Deloading: Backing Off for Bigger Gains

For the longest time I resisted deloading because I absolutely hated the idea of taking a week to "back off" heavy training and allow the body to recover.  I always intended to give it a try but every time I'd step into the gym for a deload workout I'd end up letting my ego get the best of me and I'd get into a workout with too much volume and intensity to be considered a deload.  Now, as I try to increase my knowledge and understanding of strength training so that I can be well educated in as many techniques as possible, I realize that you can read about a concept as much as you want, but you'll never know what works for you and the athletes you train or train with until you actually try something.  With that in mind, this is the fourth week of our first post-season training cycle, and our first deload week.

Mark Bell is one of the strongest powerlifters
in the world--here he deadlifts 405
plus 80 pounds of chains--even the
best in the world don't train maximally
ALL the time, they train optimally

Deloading a concept by which you take a period of time to back off your normal training and allow the central nervous system and the muscles to rest and recover.  The idea behind deloading is that if you continue to tax the body and mind week after week by training with high volume and high intensity, you will eventually burn out, and no matter hard you work, your gains will plateau or actually regress.  Most people don't understand how important a healthy central nervous system is to strength gains.  Your central nervous system is responsible for coordinating all functions of the human body.  It is responsible for muscle activation, as well as operating the endocrine system which secretes hormones like all-important testosterone into your blood stream.  Overtraining and overworking the central nervous system will lead to negative consequences such as fatigue, loss of motivation, depression, loss in strength, loss in muscle and strength gains, etc.  So, you plan a period of rest every so often into your training cycles which allows the body and mind to recuperate and come back stronger for the next cycle of training.  As Bill Klika put it to me, "two steps forward and one step back is still a step forward."  

There is no one way to deload.  Search the Internet, read textbooks, look up weightlifting and strength and conditioning magazines, talk to coaches, etc.  and you will inevitably end up getting more opinions on the topic than you'll know what to do with.  Because there is no one agreed upon way to do this, the only way for me to learn what I like and what is best for the body is trial and error.  So, for this deload week, we utilized our main barbell lifts that we have been doing throughout the first cycle, (some would say take the barbell completely out of the equation) but cut the volume and intensity by nearly half, focusing on technique and speed.  We also cut the assistance work volume and intensity in half.  This is a perfect example of a time where body weight training is a great idea.  You'll notice the only thing not cut down, is our warmup.  During deloading it's still vital to properly warmup, and because the goal is active rest, a proper warmup may be the most important part of the lift.  

Our workouts are short, so far both have been under 50 minutes, warmup included.  We move quickly, we get a good sweat going, then we're out of there.  I believe this will allow us to work on general physical preparedness while not taxing the CNS and the muscles to a point where our recovery is jeopardized.  Remember, deloading is active rest.  Workouts should be short, you should NEVER go until failure, or be handling loads that are heavy enough to really tax the body.  Deloading is a recovery period and should be treated as such.  Check your ego at the door, this is about training OPTIMALLY not MAXIMALLY, get some good work in, then get out of the gym so that next week you can come back healthy and strong and ready to attack heavy weights.

If you've hit a plateau in your training and have been stuck in the same routine and lifting the same weight for a long time, or you just feel tired, beat up, or have lost the motivation to train, it may be time to deload.  Some believe you should take time off completely from lifting, others believe you should continue to do light work 2-3 times a week, and others like to still use barbell lifts but with light weights to work on technique.  Whatever you choose to do, begin to use planned periods of rest in your training, and you'll feel healthier and blast through plateaus like never before.  

Workout #1

General Warmup--Jogging, skipping

Dynamic Warmup

--Active/Dynamic Movements--4 each

--Groiners--2x10

--Walking Lunges--2x10 forward/backward

--Banded Good Mornings--2x10

Power

Backwards Underhand Med Ball Throws--2x5

Strength

Deadlift--3x5 at 60% 1RM

--Used 270 lbs and deadlifted conventional because I've been pulling sumo so much

Assistance

Snatch-Grip RDL--3x8

Using a snatch forces more activation and work by
the all-important upper back musculature
and improves grip strength

Circuit #1--2 Rounds

Goblet Squat--10

Inverted Row--10

Back Extensions--10

Circuit #2--2 Rounds

Reverse Lunges--10 each leg

Band Pulldowns--10

Sprinter Sit Ups--10 each side

Workout #2

General Warmup

Dynamic Warmup

--Banded Rows--2x15

--Band Pull Downs--2x15

--Band Pull Aparts--2x15

--Scapula Pushups--1x20

--Alligator Pushups--2x10 forward and backward

Power

Explosive Med Ball Chest Pass--2x3

Strength

Bench Press--3x5 at 60% 1RM

--Used 205 lbs

Assistance

Barbell Rows--3x8

Circuit #1--2 Rounds

Klokov Press (Behind the neck snatch grip press)--10

L-Sit Pull Ups--10

Anti-Rotation Press Hold--20 seconds each side

Circuit #2--2 Rounds

Rolling DB Triceps Extension--10

DB Hammer Curls--10

Band Pull Aparts--25