Breaking Plateaus: Why Deloads Are Better Than TrAiNing HaRder
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TLDR: I feel like you have not addressed what we are mainly trying to achieve during deload weeks. Is it to reduce fatigue first so as to be able to express fitness later? Something else?
Date: 2022-03-03
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Comments and reviews: 9
Christopher
I like taking a whole week off myself. I've been lifting very consistently since age 15 (i'm 34 now. I'm not going to just lose motivation out of nowhere. Also, I've developed some overuse injuries over the years, so the complete rest helps with this I find. The other thing I think is great about this is also the mental/stress break. On training weeks, I have to pack extra clothes, wash extra clothes, pack extra food, before going to work. After work, you have the drive to the gym, the workout itself, the travel back home, a shower, another meal. by the time I have any time to myself it's at least 8-830pm. On weeks off, I have extra time to get ready in the morning, don't have to worry about extra food/packing gym bag, I can come straight home after work and I'm home by 530pm. Not only that, but since I'm working out, I don't tend to need as much sleep so I feel I can stay up a bit later than usual (can also shower in the morning. So basically I have an extra 3 hours of leisure or time to take care of other priorities. This is a HUGE stress reliever from the usual hustle/bustle.
I'm also the type to likely find it very difficult to go easy in the gym. When I'm there, I'm there to work!
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I like taking a whole week off myself. I've been lifting very consistently since age 15 (i'm 34 now. I'm not going to just lose motivation out of nowhere. Also, I've developed some overuse injuries over the years, so the complete rest helps with this I find. The other thing I think is great about this is also the mental/stress break. On training weeks, I have to pack extra clothes, wash extra clothes, pack extra food, before going to work. After work, you have the drive to the gym, the workout itself, the travel back home, a shower, another meal. by the time I have any time to myself it's at least 8-830pm. On weeks off, I have extra time to get ready in the morning, don't have to worry about extra food/packing gym bag, I can come straight home after work and I'm home by 530pm. Not only that, but since I'm working out, I don't tend to need as much sleep so I feel I can stay up a bit later than usual (can also shower in the morning. So basically I have an extra 3 hours of leisure or time to take care of other priorities. This is a HUGE stress reliever from the usual hustle/bustle.
I'm also the type to likely find it very difficult to go easy in the gym. When I'm there, I'm there to work!
reply
DARD
For years, I've never did deloads. It also turns out that, during those same years, my training was not nearly as intense as I thought it was. It wasn't until I started a formalized strength training program that I learned the need for deloads. I will turn 52 this year and I do a deload every 6 weeks regardless of how I feel. If you are a competitor, you certainly have to be mindful of how you schedule them but, for most of us who are non-competitive lifters, deloads are rarely a bad idea.
There is certainly a time where increased stress (stimulus) is the right prescription but using it as a blanket remedy is bad programming.
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For years, I've never did deloads. It also turns out that, during those same years, my training was not nearly as intense as I thought it was. It wasn't until I started a formalized strength training program that I learned the need for deloads. I will turn 52 this year and I do a deload every 6 weeks regardless of how I feel. If you are a competitor, you certainly have to be mindful of how you schedule them but, for most of us who are non-competitive lifters, deloads are rarely a bad idea.
There is certainly a time where increased stress (stimulus) is the right prescription but using it as a blanket remedy is bad programming.
reply
Sh
Jeff loves intensity so much that his deloads aren't deloads. Weights feeling heavy after a deload means you didn't recover. It has nothing to do with losing training groove, neurological forgetting how to do the movement efficiently or any other nonsense. You dont forget how to lift after a week off donkey. This is especially true when reverting away from failure training to start the new mesocycle. You tried to nuance Mike israetel out of his RIR mesocycle progression concept with every angle imaginable that he shot down when you talked to him 4 years ago and you're still stubborn about this intensity topic.
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Jeff loves intensity so much that his deloads aren't deloads. Weights feeling heavy after a deload means you didn't recover. It has nothing to do with losing training groove, neurological forgetting how to do the movement efficiently or any other nonsense. You dont forget how to lift after a week off donkey. This is especially true when reverting away from failure training to start the new mesocycle. You tried to nuance Mike israetel out of his RIR mesocycle progression concept with every angle imaginable that he shot down when you talked to him 4 years ago and you're still stubborn about this intensity topic.
