This is definitely cornerstone content on the platform and consequently it’s going out in triplicate format. There will be a podcast and video with a parallel message. I think this topic is so important that I want to make sure it fills every media option within our community.
Let’s begin with an expanded definition of deloading. With training, especially for LIFE (high vitality through the lifespan), we benefit immensely from a greater understanding of workload. Most of the time, we strive for reasonable consistency in applying enough exercise stressors – in our programs and to our bodies – to facilitate adaptation. These are the gains we experience in fitness, skill, and body composition. This application of workload must range between a minimum effective dosage and a maximum absorbable (recoverable) stimulus.
Our beings (all systems within the body, including the nervous system), are impacted by the training stimulus and they strive to adapt accordingly. Because of the dynamic nature of being a human organism (BEAST), we only have the capacity to absorb a certain amount of workload before we need to back off a bit and let the body catch up. This is known as supercompensation and it occurs primarily when we temporarily ease up on the workload pedal to some degree.
Workload can generally be viewed as the multiplicative effect of volume, i.e. total training amount over any given time period (how long or how much?) and intensity (how hard?). This is always worth discussing just a bit. An easy effort, quantified by such parameters as rate of perceived exertion (RPE), repetitions in reserve (RIR), zones, power levels, etc. is typically easy on the body…unless it is of long duration. In this manner, low effort can potentially progress toward a moderate, or even very challenging workload if the session (or cycle) length is extended enough (per the individual athlete’s level). Likewise, high intensity, if kept very brief, can actually represent a low, or at most, moderate workload. But take high output further and it tends to become kryptonite.
Workload can also be affected by density and frequency. Density represents the length of the rest periods present during resistance and interval training, as well as sports practice and competition. A low density workout has generous rest breaks, and a high density session compresses the rest periods. Frequency can go both ways. If you perform hard sessions too close together (without enough recovery or spacer days), you will increase cumulative workload impact. On the other hand, spacing out those same exposures by an extra day or two will have the opposite effect. To a lesser degree, the same could be said for splitting up a workout into two separate sessions, often on the same day as morning and afternoon experiences. Even though the intensity is identical, the duration of dosage (in the briefer workouts) is less and some (but not all) trainees find this helpful.
You can analyze your training data and add up your volume (total sets, miles, cumulative workout durations, etc.) as well as your average intensity. This can be as sophisticated as you like. Ultimately, you can get a feel for your usual or prior workload level, and then use that to project forward. This is known as the acute to chronic workload ratio and it’s a popular tool across advanced training circles. With some of my coaching clients, I employ a conditionally formatted spreadsheet training log which allows us to graph data and get a good sense of workload levels (and responses).
Obviously, good program design and coaching come into play in the context of workload application and adjustment. With a reasonable amount of skill and judgment, one can determine the ideal amount of workload for the individual athlete (which everyone is or can be), and fine tune it in correlation with performance and recovery data. This can be an artistic dance and it is certainly a dynamic process as one navigates the lifespan.
Now, the concept or process of deloading probably seems relatively clear. Every so often, we need to reduce overall training workload so the body can catch up. Recover to a high level of energy and readiness. Rebuild to a greater level of capacity. This is a well-known biologic function but it is perhaps underappreciated in many areas of sports and fitness. By deloading appropriately, we can make better progress toward our goals and avoid burnout and breakdown. It’s actually kind of magic.
Deloading requires good program design and athlete monitoring. It also requires a very open and forward-thinking mindset. Let’s consider each of those three items separately.
In terms of training program design, a deload period is a planned regression of workload. This usually indicates a reduction in workload via decreased volume or intensity, or both. While everything in training is modifiable, having periodic and intentional deloads is one of the keys to long term success.
A deload can be either proactive or reactive. A proactive deload is a planned period on the schedule in which workload is automatically reduced. A reactive deload represents a workload reduction in response to escalating fatigue and performance plateaus. Either way can work. I actually prefer a pre-planned, proactive deload for most athletes and that’s what we use in our Training Tribe programming. This creates a consistent, recognizable flow in the stimulus-adapation progression. A proactive deload represents a reliable pattern in which the trainee follows an organized system. It virtually eliminates the risk of exhaustion and injury, provided that all the other aspects of the program are sound. A reactive deload is more spontaneous and occurs only when the athlete and coach sense that it is needed. It’s a bit more instinctive although it needs to be data-driven. This approach can work but it is also more risky in regard to overtraining and staleness states.
