Does anybody actually not do routine deloads?

[CoolRick]

What does the deload look like? Stay out of the gym entirely or just train with less intensity?

could be either, although i typically opt for taking an entire week away from the gym. Maybe continue to train abs, do some cardio. I play it by ear. Every so often ill back off the intensity and continue to train but not to failure, a kind of maintenance phase i guess you could say.

I have taken up to two weeks completely away from the gym but i find by that point the CNS gets way too relaxed and strength starts to fall a bit.

 

[Declan]

After 18 weeks of carb cycling, the fatigue has reached a point where I cannot function properly, sleep deprived and training intensity is on all time low.

I am currently on a 2 day binge lol, then back to eating maintenance calories for 4 days then slowly go back to cutting down again for 5 more weeks to hopefully see my abs fully.

So, I'm having a diet and workout deload for a week.

Blood pressure and heart rate went up as soon as I ate salty crap foods lol. Hopefully, performance in the gym will come back as well as the spring in my legs, it's been beat up by the 15k steps everyday.

 

[faller]

I literally do deloads on the fly. I’ll start warming up and even before done warming up I just know it’s time.

I cut the weights in half, 15-20 reps and the rest between sets is the time it takes to write in my journal.

15-20 minutes I’m done. I’ve gone as long as 2 weeks on this, just cause I felt like it.

 

[Bigbear]

I wonder if trt or cycling cuts back on the need for deloads, muscularily anyway maybe or maybe not cns...and if cardio effects it. This is probably all different for everyone though.

 

[Pippyhippy]

This is gonna sound funny but my elbows dictate when and how long I decompress. When I can't put my elbows on the table.without pain it's time for a week off lol. Lower back plays a factor here as well.

Personally speaking, a week off of training with relaxed food practices always results in gains and better workouts for myself. Lots of stretching and massage always good too.

 

[BanditNOLIMIT]

I wonder if trt or cycling cuts back on the need for deloads, muscularily anyway maybe or maybe not cns...and if cardio effects it. This is probably all different for everyone though.

from personal experience, not really. Of course recovery is enhanced while on cycle, but on the other hand i'm more capable of pushing myself further. They almost cancel each other out so to speak lol.

 

[Bigbear]

from personal experience, not really. Of course recovery is enhanced while on cycle, but on the other hand i'm more capable of pushing myself further. They almost cancel each other out so to speak lol.

Yea I get that for sure. I know I overtrain all the time on trt. My libido will crash and I'll sleep like shit for a few days, funny I thought the test would cover that but it doesn't

 

[Negan]

I wonder if trt or cycling cuts back on the need for deloads, muscularily anyway maybe or maybe not cns...and if cardio effects it. This is probably all different for everyone though.

It probably increases my need to deload sooner, my connective tissues need the break sooner than my muscular recovery, CNS recovery might be needed sooner for me also on cycle.

 

[Palmer1991]

I tell myself I'll do a deload but once the 4 weeks comes up I'll say after tomorrow, after tomorrow. Then things start going downhill THEN I take a break. Im getting better I used to just go till I got injured

 

[NinjaWizard2]

When I feel what could become injuries if I continue to push hard is when O take a deload month. I use lighter weight for pre-exhaustion and then use light weight and play with tempo. It has been working great for me so far.

 

[Negan]

When I feel what could become injuries if I continue to push hard is when O take a deload month. I use lighter weight for pre-exhaustion and then use light weight and play with tempo. It has been working great for me so far.

A whole deload month?.how often? If you planned 1.week deload every 6th week that would be a month of deload in half a year of training and you could probably avoid all injuries without losing gains.

 

[Palmer1991]

So kinda unrelated but I just downloaded the 'fit bod' app.
Put down all the equipment I have in my gym, put down I wanna gain weight and it gave me this....

Not only does it want me to workout back, legs and abs all in the same day but it gave me body weight workouts....
Fucking burpees, ab rollers and lunges. To gain more weight

 

[Negan]

So kinda unrelated but I just downloaded the 'fit bod' app.
Put down all the equipment I have in my gym, put down I wanna gain weight and it gave me this....

Not only does it want me to workout back, legs and abs all in the same day but it gave me body weight workouts....
Fucking burpees, ab rollers and lunges. To gain more weight

That's kinda bs imo

 

[BanditNOLIMIT]

So kinda unrelated but I just downloaded the 'fit bod' app.
Put down all the equipment I have in my gym, put down I wanna gain weight and it gave me this....

