What is a deload?
As you train harder and harder, your body becomes more and more fatigued. This fatigue makes training more likely to get you hurt, and reduces the muscle growth effect of your training substantially if it gets too high. A "deload" is a period of reduced training in both volume and intensity to reduce fatigue and prepare the lifter for more hard training. This is generally a week in length. Deloading reduces this fatigue periodically and lets you grow at your best long term rates.
How Do I Implement a Deload?
If you are using the training web app, this is automatically the last week of the training block you created, so it will land on every 4th, 5th, or 6th training week. For more background on why the app programs deloads the way it does, and how to run your own if you are not using our amazing training web app, check out this video:
I Feel Good and Want To Continue Training. Do I Have to Deload?
Currently, the training web app doesn't allow users to extend the training week. Our recommendation is to push your 0RIR week as best you can to really milk the gains out of that last week before you go into your deload. We certainly recommend that if you chose a longer block length (6 weeks - 5 accumulation and 1 deload), that you take the deload before jumping into another training block. If you ran a shorter block (4 weeks - 3 accumulation and 1 deload), we still recommend the approach outlined above, but you could potentially skip your deload and run right into your next block.
Why Are Some Exercises Not Programmed in My Deload?
As the goal is to bring fatigue down as much as possible, smaller muscle groups - namely the traps and forearms, are automatically removed from the deload week. This saves you time in the gym and can help improve recovery a bit more than if you kept it in.
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