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Deload

wheels

New member
How important is to deload?
Ive run my first 3 weeks of 5/3/1 and feel fine, no fatigue or soreness (muscle and joint).
Im not lifting anything overly huge so is it necessary to take the week light? Just after your own opinions...
 
I did 2 full programs back to back without a deload. I did eventually have to deload and it was very much welcomed
I believe deloads need to be planned into a program.
 
Not necessarily Kaz

What if the program calls for a deload on a week you're feeling good? Or a heavy weight on a week you're sick?

The "newer" wave of linear based programs seem to favour PRE based training as opposed to pre-determined sets/reps

Spritcha, if he sees this, will be the most informed on the board regarding this type of training
 
True Hamburger. It is hard to plan. If you're feeling strong absolutely keep trekking.
Deload when it feels essential.


Who is spritcha?
 
Depends what you mean by deload really. If you aren't smashed then the only reason you'd deload is to peak for competition. Some Sheiko templates run for 14 weeks with no deload as such, but all Sheiko templates run through 4 week waves where intensity and volume fluctuates. With 5/3/1 I'd say back off when you're fatigued if not why bother. For me I run something like 6s then 5s then 4s then singles then back to 5s or 6s. Returning to higher reps pushes the loading back down and for me that's enough to give me the break I need. I can normally go 12-14 weeks like that. That's a long way of saying keep going if you feel good.
 
I'm Stephen Pritchard aka SP aka rhino lol
That's me on the right in the pic- the guy on the left is Daisuke Midote.
 
I've done one week deload this year. Post comp was always complete rest or body weight crossfit training.
If I was sick it was complete rest.
 
Honestly if you can only train for 3 weeks before having to have a week off you probably have AIDS or some other wasting disease

Deloading is for before meets. The only exception to this is when I completely lose motivation and I will just not go to the gym until my motivation comes back again, which is about a week. This has only happened twice for me.

If you're manipulating volume with intensity correctly, you should never have to deload. Every single rep you do is improving your skill in the lift or your skillset as a strength athlete. I can lose motivation because I really can't be fucked do heavy singles that week, so I do something else that helps me advance as a lifter. I can do lat work, planks, dynamic effort, reps, curls, whatever. missing 12 weeks in a year of training where you just warm up on your main lifts and call it a day? Fuck that
 
IMO a full de-load week every 4 is just wasting valuable time, and if anything allows you to become 'de-conditioned'. Unless maybe if you are an elite highly skilled and efficient lifter.

I recently came off 531 after a 16 week block. On de-load week I did 'mini-deloads' where for one or two sessions I cut back volume/intensity, for example working up to only an 80% triple. Then I would use the rest of the de-load week do whatever I wanted, such as focusing on oly lifts, different rep schemes etc.

In contrast, I'm now doing Bulgarian Method style training - I have trained for 20+ days consecutively and am setting PBs in a fatigued state...with very solid sleep and nutrition I might add. The closest thing to a de-load would be to avoid singles over 90% on days I feel particularly sluggish and say reduce squat volume in favour of power cleans.

Changed my concept of 'overtraining', and how it relates to smart programming and good recovery measures.
 
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Personally I think the way 531 is set up you could constantly do the whole wave in a week if you were conditioned to high frequency, you'd just have to take a cautious approach to the main set
 
When I went to the PA workshop, 2 of the guys there had thier female clients on a 4 week deload cycle. I thought that was too many deloads. Fair enough it was tuned in time with thier menstrual cycle but it was the first time I'd ever heard of it...?
 
The Hamburgler said:
Personally I think the way 531 is set up you could constantly do the whole wave in a week if you were conditioned to high frequency, you'd just have to take a cautious approach to the main set
Click to expand...

I agree. I'd like to add I found going too hard on accessories is what prevented me from training the main lifts more frequently. E.g banging out bulk volume of reverse hypers or abs would leave those areas sore for days.

Right now I don't do/very little any accessory work but can do the main lifts 7 days a week including squatting 4-5x per week...
 
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Exactly this
 
kaz said:
When I went to the PA workshop, 2 of the guys there had thier female clients on a 4 week deload cycle. I thought that was too many deloads. Fair enough it was tuned in time with thier menstrual cycle but it was the first time I'd ever heard of it...?
Click to expand...

If you compete 3 times a year with that deload, plus a comp taper and the comp itself it means you're training less than 2/3 year lol
 
I personally thought 1 week of for light recovery work was a bit unnecessary. Thanks for your opinions, Ill take a "deload" when i feel i need it which means heavy legs tonight
 
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