Are Deloads USELESS?

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The use of training deloads is extremely form of recovery. Virtually all fitness experts recommend some sort of deload, especially once you develop more training experience.

The belief is that deloads can allow your body to truly recover by catching up with all of the fatigue built up by consistent training stimulation. Common sense might suggest that this would definitely be beneficial, but the actual science behind it has, at best, only very lightly supported the use of deloads.

Well, more research has come out recently which further challenges the usefulness of deloads and whether we might actually be wasting our time waiting around instead of just sticking to our training program. Let's take a closer look at the new data.
#fitness #recovery #gains
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[me]

For me, I deload once every two or three months. Not because I plan it, but I feel my body saying, "I need to rest and recover", so I do. Active recovery, of course. More cardio, a LOT more mobility work, but lifting is scaled back. I just do that because it feels right and it works for me.

[shawnthornton]

I've always looked a deloads as a way to manage fatigue.

[Nick-hccs]

the best deloads are week long rest periods... after those I just get so much stronger when I come back.

[bigpicturegains]

Here’s an idea. Are you more tired than usual? gym performance down? Unable to progress on your lifts? Waking up in the morning exhausted? Feel excess soreness or pains? Experiencing brain fog? Excessive hunger and not in a caloric deficit? Have extra life stressors than normal?
If you answered yes to at least 3 of these, you may need to deload. More than 3 and you definitely need to back off.

[wickyx]

but isn't deloading suppose to give your joints and tendons enough time to heal too?

[insanezain]

If you start feeling overly fatigued and start losing strength in the gym and feel burnt out then take some time off. If not just keep going

[johnnykarate_SweepLeg]

This study length (9 weeks) seems rushed and faulty by that alone, especially when the participants are really young. I'm 45 and have been lifting for 25 years. It would be interesting to see how this study would look with lifters 30+ years old, and for an entire Macrocycle (4 months). At my age, I know that I absolutely need my deload weeks.

[CZTachyonsVN]

I already do 11 month deloads Feb to Dec

[Your-moms-gigolo]

Fuck that study. We don't even know if the subjects in that study trained hard enough. Deload is only necessary to people who train really hard.

I train 3x a week full body for 3-4hrs, 6sets of 2-5 reps for major lifts like squats, bp, dl, and ohp. Then 8 to 12 reps for other exercises. I do 3 to 4 exercises per muscle part.

I deload once every 2 months when I feel like I hit a plateau.
After 1 week of deload I always hit new pr. Usually I gain 20lbs increase on major lifts. Now I can bp 560lbs for 3 reps, dl 720lbs, squat 610lbs in a 5'7 160lbs body.

[olexiygolubev]

The importance of DEload is connected to the wave of OVERload before deloading. You have to bring yourself into the hardest possible training and then deload to start the cycle again, closest to 1-0 RIR, more sets…then deload to something extra light/cardio/mobility. And it feels really different.
If you “just train” and then “just deload”, then it’s “just rest”.

[seaofseeof]

I think deloads are fine for the proper purpose. NOT for recovery management, but for stress managament.

If you're having a tumultuous life, sleep poorly, going through a family tragedy, working over hours or going through an exam period, that's when you deload. Because all of those stressors can impact OVERALL recovery (not just in the gym) and gym performance. And you're better off managing the stressors that you can control (going to the gym) than the stressors that you can't (getting through your exam period).

Other than that, deloads may just work if you're feeling mentally worn down by working out. And taking a break may be a decent placebo to clear your head. But for the purpose of periodizing your training to manage fatigue, I do think they're highly overrated.

One exception I may make is for localized, systemic over-reaching Let's say, you've poorly programmed your quad training and you've overreached on quads beyond the point of normal recovery. I would suggest just deloading your quads, figure out your programming, and train the rest of your body as usual.

This is a general take though. The incredibly rare trainee who does overtrain may benefit from a deload. But these types are rare.

All that said, yes that study is bad.

[cherubinth]

Even if it makes no difference, being a bit lazy without punishment is an absolute win for me.

[NateDawg]

I don't trust that study at all.

A 10lb 1rm difference by the end of those 9 weeks, because one group took a week off? Something is wrong with that.

I take a rest week every 4th week. By the 3rd week i can feel that i'm piling up fatigue and i can see that my lifts are going down and i even skip half my routine because i'm so fatigued. By the end of my deload i come back refreshed and stronger than before.

I will always recommend a deload week every few weeks, at least until we get more studies on it, and studies that actually make sense, because again, there's no way the two groups had a 10lb difference by the end of 9 weeks, unless both groups were complete newbies, in which case, this study is garbage because newbies don't need deload weeks like intermediate or advanced lifters do.

[petruraciula]

My deloads were when I caught a cold or went on vacation.
Usually, on vacations, was just a reduction.

[Jams]

Had to come to this video after i just had my one week deload which i normally do after 12 or 16 weeks. I come back feeling recovered and ready to lift again 💪. Ita highly recommended even if you dont 'feel like it' because your CNS needs it as well!

[strength]

deloads are awesome, time to recover with tons of food and booze for a week lol... jokes aside deloads are definitely useful to help reset the nervous system, personally i use one every 12-16 weeks depending on the training itself

[Siberius-]

If the participants are new to training, then I'm guessing the results will be that it isn't required. But that is primarily because they just don't require a deload nearly as often or as much as more experienced serious lifers do.
4:19 - Yea.

[VisualParadox]

I have been lifting heavy for 30+ years.

Sometimes I feel run down from stress, poor sleep, or maybe not enough nutrition, and when my strength is not recovered, a deload week where I cut all weights down as a kind of active extended recovery - really helps me.

[MikaMikaMika]

M first question is - what intensity is the training? How close to failure? If they both trained the same but both didn't train to near failure none of the results mean anything imo. Also as someone else said below, injury risk? Joint and tendon strain?

You wouldn't just "take a deload" on a whim, it should be programmed at a point in the meso where you've trained to the absolute balls to the wall limit the week prior. Not just when you feel fine at week 3.

[yurydmorales]

0:15🏋 Deloading involves reducing training volume or intensity after a period of intense training to aid recovery.
1:23🔬 A recent study examined the effectiveness of a 1-week deload in resistance-trained individuals.
2:53📈 The study found that deloading did not improve muscle growth, power, or endurance compared to continuous training but may worsen strength gains.
3:33⚠ However, the study's findings don't discredit deloading entirely, as other factors like training duration and intensity weren't considered.
5:05📉 While the study challenges the conventional wisdom on deloading, it suggests that gains are likely preserved even with occasional breaks from training.
5:39💡 An intuitive approach to deloading, rather than strictly planned deload weeks, may be more effective until further research is conducted.