Deloading is an intentional, short-term reduction in training intensity or frequency to allow your body and mind to recover from fatigue, which can accumulate from frequent, intense workouts. Rather than stopping your workouts entirely, deloading involves easing up with lighter weights and a reduced number of sets and repetitions, allowing you to continue exercising as your body heals and grows (1).
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Deloading is a smart strategy for anyone involved in a regular training routine. Whether you are training for strength, hypertrophy , flexibility, or weight loss, your body needs time to heal and recover to become stronger and larger. Deloading ensures that recovery is a focus every few weeks. Most experts recommend deloading every 4 – 8 weeks, but it’s essential to listen to your body so you can deload when you need to (4).
Read more: Active Recovery Workouts: What to Know and When to Do Them
Training hard is essential for progress, but overtraining can lead to setbacks, prolonged recovery times, and increased risk of injury. Knowing when to back off can help you avoid potential pitfalls in your workout routine by giving your body the time it needs to repair without eliminating training (5).
Deloading gives your body time to recover, making you less susceptible to injury. It also helps your muscles, joints, and nervous system bounce back and be ready for more intense workouts. If you’re pushing too hard without adequate rest, it can hold you back more than help you.
Deloading helps improve long-term performance by reducing intensity at key intervals. By intentionally easing up from time to time, your body can adapt to a long-term plan that you can stick to for years (6).
Plan to do a deload every 4–8 weeks, depending on your progress. If you are consistently setting new personal records, aim for an eight-week deload. However, if you struggle to see any improvement, shorten it to four weeks. It can also be a good idea to deload after a particularly intense workout cycle or after completing a challenging event, such as running a marathon or participating in a decathlon.
Once recovered, you can transition into a more structured routine, such as a 5 day workout split to continue making progress efficiently.
Performing bodyweight exercises (also known as calisthenics) at a reduced volume can help support recovery and boost circulation without overexerting your body. When deloading for muscle growth, exercises such as squats, push-ups, glute bridges, and bird dogs are excellent choices for a light workout (7).
Yoga, Pilates, dynamic stretches, and similar movements can help improve flexibility and mobility without compromising the body’s ability to repair itself.
Walking, low-resistance cycling, and gentle swimming are great ways to elevate your heart rate and get some exercise without overworking your muscles.
Core stability drills, such as planksor Farmer’s Carries , can help improve posture and core strength without overly taxing other muscles. These core exercises are more so holds than extensions. They will directly mimic movements done in other exercises in the weight room.
Skip heavy compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and the bench press. Avoid high-intensity exercises like sprinting and anything that causes heavy breathing. Instead, aim for light repetitions of these exercises or light walking. The goal is to still do the movements but to minimize the intensity.
Nutrition is a critical component in any workout plan, and it is especially important during a deloading phase when the right food can help replenish energy stores, balance hormones, and repair muscle tissue.
A deload week isn’t only about repairing your muscles and taking it easy for the week. It’s also your chance to recover mentally. High-intensity training and life stressors can accumulate over time, which can impact your motivation. Using a deload phase to reduce your mental load through yoga, meditation, or other means is just as important as giving your body enough time to heal.
Beginners: Keep It Simple
If you are new to fitness and just beginning a structured routine, your body is still adjusting to the new movements. A traditional deloading phase is likely not necessary. Instead, you will want to “deload” by taking 2 –3 full rest days during the week instead of committing to a full week. During your days off, replace your more intense workouts with light walks, stretching, or beginner yoga. Aim to get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated, and eat healthy meals.
Intermediate: Adjust Intensity
Once you have been working out consistently for a few months, deloading can help you reset and break through plateaus. Reduce your training volume by 40 – 60% and use only 50 – 60% of your typical weights for one week every 6 – 8 weeks or whenever you start to notice progress slowing.
Advanced: Optimize Progress
Advanced athletes often push their limits and need regular deloads to reset and allow their central nervous system to recover. Drop the weight to 40–50% of your one-rep max or reduce your volume significantly for one week every 4–6 weeks, maintaining a strong focus on staying hydrated, getting plenty of rest, and eating properly. It’s also a good time to refine your technique and target weak areas of the body. In addition to this, elite athletes will want to focus on creating their training plan around what events they have coming up. The ultimate goal is to peak at your biggest competitions. Program your workouts with your big events in mind. Deloading phases will be incredibly important for these athletes.
Your training goals will determine how you approach your deload week, allowing you to tailor your recovery to your personal needs.
If your goal is to build muscle, a deload week will help your muscles recover, allowing them to grow larger. Attempting to continue training without deloading can stall gains while still placing considerable stress on the body and mind.
When deloading, reduce the number of sets and reps in your workout while maintaining a moderate intensity. Light stretching and mobility exercises can also help with recovery.
If you are attempting to lose weight, your deload should incorporate light, low-impact cardio exercises, such as walking or swimming. But throughout your training and into your deloading phase, you will also need to monitor your caloric intake, focus on whole foods, and avoid overeating. Fat loss comes from consistent weeks in a calorie deficit and the training weeks and deloading weeks will still need to be in a deficit in order to see sustained results.
If you’re working to improve your endurance, consider incorporating cross-training into your deload with activities like swimming or cycling to freshen up your routine. You’ll also want to take time to focus on your breathing and form during short sessions.
When it comes to weight loss, progress is made by inches, not miles, so it’s much harder to track and a lot easier to give up. The BetterMe: Health Coaching app is your personal trainer, nutritionist, and support system all in one. Start using our app to stay on track and hold yourself accountable!
Read more: How to Use the BetterMe Pilates Kit for Active Recovery
Monitor Your Recovery and Progress
The best way to know if your deload is working is to keep a record of how you feel and perform during your workouts. Logging this information will help you determine when it’s time to take a deloading week and whether it was effective. Besides your reps, sets, and weights, it’s a good idea to track your sleep quality, muscle soreness, motivation level, and performance (10).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Plan Your Next Training Cycle
A deload week is an ideal opportunity to review your goals and establish new ones. Decide which areas you want to improve, whether strength, endurance, or mobility. Review any issues you had with the last training cycle and adjust accordingly.
You should take a deload week every 4 – 8 weeks of consistent training. The more intense your workouts, the more frequently you will require a deload week. The exact timing of the deload will depend on how your body feels and your ultimate goal with training. Signs you need a deload week include fatigue, soreness, and decreased performance (9). While beginners may not initially need a deload, they can still benefit from easing up every 6–8 weeks. Deloading can help beginners prevent early burnout and develop good patterns. Skipping a deload can lead to burnout or lack of motivation. It can also make it more difficult to break through plateaus and increase your risk of injury. While skipping a deload might seem like you’re working harder, your body needs time to rest and recover. Deloading doesn’t directly aid in weight loss, but it does facilitate muscle recovery, which can help maintain metabolism and enable you to progress to more challenging workouts that support weight loss.Frequently Asked Questions
How Often Should You Take a Deload Week?
Can Beginners Benefit from Deloading?
What Happens If You Skip a Deload?
Does Deloading Help with Weight Loss?
Deloading is a crucial component of a comprehensive long-term fitness strategy. It will help your body recover and reset, allowing your performance to continue improving. Forgetting to deload will lead to slower gains and plateaus that are difficult to overcome. Tired, overworked muscles are also more susceptible to injury. Listen to your body and take a deload week every 4–8 weeks as needed.
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