This year I'm doing something I've never done before in my fitness.

Maybe the craziest thing I've ever done, that makes training for a 100 mile race in 3 months seem easy.

Now don't laugh at me.

It might not be crazy to you.

But if you're anything like me, you'll know how crazy it actually is and you can relate:

I'm taking a planned week, every single month, to take it easy in my training.

And for someone who doesn't have a hard time being in the gym, this takes more discipline for me than simply trying to train hard all the time.

This is commonly referred to as a 'deload week'

I've studied all about it.

I logically know the benefits of a deload week.

But I'm still not bought in...not yet.

So I'm testing it out.

I'm planning to do 1 deload week every single month.

I'll still be at the gym, but my training will not be heavy.

There will not be a lot of volume.

I won't be training to failure.

I'll probably cut both of those in half on these deload weeks.

It's important to maintain some fitness on those weeks, as to not move backwards, but I'm also not trying to push my progress forward.

There are times when doing absolutely nothing might be the best answer for you - but that just makes me feel sluggish and gets all my other rhythms out of sync.

To be honest, these deload weeks will feel a lot like a longer warmup.

These weeks feel painfully easy and almost unproductive.

And while the physical benefits are there, it's the mental side that scares me the most.

Because that means 12 weeks of taking it easy.

12 weeks of 'not getting better'

But I know it will make those 40 other weeks so much more productive, and that's the point.

Now there's one quick thing I need to say before I get into the benefits.

This might go without saying, but I don't want to assume, so here it is:

You only need a deload week if you're training hard.

If you're skipping days at the gym, only able to get in 2x/week, or you're not pushing anywhere near failure, then there's some good news.

You probably don't need to deload.

You need to train harder...and then you need to deload.

I know that it's time for me to deload when:

• My motivation to get to the gym is lower
• When I've lost enjoyment in training or have a small amount of 'dread' going into a session
• When weights that should feel light start to feel heavy

If you're already training pretty hard, but have never implemented regular deload weeks (like me for many years), then here's why you should consider taking it easy one week every month:

Ability To Train Harder

When you're always pushing near your red line, your performance is going to suffer.

There is a concept called overreaching, in which you strategically push slightly past your ability to recover for a period of time.

If this happens for too long, you get into full blown overtraining.

This is when you're not giving your body it's proper time to recover, and your performance is actually beginning to suffer.

By taking regular time to allow your body to rest, you can actually push it harder on the weeks that you're supposed to be going hard in the gym.

Reduced Overuse Injuries

When we had our physical therapy practice, the number one issue we dealt with in the active populations was overuse injuries.

For CrossFitters, this was knee, elbow, shoulder, and low back issues.

For our runners, this was Achilles tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, and IT band issues.

For every day weekend warriors this was shoulder impingement, knee tendinitis, or bulging discs (which actually are an overuse thing, and rarely a one time thing like many believe).

If you're always pushing your limits, it's usually your joints and connective tissues that fight back.

If you're experiencing symptoms of inflammation, like pain around your joints or tendons, then you need to make sure you're doing two things:

• First, you need to be following an intelligent exercise program that allows you to go hard without getting hurt.
• Second, you need to be focusing as much on recovery as you do on pushing it hard. 

The harder you push, the more you need to recover.

Mental and Nervous System Breaks

Anyone that loves to lift heavy, go fast, or push themselves know the mental demand that can take.

Pushing yourself anywhere near your limits can crank up overall fatigue a whole lot faster, leaving your mind and your nervous system worn down.

When this happens, your performance will certainly suffer. Think about how much better your workouts feel when you're 'dialed in' compared to when you're worn down or sluggish. 

You can push past these feelings for a little while, but eventually they'll catch up.

It might start as a slight decline in performance, but eventually it can lead to you getting sick, getting hurt, or dealing with more serious health issues (see my next point)

Overall Health and Stress Management

Health and fitness is so much more than how much weight you can lift, how fast or far you can run, or what your Murph time is.

Your bloodwork, your hormones, your sleep, your stress, your mood - all these 'data points' paint a picture of your overall health. 

During the pandemic, when I was red lining myself in our business, and trying to push my body to the limits (thankfully I had a home gym, and what else was I going to do to pass time?) - my body started to push back.

I developed extreme fatigue due to my cortisol being so high and my adrenals being overworked.

Training hard has benefits, but more is not better.

If you add prolonged physical stress on top of prolonged mental/psychological stress, you're asking for more serious problems down the road.

Our bodies were meant to rest and recover - let your body do what it was designed to do.

Create More Fitness Balance

When done correctly, deload weeks can provide more balance to your overall health and fitness.

If you're going easier on the weights, you can walk more, get on a bike, or go for a light run.

If you're taking it easier on running, you can do some easy cross training sessions to add some strength.

You can work on weaknesses through some different core or multiplanar exercises, more single leg/single arm exercises, or different exercise variations that wouldn't fit in your normal program.

This is how I plan to structure the majority of my deload weeks, addressing some of my weak spots that I don't have a lot of time for during other weeks.

Quick note: you still need to be recovering! Doing less in the gym while trying to set a running PR is not the way to let your body recover.

Create More Life Balance

Life is seasonal. There should be ebbs and flows to your weeks, months, and years.

A deload week fits perfectly with these, and allows you some freedom during these times.

Maybe you have some travel coming up, or want to take a week just to spend more time with family and friends, or push forward on a new hobby or business.

Life shouldn't revolve around simply going to the gym, and weeks of taking it easy takes the pressure off of feeling like you always need to be pushing it.

You're Already Deloading Anyway (You Just Don't Realize It)

This is the biggest one I've learned over the years.

You're actually already taking deload weeks, you might just not call it that.

You can either take a proactive deload week, or you'll have to take a reactive one sooner or later.

If you go hard for 6 months and then get derailed for 6 weeks (or longer) with an injury...

You're in a worst spot than if you took 1 week each month to do the same thing.

If you have 1-2 days each week where you physically show up to the gym, but you're training just feels hard and forced...

You're not getting a lot out of those sessions anyways, and would be better off recovering.

If you take a whole week off of training because you're traveling and don't have access to a gym...

Yep, you're deloading.

I tried to find my way around taking deload weeks for a lot of years, but in hindsight I always have periods of deloading even when I didn't realize it.

And because I have a lot of intuition around what my body needs, this has kept me from getting hurt, sick, or burned out very often.

But some people don't have that.

Or maybe you're like me, and you're just scared.

I'm okay to admit it.

Most of my hesitation around deloading has always been fear based.

• What if I lose my progress?
• What if I miss out on faster progress?
• But I love working out, what will I do on weeks when I'm not in the gym as much?

All of these are common thoughts, but they're just not rational.

And in all honesty, not healthy.

If I told you that you could get better progress, have more life balance, and actually feel better all around - you would take whatever I was giving.

But when the thing that provides that is rest, people have a hard time accepting it.

If you're training hard, and the thought of this scares you, I encourage you to join me in giving this a try this year.

Worst case, it doesn't work, and you go back to going hard all the time.

First ask yourself: are you training hard enough to need a deload week?

If not, figure out what's stopping you from getting there.

If you're answer to that is yes, and you're not taking regular deload weeks, it's also important to ask yourself why.

Let me know your biggest takeaway:

Do you need to train harder or train less this year?

If the answer is both, you're really speaking my language.

Dave