SP Journal
The Deload
Posted on 6 February 2018
A deload is a purposeful reduction in training volume & intensity for the purposes of recovery, injury prevention, and improved performance. The whole concept of deloading stems from the law of a supercompensation - period post training during which the trained function has a higher performance capacity than it did prior to the training period. This is merely an application of a training stimulus, closely followed by a period of recovery, and then comes the good stuff – the rebound from a fatigued state into a new, higher level of performance. Well, in an ideal world. Deloading isn’t everyone’s cup of tea nor is it essential for everyone to incorporate. However, there are a few populations who would certainly benefit from a deload, namely;
1) Professional athletes - athletes are the ones who benefit most from a deload and it is a vital part of their programming. Reducing exercise stress every third or fourth week can help minimise risk of injury and allow them to benefit from heightened training effects.
2) Older populations - the older one gets, the slower the recovery process becomes. Incorporating a reduction in training intensity (load) can help the individual recover adequately and mitigate the chances of any overuse injuries occurring.
3) Injuries - those who are coming back from an injury or those who have an extensive injury track record can benefit from a deload to allow them to gradually adjust to training stresses post injury.
The idea behind the deload is it can help mitigate the chances of picking up an injury, or experiencing overtraining by giving your joints and muscles some respite from the heavy loads and/or high volume training sessions. Lifting heavy can be extremely strenuous on the nervous system, therefore, giving it some time out can be a valuable practice. Fatigue is probably the most pertinent factor; symptoms are extensive and range from, general tiredness/muscle soreness to poor diet and sleeping patterns, influencing training execution, performance at work and social situations. There are four generic types that apply to an athlete or regular gym goer; metabolic fatigue (energy), neural fatigue (peripheral nervous system – ability to produce force / central nervous system - motivation / desire to train), psychological fatigue (emotions, social or work stress factors) and environmental (climate and travel), all of which can contribute to whether or not a deload is necessary.
How to deload:
1) Volume Deload - keep the load (intensity) the same but reduce the volume (sets/reps). This would entail reducing the number of sets by 50%. The main benefit here is that you still get exposure to heavy loads providing higher yield continuity. This is much more of an advanced approach and is very much dependent on the training level.
2) Intensity Deload – keep volume (sets/reps) the same but reduce the intensity (load). Reduction in load can be anything from 10%-50% 1RM. The useful thing about this approach is that you can alter the load depending on how the individual has coped with the loading weeks or how they’re feeling that week etc.
3) Reverse Deload - this is where you use week 1 as the deload week working with loads at 40-60% 1RM. Essentially week 1 is being used as a warm up week by introducing the individual to a training stress in order to help increase confidence. Once again, this is entirely dependent on the individual – very much one for the newbies.
To summarise: a deload week is not a necessity, however, there are a few considerations that are worth bearing in mind – training age/experience, fatigue, stress and other external factors. A deload week would entail a reduction in training stimulus (this includes high intensity training) with loads not exceeding 40-60% 1RM and an emphasis on active recovery work – bodyweight exercises, mobility and stretching. Positive responses to overload would entail training adaptations, but if the body responds negatively (i.e. no improvements in performance, or regression), then you may have a strong argument for a deload week. Train smart but program even smarter.