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Deload to Reload
Ive wanted to write this article for awhile and there have been several questions on the Q/A that touched on this subject. For those not familiar with the term deload by basic definition of it is this: to take a break from extreme training. The deload is generally a one-week affair (sometimes three when peaking for a meet) and is done for the following reasons:
To give your body a rest
To give your mind a rest
To peak for a meet
To prevent overtraining
To increase your chances of progress
To prevent injury
To increase motivation in gym/prevent becoming stale
For the purposes of this article, we will focus on all of the bullet points above with the exception of To peak for a meet.
Now most experienced lifters deload by feel and can tell if they need to take a week or workout off. Unfortunately for many lifters, they do not know their bodies/minds well enough to make this decision. Or (and experienced lifters fall into this category, too) people still take the attitude, No pain, no gain or something similar that lets their egos get in the way of their training. Critics will counter and say that too many people deload and this gives them a chance to take it easy or to be lazy. While this may be true of the general population, I respond by saying that almost everyone that reads this article does not fall into this category and thus the deload can only be a positive thing. So with this in mind, think of the deload as recovery/restoration and a very important part of your training.
Part of the problem with the deload, in my opinion, is that for it to be effective, you need to deload entirely. The best example of this was my experience at the University of Arizona. During our off-season workouts, we would deload every 5th and 10th week (in a 12 week cycle). The first two years of this, we would deload the lifting but would increase the running volume. This never worked very well. The last couple of years, Dan Wirth changed the program and had us deload both the lifting and the running on weeks 5 and 10. By increasing the running/decreasing the lifting, we never got the full effect of the deload.
Another problem with the deload is that each individual person may have to deload at different times. This could mean every three, four or even five weeks. Even in high school, I learned that I needed to deload about every fourth/fifth week. But until you figure this out, planning your deload in advance will help you know when the best time is for you.
How to deload?
There are several ways to do this, but here are some of the most popular examples;
No max effort work during the week; only do the dynamic effort and repetition training.
Max effort work and dynamic work only, no (or limited) repetition training.
Max effort work done to about 80%, dynamic work the same and limited repetition training.
No max effort or dynamic work; just repetition work.
Example #1: No max effort work during the week; only do the dynamic effort and repetition training.
This example is pretty easy to understand but the one big downfall that I see people make in this example is that they increase the volume on the repetition training. While everyone has a different tolerance to volume on repetition day, here is a typical example of how to deload using this method.
Dynamic Bench Training
Bench Press 8 sets of 3 reps @ 55%
4 Board Press 3 sets of 3 reps (this should be done lighter than usual; for example if your max set of 3 reps is 405, your top set during the deload week should be around 335-365)
Chest Supported Rows 3-4 sets of 10 reps
Face Pulls 3-4 sets of 15 reps
Max Effort Squat/DL Training
No max effort work
Belt Squats 3-4 sets of 8-10
45 Degree Back Raise 3 sets of 8 reps
Roman Chair Sit ups w/ weight 5 sets of 10 reps
Max Effort Bench Training
No max effort work
DB Bench 4 sets of 10-12 reps
Pull ups 4 sets of 8 reps
Rear lateral raises 4 sets of 12 reps
Dynamic Effort Squat Training
Box Squat 10 sets of 2 reps @ given percentage
Glute Ham Raises 4 sets of 10 reps
Reverse Hyperextensions 3 sets of 12 reps
Hanging Leg Raises 5 sets of 12 reps
The reason why this way is effective is that the max effort days are certainly the most stressful for people, both physically and mentally. In order for this day to be effective, you have to be aware of not overdoing the repetition method and really adhering to the rule of dynamic day; Percentages are just guidelines! In no way should your dynamic work be too stressful thus negating the effects of the deload. Here are some tips:
If you use bands/chains on dynamic bench press, you may want to take them off and use straight weight.
If you use bands on the squat, you can do two things you can use straight weight or lower the band tension (go one band down i.e. if you usually use an average band, use a light band)
If your dynamic day during training is truly dynamic, then you will probably have little problems with your current cycle.
Example #2 - Max effort work and dynamic work only, no (or limited) repetition training.
In this example, you are limiting the volume on your accessory work and focusing on the bigger lifts.
Dynamic Bench Training
Bench Press 8 sets of 3 reps
Chest supported rows 3-4 sets of 10 reps
Max Effort Squat/DL Training
Rack Deadlifts work up to a 1RM (standard max effort training)
Roman Chair Sit-ups 5 sets of 10 reps
Max Effort Bench Training
Floor Press work up to a 1RM (standard max effort training)
Rear lateral raises 5 sets of 12 reps
Dynamic Squat Training
Box Squat 10 sets of 2 reps @ given percentage
Glute Ham Raises 4 sets of 12 reps
Note: When doing your dynamic and max effort training, do not do anymore than you usually would do. This will negate your deload.
