Favorite way to deload?

sarah_willis110
sarah_willis110 Posts: 40 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Do you reduce days, weight, or do some other activity? :)
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Replies

  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    edited August 2023
    This is a good article.

    https://powerliftingtechnique.com/deload-week-vs-week-off/

    I usually take about four days completely off, then do a couple of full body workouts (instead of my usual upper/lower) with reduced weight, then back to normal the following week.
  • sarah_willis110
    sarah_willis110 Posts: 40 Member
    @Retroguy2000 What full body workouts do you do?
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    edited August 2023
    Just a core version of the upper/lower home workouts I usually do, picking one exercise each for legs/back/chest, five sets each.

    Barbell hack squat (aka hack deadlift), great for quads, so I can use a barbell without needing a squat rack.

    Lower some of the barbell weight and move on to:

    Barbell row.

    DB chest press.

    optional DB Arnold press.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,656 Member
    I still train but do much lighter weights and fewer reps. I also do a bit of cardio / more accessories.

    I find if I stop I seize up completely so I need to keep moving. Always feel crap though!
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,678 Member
    Following.

    I haven't quited figured out how to do this either, or whether I need to, since my program drops back to reps at 75% of 1rm at the beginning of the cycle. It's almost like a built in deload.

  • sarah_willis110
    sarah_willis110 Posts: 40 Member
    I took a week off of lifting when I went hiking in Colorado back in mid June. But since then I've been almost 100% consistent with my 4x a week lifting. My back and forearms are starting to bother me. But I'm a 5'1 female so it's not like I'm lifting 300 lbs. So it's hard to figure out how much I should deload when I'm still trying to build muscle.

    I think I'm going to do 2 full body days, core, and yoga this week.
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,678 Member
    sarah_willis110 wrote: »
    I took a week off of lifting when I went hiking in Colorado back in mid June. But since then I've been almost 100% consistent with my 4x a week lifting. My back and forearms are starting to bother me. But I'm a 5'1 female so it's not like I'm lifting 300 lbs. So it's hard to figure out how much I should deload when I'm still trying to build muscle.

    I think I'm going to do 2 full body days, core, and yoga this week.

    They say that deloads are good every 6-12 weeks. Depending on how hard you're pushing (i.e. to failure?), you could need more. I find that as I get older, and because I focus on powerlifts, I need at least a couple days between similar muscle group work. I often go 2-3 days in between.

    The key is to listen to your body... if you're feeling tired or overly sore, maybe it's not a bad idea to deload, or switch up some exercises to give your back and forearms a break.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,656 Member
    I certainly couldn’t go 12 weeks without a deload. Mine vary depending on training cycles and competitions but they could be once a month or every couple of months.
  • sarah_willis110
    sarah_willis110 Posts: 40 Member
    @KickassAmazon76

    I go to failure every once in awhile rotating on the exercises. Otherwise, 2 RIR normally. I feel the same way. If my schedule gets messed up and I have to exercise 4 days in a row, I'm pooped lol. I find my arms don't perform as well the next day after legs either.
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    edited August 2023
    sarah_willis110 wrote: »
    I took a week off of lifting when I went hiking in Colorado back in mid June. But since then I've been almost 100% consistent with my 4x a week lifting. My back and forearms are starting to bother me. But I'm a 5'1 female so it's not like I'm lifting 300 lbs. So it's hard to figure out how much I should deload when I'm still trying to build muscle.

    I think I'm going to do 2 full body days, core, and yoga this week.
    The weight you're lifting is relative to bodyweight.

    You're describing why you should be deloading. It's built into many programs for a reason, because it helps you to a) push harder at the end of a cycle before a planned deload, b) recover, to get ready for the next cycle, c) give your tendons and ligaments time to catch up.

    I usually do one every couple of months, depending how I'm feeling. And I try to time them around vacations if I'll be traveling, or times like Thanksgiving.

    In future, you may want to add some wrist curls for your forearms. For one cycle anyway, so you hopefully aren't bothered by them again.

    Btw, re the full body I do during the second half of deload week, I already said it was reduced weight, and that's typically around 70% usual weight. Same reps, lower weight.
  • sarah_willis110
    sarah_willis110 Posts: 40 Member
    Retroguy2000 wrote: »
    sarah_willis110 wrote: »
    I took a week off of lifting when I went hiking in Colorado back in mid June. But since then I've been almost 100% consistent with my 4x a week lifting. My back and forearms are starting to bother me. But I'm a 5'1 female so it's not like I'm lifting 300 lbs. So it's hard to figure out how much I should deload when I'm still trying to build muscle.

    I think I'm going to do 2 full body days, core, and yoga this week.
    The weight you're lifting is relative to bodyweight.

    You're describing why you should be deloading. It's built into many programs for a reason, because it helps you to a) push harder at the end of a cycle before a planned deload, b) recover, to get ready for the next cycle, c) give your tendons and ligaments time to catch up.

    I usually do one every couple of months, depending how I'm feeling. And I try to time them around vacations if I'll be traveling, or times like Thanksgiving.

    In future, you may want to add some wrist curls for your forearms. For one cycle anyway, so you hopefully aren't bothered by them again.

    Btw, re the full body I do during the second half of deload week, I already said it was reduced weight, and that's typically around 70% usual weight. Same reps, lower weight.



    Do you still get steps in?
  • Retroguy2000
    Retroguy2000 Posts: 1,869 Member
    sarah_willis110 wrote: »
    Do you still get steps in?
    Steps? That's some sort of walking thing? Yeah I don't do that. I mean I'm kidding, I mean as intentional exercise, not my thing at all :smile: But yes, you could continue doing all low impact cardio, maybe even increase that. Reduce/avoid high intensity cardio for the same reason as you reduce/avoid the lifting.

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