ExRx.net

Is it always necessary to deload after finishing a program? Should the deload session be with the same exercises as the program just finished or can it be a lightly intense version of the next program you plan on doing?

No

Depends. And by depends, I mean for 90% of situations it would make no difference, for times it might, you have not provided necessary detail.

I dont think my limited experience impacts the quality of this response

The deload depends on how intense your previous program was. You need to do something to maintain your conditioning but what you actually do during the deload is not a big deal. Make it light enough that your body can recover but do enough that your muscles stay ready to work.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

Some light weight, low rep work is good as are bodyweight exercises.

No one wants to do deload, they think their body doesnt need it. And maybe theyre right, but believe me even if youre not putting up big numbers your body will thank you and you'll come back stronger. There's a reason PL'ers deload for a week, even up to two, before their meets.

I have a theory that when you plateau/stall or even just feel like crap (also beat up around the joints) in the gym for a few weeks, it's your body forcing a deload on you. It does this until its recovered then you get a couple of weeks of good training in before it happens again.

I first thought about this when I trained with a highland games/strongman competitor who "didn't believe in deloading". He pretty much believed in insanity every single week. I deloaded and was mocked for it (and various other things). So, just observing his patterns of progression and regression, it seemed to make sense.... "if YOU don't deload yourself, your body will deload you!" - i like to think there's some sense in that statement. Granted, the guy DL'd 290KG, squatted 260KG, benched 175KG - I believe he now deadlifts 320KG (he moved away). Anyway, he would progress for 2 weeks tops, then would get weaker (and angrier) over the course of about 3 weeks, then some injuries would creep up, force him to accept lighter weights for a week or 2, then he would make progress again. I trained with him for almost a year and this is pretty much how the year went for him. Actually, this guy defied a lot of what you see on paper - such as doing heavy (often 1RM attempts) on squat, DL and bench EVERY week (I also seen him do a pendlay row with 190KG!).

Anyway, in some cases you're just not eating or sleeping enough. I think the less experienced you are, the more likely it is that you just aren't eating/sleeping enough.

I just feel you can take control of your volume/fatigue, and schedule it in, using one of the various methods of doing this.

So, to answer the original question.... It depends... Also, a lot of programs actually finish on a deload so, it just depends on the program, what you were doing before it, how you feel, etc.

If you are starting a new program and it has some new exercises in it, I think it's worth while taking a deload week before you start it, and just groove the movements you will be training. I think it mainly goes by feel - you want to feel fresh when you hit week 1 of a new program.

KPj

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Thanks TimD

we have no idea what OP is doing or his level of experience, do we?

We know he's been posting here for 3 years. At this point he should be working intensly enough that he needs a deload once in a while.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

I dont disagree with that

What he should and is doing are not necessarily the same

Thanks for the responses.

It's possible that my fatigue is due to my cutting back on sleep during the past week, but also possible that my body is finally forcing a deload. Which wouldn't be all that unusual, since I'm nearing the end of my program anyways.

I've never really thought that much into the concept of deloading, but probably because I spend the first week or two of every new program using relatively light intensity to transition my body to different techniques as well as perfecting my form may have inadvertently served as some sort of deload.

I agree.

OP, why do you feel you need to deload at this point?

I feel performance hasn't been optimal and it's been a while since my last deload. It's useful just to see if there'll be any change after my deloading, for experimental purposes.

Okay that is understandable but you can deload in several different ways:

Reduce frequency - skip 1-2 sessions that week
Increase the intensity and cut the volume - take your key lifts, increase the intensity, slash the volume and cut out all the other fluffy exercises
Do higher reps

etc

There are a bunch of different things you can do. What do you have in mind?

I use my deload checklist. It is:

Does you shoulder hurt?

If yes, deload. If no, do not deload.

I plan on [and usually do] decreasing intensity. Then work my way back up in increments.

Robertscott, then how do you decide to deload for squats if your checklist is centered around your shoulder?

perhaps that's part of the problem