Why You Should De-Load & Why You Shouldn’t
Happy Sunday,
We're back with more insights on your fitness journey, focusing on a critical yet often overlooked facet of strength training: de-load weeks.
A de-load week, a period of reduced training intensity and volume, is a strategic weapon in the arsenal of any serious strength trainer. According to a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (PMID: 24714538), de-load weeks help mitigate fatigue, facilitate recovery, and enhance performance.
During a de-load week, the training volume and intensity are reduced by roughly 40-60%. This gives your body an opportunity to recover from the cumulative stress of high-intensity training. It's comparable to hitting the 'refresh' button on your body, setting you up for better progress post-de-load. This does not mean that you double your reps to make up for the lowered intensity. You can either keep the volume the same or lower it depending on how hard in the paint you’ve been going.
But how often should these de-load weeks be scheduled? While there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer due to individual differences in recovery, a common recommendation is to plan a de-load week every 4-6 weeks for those engaged in regular, intense strength training. This frequency aligns with a study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (PMID: 16632566), which emphasizes the risk of overtraining without adequate recovery periods. However, we don’t live in PMID studies and we know that taking a de-load week every 4-6 weeks just isn’t going to happen with people who are in love with the gym (which is most of our client base, thankfully). For all you hard chargers out there, taking an intentional de-load every 20 weeks will benefit you greatly. If family, vacations, work, etc. take you out of training and are somewhat relaxed, that will suffice in the real world.
However, it's crucial to remember that de-load weeks are typically not advised for beginners. As per a study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology (PMID: 15959792), beginners are still adapting to the stress of strength training and their training volume and intensity are not yet at a level that necessitates a de-load week. Get your ass in the gym and soak up all the gainz that come with being a beginner for as long as you can before you start worrying about taking intentional time off.
In conclusion, de-load weeks are a valuable tool for seasoned strength trainers. They manage fatigue, prevent overtraining, and set the stage for optimized performance. For beginners, the focus should remain on building consistency and gradually escalating training volume and intensity.
Remember, each journey to fitness is unique. Listen to your body, adjust your training as needed, and never hesitate to seek professional advice. Or you could click the link below and let us take care of that for you.
Stay Strong,
Your HTG Coaches
