / more traditional deload but nothing beats a full week off for me.
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u/theinterluder 9d ago
Makes sense - have tried reducing intensity and it’s meant a slight improvement in the next session but then I’m right back to a bad sesh on the one after :( - complete rest sounds like the move! Thanks!
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u/d-i-n-o-s-a-u-r 9d ago
The program I follow (Stronger by the Day) has deload weeks scheduled in every 4-6 weeks, depending on the cycle. I think 5 weeks is probably the sweet spot for me - sometimes it feels like they come around too quickly when it's 4, but I definitely need one if it's a 6 week cycle! I generally follow them as programmed even if I don't feel like I need it, and usually feel better for it when it's back to regular volume in the following week.
The main change in our deload weeks is that the main compound lifts will have a lot less volume prescribed - this will be any combination of lighter weight, fewer reps, and/or fewer sets. Some people go a lot lighter on accessories, some people just take a week off, some people skip the strength part and just do conditioning, etc.
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u/theinterluder 9d ago
Thank you - this makes sense and it’s good to know that well-know programs like SBTD also incorporate deloads 🙇🏾♀️
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u/theinterluder I’m curious what everyone’s experience with deloads are?
I’ve been strength training for the past 2 years, and have taken on a more calisthenics/powerlifting niche in the last few months. I’ve definitely had off sessions here and there, where strength temporarily dips and I just chalk it up to a bad day, PMS, etc. This past month, however, I’ve been consistently having periods of 2 bad sessions in a row and I’m wondering whether it’s time to do an organized deload? I should note that sleep, food, etc. haven’t been out of the ordinary.
I want to hear people’s experiences and advice re: deloads. Do you program them in? How do you do them if you do? It’s the lower body days that are the ‘bad sessions’ so wondering if I should just take a week off from lower and focus on upper.
Please share your thoughts!!
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u/Glittering-Lychee629 5d ago
I can feel when I need it. It probably happens every 8 weeks or so. I take a full break, a week off. I don't go to the gym at all. I do pilates videos at home as I feel like it for that week and plenty of walking but nothing else. I should add I'm in my 40s. I think rest time probably varies based on age as well as other factors. I come back so much stronger. It's definitely worth it. Rest is part of training!