“You can’t a shoot bullet until you’ve reloaded the gun”
Deloads aren’t talked about (or studied) much.
In fact, the first deload intervention study was published in 2023!
For this reason, deloads are surrounded by confusion.
In this article you’ll learn:
- Whether you need to deload
- How often to deload
- Exact deload strategies
How Often Should Athletes Deload?
Firstly, I want to get this clear…
95% of people you see training in commercial gyms will NEVER need to deload.
They simply don’t train hard enough.
They’ll have natural breaks in their training through busy life periods or holidays.
Furthermore, if you have a horrible diet and a non-existent sleep routine. You should fix those before you start implementing deloads every 2nd week.
There are two main reasons to implement a deload as an athlete:
1: Peaking for Competition:
Since the 1950’s we’ve understood that if athletes want to maximise competition performance, they should reduce their training load for at least 5 days before competition.
In a literature review by Meur et al (2011) they found tapering may be associated with a performance improvement of about 3% (usual range 0.5-6%).
2: End of Overload/Training Phase:
Within your training programme, you should have periods of “functional overreaching”.
Functional overreaching is when the accumulation of training load (and fatigue) eventually leads to improvements in performance after a period of recovery.
i.e. you’re pushing yourself into a hole; potentially experiencing overtraining symptoms, but followed by a rest, it leads to super compensation (performance enhancement).
Overreaching 6-Week Example:
Week 1: 3 x 5 @ 80% on squats
Week 2: 4 x 5 @ 80%
Week 3: 5 x 5 @ 80%
Week 4: 6 x 5 @ 80% (overreaching)
Week 5: 2 x 5 @ 80% (Deload)
Week 6: 3 x 8 @ PR weights
On the other hand, if your training is relatively “static”.
Static 6-Week Example:
Week 1: 3 x 5 @ 80%
Week 2: 3 x 5 @ 80%
Week 3: 3 x 5 @ 80%
Week 4: 3 x 5 @ 80%
Week 5: 3 x 5 @ 80%
Week 6: 3 x 5 @ 80%
There is no need for a deload with the static example (unless lifestyle factors say otherwise). As you’re not accumulating fatigue over time.
Practical Example:
Contrary to what you may think, during the in-season where athletes have weekly games. We often have fewer deloads, as we’re never intentionally “overreaching” in training. We’re aiming to ensure they’re fresh for each game.
*Although the physical and psychological stress of competition can get to athletes, so we will deload once in a while.
Now, if you’re an athlete who trains hard, needs to peak for competition, or undergoes deliberate overreaching periods. There are still multiple factors to consider.
If you weren’t aware. Humans are complex.
Your ability to recover from training stressors is dependent on hundreds of variables.
However, this table can be a useful reference point:
If you’ve got more factors on the left deloads should be around 4 weeks. If you’ve got more on the right, they should be closer to 12 weeks. Most athletes will fall between the two (~6-8weeks).
What Should An Athletes Deload Look Like?
You know how often athletes deloads should happen, but what should they look like?
A study by Bell et al (2022) examined the current deload practices of coaches:
- Frequency of Training: Typically don’t change.
- Training Volume: Reduce’s by 30-50%.
- Intensity of Effort: Can reduce load by ~10% or adding 1-3 RIR (reps in reserve) per set.
- Exercise Selection: Typically sport specific movements remain, but can be exchanged for similar exercise movements. Avoid too much variety as novelty can lead to soreness.
- Duration: 5 to 7 days
These are great guidelines, however, we like to add some individuality.
We recommend picking one option from the primary category, and one option from the secondary category.
For example, we might pick volume (our most frequent option) + feeling bored:
Week 5 (overreaching week): 6 x 5 @ 80% on back squats
Week 6 (deload): 3 x 5 @ 80% on squat variation of your choice (Front Squat, Back Squat, Safety Bar Squat, or Zercher Squat)
For an athlete who struggles with technique, we would avoid varying the exercise, instead choosing volume + density:
Week 5 (overreaching week): 6 x 5 @ 80% on back squats w/3minutes rest between sets
Week 6 (deload): 3 x 5 @ 80% on back squats w/5minutes rest between sets.
95% of our deloads last between 5-7 days. For a big event, we may consider up to 14 days.
Conclusion:
- 95% of gym goers don’t need deloads.
- Fix your crap diet and non-existent sleep schedule before implementing deloads.
- Deload’s aren’t required if you don’t “overreach” or taper for competition.
- Deloads typically last 5-7 days.
- Deload’s should occur every 4-12 weeks depending on multiple variables (see table)
- Use individualised deload strategies based upon the athlete (one primary, one secondary strategy)
Do you want a FREE In-Season Training Plan?
Get your free in-season Game Ready Programme here – Game Ready: The Inseason Training Programme
