Training hard
all the time is great, but every once and while your body needs some
time to catch up and fully recover. A period during which you take time off or
reduce your training load is called a deload. Generally speaking, I
would not recommend doing absolutely nothing during a deload because complete
inactivity may get rid of all the gains that you have worked so hard
for. During a deload you cut back on the amount of training that you are
doing, do enough to keep the blood flowing, and spend more time on recovery
methods.
However, a deload is
not an excuse to be lazy! Knowing when to take one is very important.
Using a deload as an excuse to cut back on your normal training is
a great way to lose a lot of the progress you've worked towards. I’ve seen this
used as an excuse to get out of training, to take days off, and to just avoid
putting in the work it takes to get the results that someone may say they want.
You can take all the “off time” you want, but don’t get upset when
you don’t see the results you were aiming for because you slacked off on
the work.
Before I rant any more
about that, let me get into some different situations on when you should
take a deload.
1. Weightlifter/gym goer.
If you are a weightlifter or a gym
regular there may come a time, believe it or not, where you will need to pull
back in order to keep progressing. This may present itself as constant fatigue,
your numbers not increasing, lack of improvement in body comp, and an
all-around feeling of just being burnt out. Some people make the mistake of
trying to double down their efforts to push through this “barrier” and end
up digging themselves into a deeper hole. When this happens, it can
be best to take a deload. If you feel compelled to stay in the gym and keep
lifting, cut the training volume in half. If you want to take some time off and
go on a vacation, maybe just stick with some body weight or banded exercises
for the time being. It’s not going to be the end of the world if you give your
body time to catch up and recover. In fact, it will probably help.
2. Athletes.
Every athlete at the completion of
their season should take a deload to recover. In this instance, I
would recommend not even touching a weight or starting to train before taking
between one and two weeks off. The season takes a toll, whether you feel it or
not. The burnout slowly starts to creep up on you and you don’t even notice it.
I recommend this for bodybuilders, powerlifters, and athletes or any sport
where there is a competition/meet as the finish line. After taking a week or
two off you will feel super energized and itching to get back at it. This is
generally a great time to plan trips, kick back, and relax. Just
stay moving around a little bit and focus on light recovery methods.
Sometimes people think that you
have to train hard all the time, keep the intensity high, and that progress
should be a linear line. In reality, you need to be cycling your training;
taking a deload is just part of that process. Train hard, recover
well, and take good deloads.
Ryan Goodell, CSCS
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