What is a deload?
A short, easier training period, usually a week with fewer sets or lighter loads, used to shed fatigue before training hard again.
Experienced strength athletes typically deload for about a week every five to six weeks, but controlled evidence is thin. In the one trial that tested a week off in the middle of a nine-week program, muscle growth was unchanged and lower-body strength improved slightly less.
So a deload is mainly a way to manage fatigue, stalled progress or aching joints, and stopping training entirely is not the best version. Cut sets rather than weight: tapering research shows that lowering volume while keeping intensity preserves performance. The strength blocks on this site end with that kind of lighter week, which also gives you a clean point to retest.
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- Bell, L. et al. (2024). Deloading practices in strength and physique sports: a cross-sectional survey. Sports Med Open 10(1). 246 competitive athletes: deloads lasted about a week, every 5 to 6 weeks on average, mostly by cutting sets and reps.
- Coleman, M. et al. (2024). Gaining more from doing less? The effects of a one-week deload period during supervised resistance training on muscular adaptations. PeerJ 12. A week without training midway through 9 weeks: same muscle growth, slightly smaller lower-body strength gains.
- Bosquet, L. et al. (2007). Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 39(8). Cutting volume by 41-60% while holding intensity produced the largest performance gains.