ExRx.net

I'm just curious. I do it once every 6-8 weeks for a week but I'm not sore at that point and I feel as if I could go longer because I've gotten stronger or atleast stayed the same. I lift in the 75%-95% 1RM range as well. I alternate between 3x5 and 3x3 after deload sessions.

It's not soreness that is the trigger in my case, although that could be in some cases. I look for signs of overtraining, in my case a runny nose or irritability are usually the first signs, then I deload. If I don't I'll get sick. You're better off deloading before you need to than after. There is a list of signs in this article.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining

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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

I was explaining that to my wife and she thinks I'm full of crap when I say weight training can lead to irritablility.

It's not just weight training, too much cardio, low-carbing for too long, not enough sleep, too much stress, etc all can contribute to overtraining.

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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

I think it's an individual thing. Wendler says that everyone should deload every 4th week; that may be best for some people, but I don't think you can really make general declarations. I'd say you should experiment, and work out your own pattern. Maybe every 6th week is best for you. Or maybe, like Stu, you should be alert to certain signs or symptoms that cue you that it's time to deload. Maybe just an extra day off here and there would be enough. When this subject came up before there were several people who said that they never deload, and that they have lifted for years, successfully, without it.

The need for deload is affected by your over-all fatigue. Structure you training schedule to allow adequate recovery after your heaviest lifting days. Consider both volume and loading in this. It may be that by planning better you can reduce your need for a formal deload.

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Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan

The general guidelines tend to be:

beginners - hardly ever
intermediates - between every 6th to 12th week depending on recovery (and source)
advanced - monthly

Personally, I go by feel. It's usually whether or not my shoulder feels like it needs a week off

That makes sense. I don't know whether I'm advanced or not but It wouldn't hurt to do it monthly.

ya it wouldn't hurt, however you don't have to arbitrarily do it every month necessarily, if you feel good and strong then go to the gym and leave it til the end of next month.

Sometimes I'll go two months without a deload, other times I would do it in 3 weeks. You just have to learn what's a good indicator of when you need a deload. For me it's my shoulder. Once it starts to act up I take a week off from pressing

fwiw, I still have not had a premeditated deload
I"ve reset some lifts.
I' ve changeds my program up
I've taken a day off or two

I'm an old-ish beginner