The Guide to Deload Weeks

When do you need to take your foot off the gas and step back from your workouts? Here’s what you need to know.

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IN AN IDEAL world, every workout would be filled with PRs. You’d always reach for heavier dumbbells, throw more plates on the bar, perform more intervals in less time, and navigate the cable machines like they were custom-built for one man (you) and one purpose only (setting records). The line of progression, essential for muscle growth and strength gains, would only move up.

In the real world, though, the constant push to move more weight for more reps, or run a little faster every single workout can wear you down, sometimes physically, other times mentally. And that’s where a deload week can come in.

Understand this: you can push your body hard—often harder than you even realize, whether you’re chasing muscle gains or your first marathon PR. But, when smartly implemented between hard training periods, deload weeks let you recuperate physically and mentally, recharging before another hard period of training.

“Over the longevity of years of training, you want to alternate between periods where you push your physiology to the limit, followed by brief periods where you let yourself pull back and relax (without completely being inert),” says MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. “And those short weeks of deloading can keep you healthy and prime you for your next push.”

“The goal is to reduce accumulated fatigue so the body can repair muscle tissue, restore energy, and actually adapt to the training,” adds Jes Woods, a Nike Run Coach in New York City.

The deload week just might be a key to years and years of gains, since you can’t always simply go “even harder.” But when and how should you do it? Here’s your primer.