Not only does it want me to workout back, legs and abs all in the same day but it gave me body weight workouts....
Fucking burpees, ab rollers and lunges. To gain more weight

That actually looks decent for someone who wants to train like 3x a week for general health/strength/mobility.

Absolutely terrible for bodybuilding though.

 

[NinjaWizard2]

A whole deload month?.how often? If you planned 1.week deload every 6th week that would be a month of deload in half a year of training and you could probably avoid all injuries without losing gains.

I think it was Jay Cutler in an interview that said that he never got injured because he used lighter weight and then cue images of Ronnie Coleman who used to go super heavy and is now walking with canes. I like to lift heavy but when something hurts I do go a full month of light weight but tempo and pre exhaustion is key.
On my bench day for example i do the following:
A1 DB fly 4 x 15 with a 3030 tempo
A2 pec iso press 4x12 3010
A3 inclined underhand fly 4x10 1031
These act as warm up and pre exhaustion.
Then:
B1 4 x 10 dips 3010
C1 4 x 10 incline DB press 3010
D1 4 x 10 alligator/football bar 3010
All this with light weight compared to what I usually do and my pecs are pumped and burning the whole time and joints are fine.
This works well for me as I don't lose any strenght and still build mass and possible injuries are gone.

 

[Bigbear]

I think it was Jay Cutler in an interview that said that he never got injured because he used lighter weight and then cue images of Ronnie Coleman who used to go super heavy and is now walking with canes. I like to lift heavy but when something hurts I do go a full month of light weight but tempo and pre exhaustion is key.
On my bench day for example i do the following:
A1 DB fly 4 x 15 with a 3030 tempo
A2 pec iso press 4x12 3010
A3 inclined underhand fly 4x10 1031
These act as warm up and pre exhaustion.
Then:
B1 4 x 10 dips 3010
C1 4 x 10 incline DB press 3010
D1 4 x 10 alligator/football bar 3010
All this with light weight compared to what I usually do and my pecs are pumped and burning the whole time and joints are fine.
This works well for me as I don't lose any strenght and still build mass and possible injuries are gone.

I actually was getting lots of injuries so for the last few months I've been doing lower weight but slow paused reps. I really like it

 

[Cain]

Riding a Deload right now and concentrating on form and timing of the squeeze. I'm getting set to cycle to bulk again so this preps me for it I feel. Allows for more recovery also. Imo

 

[Sorbate]

I think it was Jay Cutler in an interview that said that he never got injured because he used lighter weight and then cue images of Ronnie Coleman who used to go super heavy and is now walking with canes. I like to lift heavy but when something hurts I do go a full month of light weight but tempo and pre exhaustion is key.
On my bench day for example i do the following:
A1 DB fly 4 x 15 with a 3030 tempo
A2 pec iso press 4x12 3010
A3 inclined underhand fly 4x10 1031
These act as warm up and pre exhaustion.
Then:
B1 4 x 10 dips 3010
C1 4 x 10 incline DB press 3010
D1 4 x 10 alligator/football bar 3010
All this with light weight compared to what I usually do and my pecs are pumped and burning the whole time and joints are fine.
This works well for me as I don't lose any strenght and still build mass and possible injuries are gone.

Jay was smart about that, but I don’t think he could touch Ronnie at his peak.

 

[Musclemaker]

I think it’s critical to allow full recovery before working that specific body part again. I totally go by how my body feels, no set schedule, so the time between workouts varies. Doing this (complete, full recovery) has actually allowed me to workout a little less and make just as good, if not better gains.

 

[faller]

Doing this (complete, full recovery) has actually allowed me to workout a little less and make just as good, if not better gains.

It takes a lot of experience, time, knowledge and discipline to wrap your head around doing less is better. I always felt like I was shortchanging myself, losing ground.

Yet everytime I’d miss a workout or two due to stuff in life I’d feel stronger, more energetic and feeling like I still had gas in the tank at the end of the session in my next workout. Would I learn from that? Nope, I’d dive right into balls to the wall 6 days a week.

Even now after 40+ years of working out I’m having to force myself to dial it back. I’m dragging my ass around after working out and finding that feeling strong is constantly plateauing.

it’s been two weeks now of dialing it back and it feels great, I look forward to my next workout, I have decent amount of energy for the never ending reno’s here, strength is holding even going up in some lifts.

We’ll see how long I do this before I start feeling like im shortchanging myself again