What Is a Strength Training ‘Deload,’ and When Do You Need One?

Even among professional athletes, no one trains 100% every week. There are times to rest and recover, often for a week or more, and you and I can apply this principle to our routines as well. Reducing your strength training for a short period of time is called deloading. Here’s how to make one and how to know when you need one.

What is unloading?

Generally speaking, a deload is a short period of time (maybe a week, but this can vary) where you do less strength training than usual. That said, people use the word in different ways.

For some people, a discharge is a complete break from training, like a vacation. You take the whole week off, and that’s it. For others, a discharge is just a little less intense than your usual job. You may be doing just as many sets and reps, but the weights aren’t as heavy. Another way to perform this type of deload is to reduce volume, so you do fewer reps and sets, but the weights can be just as heavy as usual.

The type of deload to use will depend on the type of work you have done so far, the reason for the deload, and your (or your coach’s) training philosophy.

What are the advantages of unloading?

A deload allows your body to recover more than you get in your usual workout. Every workout brings a little fatigue, and if you train hard for weeks (or months) straight, you might be so tired that you can no longer perform as well or get as much work done. A little fatigue is normal, but in extreme cases your health may begin to suffer.

You don’t need to wait until everything falls apart to think about taking a dump. There are several ways strength athletes (and recreational weightlifters like you and me) can plan ahead to include deloads into their training. Here are the main ones:

• Preparing for a competition. To do your best, you’ll need to reduce fatigue without getting rusty. Peaking usually involves reducing volume (fewer reps and sets) while keeping the weights heavy.

• To introduce new goals or objectives. You’re more likely to get soreness if you’re doing something new and strenuous. It is therefore often a good idea to introduce new exercises or new types of training during a week of lighter training (in this context this is sometimes called a “pivot week”.)

• To recover after a difficult training block. Some programs will have a built-in deload week; other times, you may choose to take an extra week after finishing one program and before starting the next.

• As part of a long-term plan to manage fatigue. Even if your training hasn’t been particularly difficult, you might want to sprinkle in occasional deload weeks just to make sure you don’t strain yourself unnecessarily.

• In response to perceived stress. Some programs don’t do it include scheduled unloading weeks, and it’s up to the lifter to decide when he needs a break.

When should I unload?

There are two schools of thought on landfills. The first is to use them as needed: you train hard for as long as you can, then unload when you start to feel beaten. The other is that unloading must be planned, so that you never find yourself in the position of wondering if it is already time to unload.

I wouldn’t say there is one right answer; both training styles were successful for the right people. But I will say that it’s hard to know when the right time to discharge is if you’re doing them on an as-needed basis. Some people will want to do an offload as soon as they start to have any problems, even if their problem is not something that an offload can solve. Meanwhile, many dedicated athletes will continue to train long after they should have taken a break. It may be smarter to plan ahead and do these offloads whenever the calendar says it’s time.

How do I know if I’m doing it correctly?

If you’re working with a coach, ask them what their overall plans are for you. Landfills (or lack thereof) should be part of the puzzle and have a reason to be scheduled the way they are.

If you’re running a program you found on the Internet or in books, take a moment to think about how your program addresses unloads. Some may include offloads, others may not. If you’re programming for yourself, you can take inspiration from other existing programs, but you also need to use common sense and ask yourself how you’re feeling.

Offloads are a common tool for fatigue management, but they are not the only tool. Your program can adjust the volume from week to week, for example, in a way that keeps you cool. If this is the case, you may not need an unload at all. Even if you are preparing for a competition, a deload is a very common way to reduce fatigue and ensure good performance, but that does not mean that you always need to unload before a competition. (It is common to “practice” during a competition that is not a priority, for example.)

A deload is really just a training tool, so be sure to match your deload choices to what your body needs.