Are Deload Weeks Necessary?
What is a “deload” week?
A deload week is simply a week where you go back to easier progressions and use lighter weight overall. It’s basically a maintenance week where you workout at a much less intense level to give your body a little breather.
So why would someone do this?
A deload week is sually taken when you have been training consistently and relatively intensely for a long period of time. It’s a week to avoid overtraining your muscles and allow them to recover. This usually is done when you begin to hit plateaus, feel decreased energy levels, or just are experiencing muscle fatigue to the point of small injuries creeping in. It also can be used when experiencing poor sleep and nutrition.
So is it necessary?
If you’re someone who has just got into their fitness journey and have been consistent for 3-4 months, this isn’t for you just yet. This is for the people going hard 5-6 days a week, working up in progressions and weight in order to hit their goals. When you do this for months on end, our body breaks down. You start to feel tired, see little to no progress and overall feel like sh*t in the gym. It’s basically our body’s way of saying “WE NEED REST!”.
And your body is right. Rest and muscle recovery is highly overlooked! Our muscles only actually get stronger while at rest. This is when the muscle fibers heal from all the tearing we did during the workouts. When they heal, those fibers get bigger allowing your muscles to get stronger and bigger.
So, the moral of this post… LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!
This isn’t your normal sourness, this is constant fatigue that lasts more than a week so know the difference! If you feel this way after training consistently for an extended period of time, take a deload week. Don’t go as hard and just work on the basics.
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