Athlete monitoring involves self-evaluation and coach (where applicable) assessment. We often speak of various performance, recovery, and readiness metrics in these circumstances. This is the time when you are looking for patterns. By that I mean a number of consecutive days in which a variety of signals are getting stronger. So, we’re not saying that having one, or perhaps even two days in a training cycle when you are a little stiff, tired, and sore is of great concern. That’s a part of the Lifetime Athlete journey. We just need those symptoms to fade relatively quickly.
But when you go flat for days (and certainly weeks) on end, your body is telling you it is no longer absorbing the workload and a letup is in order. You could be overtraining. Or under-recovering. Regardless, you just need a little break to get things right and get going again. When you (and your coach) keep track of sleep, nutrition, resting pulse, heart rate variability, key performance indicators (KPI’s), objective and subjective readiness data, and overall life stress levels…these measures will line up. You’ll neither be feeling nor performing your best (or even close). That’s when it’s time for a deload. Doesn’t matter what the schedule says or what’s on the calendar. Your body’s message will get louder and louder until you heed it. Best not to wait. Thus, being responsive is key. But this is also why I prefer the proactive deload more than the reactive one. If you get into the hole too deep, the digging out can take a while and the fitness response can be diminished. Know yourself. Respect your instinctive wisdom. And consider working with a coach when you want better results.
The mindset aspect of deloading is a unique one. It can be a bit of a head game. Cutting back on workload can shake the confidence of some trainees. Self-doubt can run wild. There is a tendency to seek fatigue, want to do a little more, “check it” (ability or fitness level) and some of that is just human nature. But if you can trust the system, trust your talent, and let go of a little compulsiveness…greatness awaits you. It takes some athletes and fitness enthusiasts a while to get their arms around a deload period, but once they see (and feel) the results…buy-in tends to be comprehensive. Deloading is simply the art of manipulating training workload to achieve the greatest possible results. It’s like tapering and peaking on a regular basis. It practically ensures that you achieve your highest potential and preserve your health in the process. Deloading is delightful and delicious.
By now you’re probably wondering about the specifics of a good deload. When should you deload? For how long? Should you reduce training volume or intensity, or both? By how much? You knew this was coming, but “it depends” is the most correct answer. It depends on each individual. Your genetic traits, training age (experience), current status, goals, and other factors will determine your deload parameters. That stated, I can offer some general guidelines that may be very useful.
- Depending on the athlete and the type of training they’ve been doing, some trainees can do just fine by deloading every 6-12 weeks. In the Training Tribe, which uses a block-periodized Annual Training Plan with monthly mesocycles and weekly microcycles, we deload each month. This is every 4-5 weeks depending on how the month falls on the calendar.
- A reasonable deloading period is 5-10 days in most cases. A deload is not a full post-season of reduced training. It’s just a break to allow for a little physiologic catchup (not ketchup or catsup). We live in a society that’s based on the 7-day week and that’s a comfortable time frame for most of us. The final week of every month is a deload for T2 participants.
- While there can be circumstances in which you might only reduce volume or just cut back on intensity, doing both simultaneously is usually best. This combined reduction works wonders on all those systems we mentioned earlier. The peripheral and central nervous system. The muscles and connective tissues. Your cardiorespiratory system. Endocrine system. Even the gut. A little break, or gift, you give yourself.
- The amount of volume and intensity reduction for an effective deload should range from 20-50% in most cases. Might not be the same number for both parameters. Let’s say you are shooting for about 80% (a 20% reduction) of the prior week’s intensity and around 60% (a 40% reduction) in total volume. A lifter would do less sets with slightly reduced weight(s). Runners do less miles at an easier pace. And so forth. We’re talking averages here, so there can still be some variance in duration and output. It’s just less overall…in totality. The T2 cats don’t have to think about any of this because it’s automatically built into the system.
The same-samers (aka doubters, haters, science-deniers) will say all this is cutesy tootsy. They just keep doing the same thing…all the f***ing time. Well guess what, they never improve and they always get their asses kicked by the strategic deloaders. Across all of sports and fitness. For centuries. That’s proof-filled pudding. It’s how the pros win and how I’ve seen it happen with so many clients. And myself. The natural world is nonlinear, and so should be the training of modern humans.
As I’m wrapping this up, I feel like we did a decent job in describing and discussing the deload. But a thought just occurred to me. It’s actually a biphasic period. By reducing workload going into the deload, we facilitate a reload coming out of it. Your body is recharged and not just to 100% of its prior status, but a few percentage points higher. You can attack and crush your next cycle of training. The deload truly is magic. And now you are a master of it.