WHEN AND HOW TO DE-LOAD

Research shows that we should have a programmed deload week every 10-12 weeks. If you are noticing yourself sleeping poorly, feeling run down, not progressing towards your goals, or developing aches and pains—then you may benefit from a deload week. A deload week is a week programmed whereby you give your body a relative rest from the stress of training. This is done by having an intentional reduction in intensity, and or volume. When planned appropriately, a deload week is designed to help our bodies recover, prevent injuries, break through plateaus, and perform better in the long run.

Deloading is based on something we call supercompensation - it is easy to explain using the graph below. We start at our base level of fitness, and then we train. This applies stress to our body which causes fatigue, and a temporary reduction in our fitness. We then recover, which allows our body to return to our baseline fitness. The third phase is the supercompensation phase - which some people will title the rebound phase, and this is when our body adapts from the training to a higher level of fitness. This graph can be applied over multiple timeframes, whether it’s a set in the gym, or a programmed 10-12 week block.

What might a deload week look like?

This is variable depending on your training history in your chosen activity. A deload week isn’t synonymous with simply doing nothing—it means reducing your intensity, and or duration of workouts by 30-50%. An example is detailed below:

You could attend your normal gym class, and train at a self-reported 4/10 intensity level compared to your normal 10/10 level. If you typically perform 4 working sets of gym exercises, then you could follow your normal program but only perform 2 sets. You could stick to bodyweight exercises and walking to keep the body active. You could emphasize mobility, stretching, and active recovery strategies such as swimming for the week.

Athletes often voice their concerns about losing their fitness, or strength during a deload week. But the deload week is designed to work as an investment in your training—it will enable your body to recover, so you can attack the following weeks worth of training with a higher intensity.

If you want to discuss your goals or training program with a coach at PEAK - then book in for an appointment to learn how we can help you best.

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