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Deload Week

GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
I believe it's time for a deload or light week. When you guys incorporate this, do you just lighten the weight and increase the reps? Or just go light by keeping the reps the same but lighten the weights? I've been doing 5x5 or 3x3 for most of my working sets if that matters. Should I go with 3x8 but stay far from failure on overhead press for example? I typically just let vacations, sickness, etc take care of the week off but I've been training really hard for 3 months now and just feeling run down. Any thoughts?
 
My goal is always to take a straight week off, but that never happens. I tend to continue incorporating LISS and then lighten the load in the gym by 50%. When you are going for it the other 8-12 weeks, then that feels like a vacation.
 
kisaj said:
My goal is always to take a straight week off, but that never happens. I tend to continue incorporating LISS and then lighten the load in the gym by 50%. When you are going for it the other 8-12 weeks, then that feels like a vacation.
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Gotcha. Well, I think I'll just take a full week off. I probably need it.
 
I just took a 3 day weekend with zero weights at all. Did some nature hiking with the kids instead. I have to force myself to deload. When I do I try to halve my sets. If I usually do 4 sets of 10, I'll do 2 keeping the weight the same. I tried decreasing the weight but I just kept increasing the volume along with it.
 
If you don't just take a whole week off either reduce volume or intensity.

I personally just drop training volume but keep intensity the same. I wouldn't drop intensity but up volume, that would really produce the desired effects of a deload in most scenarios.
 
i do 75% of weight and intensity
 
I take a whole week off of training, catch up on life and relieve my mind of the sport.. then back at it full speed
 
maybe not, but when i "deload" i tend to take more time between sets and try some new things. either way the following week i come back feeling 110% :)
 
I know this thread is a little over a week old so you're probably already done, but I'll chime in for if anyone else finds it later on.

For me, I don't have a set way of doing a deload week. I just go by how I feel. If I feel totally run down like OP said, I'll take the entire week off and rest.

You would still want to incorporate some form of activity like walking or playing a sport or something so you're not just sitting around on the couch, but I don't do anything too strenuous.

Other times I'll still hit the gym but cut everything way back (sets, reps, intensity). I essentially do what would be a typical warmup and don't go any further.

Sometimes I'll work up to a few "heavier" singles just to keep my strength there, but these are nowhere near my 1rm. Maybe 80% or so.

The important part is not to really think too hard about the deload week. After all, it's a break for your mind as well as your body. If you want to get some light lifting in, go for it but keep the intensity lower.

If you feel beat to ****, take the week off and chill.
 
NEBinAK said:
For me I just go total rest, seems I come back feeling better then ever that way
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Well, I ended up taking the entire week off, except for my job which is very physical in nature. But oddly, I was definitely weaker on my last two workouts upon returning to action.
 
GreenMachineX said:
Well, I ended up taking the entire week off, except for my job which is very physical in nature. But oddly, I was definitely weaker on my last two workouts upon returning to action.
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Maybe you didn't recover enough due to your job?

How do you feel otherwise mentally and physically, do you still feel kinda run down?
 
JXiiXViii said:
Maybe you didn't recover enough due to your job?

How do you feel otherwise mentally and physically, do you still feel kinda run down?
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Well, I may not have benefited fully of the week off due to trouble sleeping the past couple weeks (resolved now though). The past couple days I've felt great, except for the strained muscle in my back...lulz
Figures right? The first day coming back from a layoff, doing heavy triples on deadlifts and strain a muscle...
 
kisaj said:
It's tough mentally, but when you go back you wonder why you don't do it more.
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I agree. The remorse of not being in the gym or elsewhere working out can make me irritable. I tend to take a week off when I get sick, unfortunately I probably become ill b/c I don't deload or take a week off.
 
You can deload by doing activity entirely unrelated to what you normslly do. It doesnt mean do nothing, a deload is there to provide CNS rest from a stimulus.

If you are working within hypertrophy ranges, a deload isnt a necessity due to low CNS recruitment however that doesn't mean you cannot rest if you are feeling undercovered.

You can still go to the gym but just use that week to focus on something different. Or not.
 
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