The good thing about this example is that you can entirely focus on your big training lifts and then get out of the weight room. The bad thing is that you may not give your body, especially your joints, a rest. This is a good way to deload if your body still feels good and you feel strong, but you know (in your mind and experience) that your body needs to take a little bit of a break. This is a great option if you feel strong as hell in your training cycle and want to continue to ride the wave while still doing a deload. Please note that many times, after training for awhile, people have great success with this method and continue to do this kind of training. The negative effect is that overtime you will lose muscle mass, become de-conditioned, lose work capacity and eventually stall. Also, by not strengthening your body, working weak points and addressing imbalances via the repetition method you are opening yourself up for a host of injuries. Take note of this.
Example #3 - Max effort work done to about 80%, dynamic work the same and limited repetition training.
Dynamic Bench Training
Bench Press 8 sets of 3 reps
4 Board Press 3 sets of 3 reps, going to about 80% of your previous 3 rep best)
Chest supported rows 3-4 sets of 10 reps
Max Effort Squat/DL Training
Rack Deadlifts work up to 1-2 sets of 1 rep at 80% of your previous best
Belt Squat 3 sets of 10-12 reps
Roman Chair Sit-ups 5 sets of 10 reps
Max Effort Bench Training
Floor Press work up to 1-2 sets of 1 rep at 80% of your previous best
DB Bench Press 3-4 sets of 10 reps
Rear lateral raises 5 sets of 12 reps
Dynamic Squat Training
Box Squat 10 sets of 2 reps @ given percentage
Reverse Hyperextensions 3 sets of 12 reps
Glute Ham Raises 4 sets of 12 reps
Of all three examples, this is the least deload but you can manipulate it for your needs. For example, you can cut out all or most of the repetition work and concentrate on the dynamic work and perform the 80% max effort work. For many people, this example works well because they are still handling some weight on max effort day, but they dont have the mental psyche to get prepared for it. This can work, but understand that if your mind isnt fully into it, then you can get injured. So make sure that you are mentally into training. 80% isnt a fluff weight, so dont treat it as such.
Example #4 - No max effort or dynamic work; just repetition work.
Dynamic Bench Training
No dynamic work
4 Board Press 3 sets of 3 reps (this should be done lighter than usual; for example if your max set of 3 reps is 405, your top set during the deload week should be around 335-365)
Chest Supported Rows 3-4 sets of 10 reps
Face Pulls 3-4 sets of 15 reps
Max Effort Squat/DL Training
No max effort work
Belt Squats 3-4 sets of 8-10
45 Degree Back Raise 3 sets of 8 reps
Roman Chair Sit ups w/ weight 5 sets of 10 reps
Max Effort Bench Training
No max effort work
DB Bench 4 sets of 10-12 reps
Pull ups 4 sets of 8 reps
Rear lateral raises 4 sets of 12 reps
Dynamic Effort Squat Training
No dynamic work
Glute Ham Raises 4 sets of 10 reps
Reverse Hyperextensions 3 sets of 12 reps
Hanging Leg Raises 5 sets of 12 reps
This is pretty much the same as example #1, with the exception of no dynamic work. With this option, you really do give your mind and body a complete rest. Many people complain of the pain in the joints (elbow and hips) when doing dynamic squatting and benching. This deload will give your body some time to heal and there is little mental preparation when doing the above workout.
Deloading the 3 Week Dynamic Squat Phase
Weve gotten a number of questions regarding how to deload your squat when doing a three week squat phase. So everyone here is on the same page, this is a typical squat cycle:
Week 1 all sets done at 50%
Week 2 all sets done at 55%
Week 3 all sets done at 60%
Now the dilemma is when does one deload if keeping with the spirit of the three week wave? The best way to do this is to keep everything on this pattern, thus resulting in something like this.
Week 1 all sets done at 50%
Week 2 all sets done at 55%
Week 3 all sets done at 60%
Week 4 all sets done at 50% (deload using straight weight or lighter band tension)
Week 5 start 3 week cycle over
So in the above example, you train for 3 weeks, the fourth week is a deload using the first weeks percentage but with straight weight or less band tension. If you are already using straight weight, you are simply going to repeat the 50% week (or whatever the lightest %s that you use) two weeks in a row.
Now lets say that you want to deload after 2 weeks. This means that you train hard for two weeks and deload on the third week. Here is how you can approach this:
Week 1 all sets done at 55%
Week 2 all sets done at 60%
Week 3 all sets done at 50% (deload)
To wrap this up, the purpose of the deload, when looking at the big picture, is to make you stronger. What we are trying to do is give your mind and body a break from extreme training. No matter how tough or hard you are as a person, in or out of the gym, you cant continue to beat yourself to a pulp when training. Your body has a funny way of rebelling against this type of nonsense. While it may look good for articles or make for tough guy (but laughable) slogans on t-shirts, taking some time to recuperate can only help you reach your goals. However you choose to structure this aspect of your training, stick to this rule; if you are going to deload, deload! Dont do anything half-ass, even if you are taking it easy.
