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Have you ever felt weak at the gym? No! It is not about picking the wrong weight to work with, it is the moment that moving a warm-up weight feels like you are hitting a PR. Or, you are feeling stressed before training. If so, this topic might be handy to you.
A deload can be planned ahead in periodization or by improvisation. For the latter one, deload is needed when you are physically and mentally exhausted. Feel free to go for a deload if you are feeling stressed/exhausted in the gym, especially when you notice a performance drop. For instance, hitting a plateau, low energy level, stuck at sticking points or even reduced endurance are the signs of deloading. There is no fun to train at all when you are feeling washed out, right? On the other hand, talking about the mental part, deload when you are feeling weak and not motivated to train. It’s as simple as that!
What should I do during a deload then?
In general, there are 3 ways to deload.
Reduction in volume In this deload approach, you will keep the intensity of the exercises but with half of the sets you perform normally. This is beneficial for lifters who are preparing for a meet or amateurs who are having a strength-oriented program.
Reduction in intensity For this type of deload week, you will keep the volume of training but with less intensity of the exercises you perform. Using 40-60% of your 1RM for all exercises is recommended. This is beneficial for amateurs who are not looking for a competition but still want to maintain a higher level of performance.
Changes in forms of exercises This type of deload is good for those who are not preparing for competitions or not worried about performance drop. It is a great chance to switch the focus from maxing out to some other purposes, such as improving mobility, form check, or even go for a hike to stay active while not touching the weights.
Deloading is not a label for losers but who are training hard and smart at the same time, we call it efficiency. A proper deload may help you break through training plateaus and prevent injuries caused by overtraining. Hope you found the above information is helpful and stay tuned for more interesting content!
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