While you might have heard the phrase “go hard or go home” in the gym, there are plenty of benefits to slowing down. Going hard isn’t recommended all the time. Fitness pros often recommend deload weeks to allow your body to repair muscle damage, recoup, prevent burnout, and give your central nervous system time to rest from the intense training. It might be time for a deload week for several reasons, such as if you’ve hit a training plateau or are experiencing poor recovery from your training. Let’s take a look at the benefits of deload weeks and why you should put down the heavy weights and dial it down from time to time.
What is a deload week?
A deload week is a planned period of time (typically a week) during which you reduce the intensity or volume of your workouts and focus on active recovery and lower-intensity workouts instead.
Here’s how it works:
- Lower the intensity: Choose lighter weights and go for your typical reps or sets.
- Turn down the volume: Go with the same weight, but only power through about half of your usual sets or reps.
- Active recovery: Switch your workouts to active recovery with stretching, yoga, and lower-intensity cardio. Focus on your mobility and flexibility rather than going into beast mode to smash your fitness goals.
What does the research show?
Research has shown that deload weeks are definitely worthwhile, and most serious athletes use them. For example, in one study involving 246 competitive strength and physique athletes, the researchers concluded the following:
- Every athlete in the survey uses deloads as part of their training routine.
- The main reasons athletes include deload weeks are to help manage tiredness or restore energy, when they hit a plateau, or when they’re experiencing increased muscle or joint soreness or aching.
What does a typical deload week look like?
In this study, the average duration of the deload week was six or seven days, and the athletes took a deload week after every five or six weeks of training. The athletes chose different deloading techniques, such as fewer reps or fewer sets, but most kept up the same number of workout days at a lower intensity by lifting lighter weights or performing easier versions of their usual exercises. Around half of the 246 athletes in this study used additional recovery methods, such as foam rolling and massage.
What are the benefits of deload weeks?
In the research, the athletes stuck with their deload weeks because they felt it helped them:
- Avoid plateaus
- Continue to make progress
- Lower soreness
- Protect their joints
- Improve recovery
Deload weeks could help you prevent burnout and avoid pushing yourself too far, which can increase your risk of injury. The idea is to switch over to a period of active recovery, not total rest.
