How often do you "de-load", or take time away from training?

[Admin]

How often do you de-load, or take time away from training?

 

[onslaught]

Too often.

The longer I don't train the easier it is to skip the next session. The last 6 weeks have been sporadic at best.

 

[canned tuna]

Currently involuntarily deloading due to severed tendon

Deload in comp prep of course and generally have a month or so of bb training here and there

 

[Goosey]

In the bodybiuld world a maintenance workout is a better option.

 

[Darkoz]

I believe the whole concept of de-loading is fallacious, untrue even.

 

[Goosey]

I believe the whole concept of de-loading is fallacious, untrue even.

That at was a little snagglepuss darkoz, even.

 

[Darkoz]

Hehe I knew you'd tweak Goosey
but for now, exit stage left

 

[steveP]

I have a break if I go on holiday at the end of the year.

IMO deloads are pointless. Either train properly or have a break.

 

[Jungnaut]

Yeah, if I make the effort to dress up and go to da gym and but am only allowed to hit it 50% hardcore, what is the point!? Might as well play at home, I have a barbell there to toss around.

Mind you I did go for months without a break and ended up with a shoulder injury, so I guess that's one way my body enforces a "deload".

 

[canned tuna]

Perhaps pointless in bodybuilding

 

[Repacked]

I'm surprised people think de-loads/short breaks are useless or somehow mean you're not training properly.

 

[canned tuna]

I'm surprised people think de-loads/short breaks are useless or somehow mean you're not training properly.

These people must train solely bodybuilding and or cardio, otherwise they simply would not have these opinions

 

[Goosey]

I'm surprised people think de-loads/short breaks are useless or somehow mean you're not training properly.

I don't believe breaks are useless theses are a requirement, for me at least.

 

[jzpowahz]

Umm...probably not as often as I should haha.

Although I have clients do deload workouts, I physically struggle to go to the gym and just go through the motions with light weights. For active recovery, I do other beneficial but less boring stuff.

I very much think this idea of never deloading is a bit strange though. How do you know if you are improving if you are constantly in a fatigued state? http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2013/09/27/fatigue-explained/

 

[Kyle Aaron]

6 weeks, usually. Matched lifts in week 5 and PRs in week 6, then drop back.

I decided to do this when I saw that so many people were having deloads anyway - holidays, injury, illness, stress from life stuff building up, or most commonly simple burnout leading to missed sessions and lifts. If you're going to crash anyway, why not slow down before you hit the wall. If deloads are inevitable, plan them in. Happened usually 1-2 times in each 3 months. So okay, let's go for 6 weeks. I have found this leads to fewer missed lifts and less drama and misery in general.

 

[Goosey]

My workouts are like clockwork in that they look real boring, and my goal is progression if I work real hard, at some point I burn out, maintenance workouts (working to the previous target) is a way for me to recover while still moving.

these days I do a lot more maintenance than real hard workouts, but when I do real hard workouts they still feel fuckin awesome, and I feel electric after it.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

i like to take 6 months off every couple of months

 

[Repacked]

i like to take 6 months off every couple of months

[emoji12]

 

[canned tuna]

My workouts are like clockwork in that they look real boring, and my goal is progression if I work real hard, at some point I burn out, maintenance workouts (working to the previous target) is a way for me to recover while still moving.

these days I do a lot more maintenance than real hard workouts, but when I do real hard workouts they still feel fuckin awesome, and I feel electric after it.

That sounds like a pretty good way to go about it tbh

 

[Repacked]

My workouts are like clockwork in that they look real boring, and my goal is progression if I work real hard, at some point I burn out, maintenance workouts (working to the previous target) is a way for me to recover while still moving.

these days I do a lot more maintenance than real hard workouts, but when I do real hard workouts they still feel fuckin awesome, and I feel electric after it.

Don't forget that a workout at X weight (or group of exercises at X weights) can provide stimulus for muscle growth for more than one consecutive workout. It can take more than one exposure to a weight for the muscles to adapt. While we like to progress every week or every session, our muscles don't say 'well, sorry...we did this last week therefore we can't be bothered growing or adapting. Try again back next week princess...'. Inevitably there comes a time when you will not progress that week for any number of a myriad of reasons; this does not mean that workout was wasted.