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mxer351
Great video! From my experience particularly when it comes to strength training deloads are extremely important as well as balancing stimulus and fatigue overall. For an endurance athlete, bodybuilder, etc that doesn t want maximal strength maybe not so much but for peak strength it s essential imo. I lift twice a week and it s by far the best program I ve ever been on simply because of the stimulus to fatigue ratio as well as the built in deload 11 weeks in before maxing. Walk into every session feeling 110% and although I squat 500+ I m still able to pr by 15+ lbs every 3 months
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Great video! From my experience particularly when it comes to strength training deloads are extremely important as well as balancing stimulus and fatigue overall. For an endurance athlete, bodybuilder, etc that doesn t want maximal strength maybe not so much but for peak strength it s essential imo. I lift twice a week and it s by far the best program I ve ever been on simply because of the stimulus to fatigue ratio as well as the built in deload 11 weeks in before maxing. Walk into every session feeling 110% and although I squat 500+ I m still able to pr by 15+ lbs every 3 months
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Johnny
Ive been competing for about 30 years now. I tried the deload week a few times and it never works. The best way for me has always been progressing for 4 weeks then backing off to week 2 and working up another 4 weeks dropping back to week 3 and then progressing for another 4 weeks etc. If I go 4 to 5 weeks progressing and then take a deload week and then start back where I left off my body just doesnt respond well. Everything is now just heavy. When Im not training for a meet I will take time off heavy lifting and use light to moderate weight doing more accessory work.
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Ive been competing for about 30 years now. I tried the deload week a few times and it never works. The best way for me has always been progressing for 4 weeks then backing off to week 2 and working up another 4 weeks dropping back to week 3 and then progressing for another 4 weeks etc. If I go 4 to 5 weeks progressing and then take a deload week and then start back where I left off my body just doesnt respond well. Everything is now just heavy. When Im not training for a meet I will take time off heavy lifting and use light to moderate weight doing more accessory work.
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SmokingSexyStyle
When I dealoaded, I did 2/3 of the intensity and half of the volume. No science, no proofs, just felt right. That was after my first 2 month of training. Yea I know, but I got weaker on every lift except legs and thought that was necessary. Did it for a week and then expected to lift 5kg (11 lbs or so) more than before and it was just 2, 5 kg more than before with even low reps (for me. But what was happening is that my form just got better and I was no longer egolifting. Then I egolifted again, worked on that and here I am
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When I dealoaded, I did 2/3 of the intensity and half of the volume. No science, no proofs, just felt right. That was after my first 2 month of training. Yea I know, but I got weaker on every lift except legs and thought that was necessary. Did it for a week and then expected to lift 5kg (11 lbs or so) more than before and it was just 2, 5 kg more than before with even low reps (for me. But what was happening is that my form just got better and I was no longer egolifting. Then I egolifted again, worked on that and here I am
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Justin
Did my second deload a couple of weeks back, I'm guessing it takes a few to get the hang of it because I don't feel a substantial difference coming back. My first one was between blocks 1 and 2 of jeff's PPL program, and this most recent one was rolling off that into a high volume hypertrophy program. I wasn't exactly smashing PRs coming off of deload because a) jeff's Week 1 of blocks are programmed to be pretty easy in the first place and b) i'm doing a lot of different exercises before and after the deloads
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Did my second deload a couple of weeks back, I'm guessing it takes a few to get the hang of it because I don't feel a substantial difference coming back. My first one was between blocks 1 and 2 of jeff's PPL program, and this most recent one was rolling off that into a high volume hypertrophy program. I wasn't exactly smashing PRs coming off of deload because a) jeff's Week 1 of blocks are programmed to be pretty easy in the first place and b) i'm doing a lot of different exercises before and after the deloads
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Harold
Wow. great stuff! Thanks! I just started trying something along these lines, that I would appreciate your thoughts on.
I am 62 yrs old and trying to adapt to aging, etc. Currently I have been experimenting with cycling my splits (ie. push/pull. For 2 weeks I will work each body part twice per week (4 days total. Then, for the next 2 weeks I will only train 3 days (week 1 - Monday/Friday push; Wednesday pull. Week 2 - Monday/Friday pull; Wednesday push.
It seems to be working well.
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Wow. great stuff! Thanks! I just started trying something along these lines, that I would appreciate your thoughts on.
I am 62 yrs old and trying to adapt to aging, etc. Currently I have been experimenting with cycling my splits (ie. push/pull. For 2 weeks I will work each body part twice per week (4 days total. Then, for the next 2 weeks I will only train 3 days (week 1 - Monday/Friday push; Wednesday pull. Week 2 - Monday/Friday pull; Wednesday push.
It seems to be working well.
reply
al
You can NEVER teach anyone training advice.
Honestly, bodybuilding is one of the gayest pursuits a straight man can follow.
Fake Tan -Thongs -Obsessed with their appearance -Spends most of his time getting sweaty with other dudesDont forget the post workout
When you have faith in God, you don't have to worry about the future. The real secret that NO FAKES NATTY wants to tell you is chicken, broccoli, and rice and training 7 hours per day, 9 days per week.
reply
You can NEVER teach anyone training advice.
Honestly, bodybuilding is one of the gayest pursuits a straight man can follow.
Fake Tan -Thongs -Obsessed with their appearance -Spends most of his time getting sweaty with other dudesDont forget the post workout
When you have faith in God, you don't have to worry about the future. The real secret that NO FAKES NATTY wants to tell you is chicken, broccoli, and rice and training 7 hours per day, 9 days per week.
reply
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