Whoa, this thread has turned into frankenstein's monster.
Not only is deloading poorly defined here but so is softcockin.
If deloading and softcockin are lifting submaximally with disregard to bar speed then that training time could probably be better spent. To me, that is not what deloading is. I dont think it is the removal of intensity. I think it is the removal of resistance.
There are three inescapable questions in physical world, and therefore in lifting.
-How much weight. (notice I didn't say mass, otherwise I would have to include the consideration of gravity)
-How far it moved.
-How long it took.
Success in the slow lifts is not concerned with time. Nobody does a count back of 2 lifter's equal lifts in the deadlift and then says..."well that guy's lift was quicker, he's the winner" (a faster deadlift may suggest that a greater load could be lifted however). There is no flight phase in the slow lifts as apposed to the quick lifts, so time is not nearly as important in the establishment of most weight lifted over a given distance. Truly, the naming of the sports of Weightlifting and Powerlifting should be switched.
Now, why do I mention this? Because the third question determines the power generated in the lift and therefore its intensity. When prescribing exercise we will have to decide whether we can get a training effect from a lighter lift being more powerful and whether that will create a heavier maximal lift in the future.
I see the decision to choose a deload as an opportunity to concentrate on being more powerful and avoided the possibility of missing a lift. The benefits can be technical and electrical. Regarding the electrical improvements, setting the resistance below a previous training resistance can teach the nervous system to recruit more of the necessary fibers and allows cross wiring of fiber types to potentially occur, the expression of them is therefore different in the muscle. If you're interested, research all you can on cross-innervation of muscle fibers.
The decision not to deload, but instead plough ahead, may cause a missed opportunity for these benefits and instead create other new problems like injury, stagnation and sympathetic nervous system disaster. Missed lifts are not good for progress obviously and in fact, you could call it a forced deload. A missed slow lift has a time under tension unlike that of a missed quick lift eg a snatch, clean or jerk. Most people reading this know what it feels like to miss a lift and then miss everything after it that you try to reset down to.
CNS fatigue or failure should not be confused with contractile shut down caused by lactate and calcium deposits in the muscle fibers. These are easily confused. Its also not the same thing as sympathetic system dominance and the build up of unwanted metabolites. Be wary of the use of these terms as they are completely different with subtly different symptoms.
The decision for a total removal of the lifter from the gym altogether then creates a new decision. When they start lifting again where do they start? Exactly where they left off? When is a lifter tapered? When are they super-compensated? When are they due for a deload? The issue of adapting to stress is complicated by the fact that not all systems in the body adapt at the same rate.
All of this is avoided with a subtle change. It seems the ego in this case is writing cheques that the mammalian body cannot cash. So I dont deload my athletes in the gym..... I 'reload'. Same practice different word, ego saved, success ensured.