Deloads for more muscle and strength

• If you follow an effective set and weight progression, you will accumulate a lot of fatigue within a given training cycle.
• This fatigue reduces the training performance, so that in the long run no greater training stimuli can be achieved.
• Other hormonal impairments also directly prevent good muscle development.
• To prevent this, deloads should be integrated into the training plan.
• During this phase, training volume is drastically reduced (mainly via the number of sets, but also via the weight and reps).
• After the deload, the body is resensitized so that it will react more strongly to lower training stimuli, and one can gradually progress to stronger stimuli.

Deloads to minimize fatigue

The most important factor in training for more muscle mass and strength is increasing the training stimulus through more training volume.

However, every increase in training volume (e.g. through more weight and/or more sets) has a price. This is paid in the form of increased fatigue from training week to training week.

What are the specific effects of this fatigue? Hormonal adaptations and a declining performance of the nervous system reduce training performance. In other words, it becomes increasingly difficult (and eventually impossible) to manage a high volume and thus provide strong training stimuli.

However, this volume and these stimuli are essential to make good progress. In addition, the body reduces the production of natural growth hormones, which makes muscle building even more difficult. The increase in fatigue level can only be kept in check by utilizing regular phases of low training volume.

These phases are called deloads, and they usually last for a week.

Example of a deload

The following table shows the sample progression for the quadriceps from the last two articles on set progression and weight progression. This time both strategies are combined: both the weight used and the number of sets are gradually increased.

In the first week, a total of 8 sets are performed for the quads, which are divided into three exercises: squats, leg presses, and leg extensions. In each case, a weight is used where the target rep range is reached with about 3 reps left in the tank.

In the following weeks, the weight and number of sets are steadily increased until, in week 4, a total of 14 sets are completed with such a high weight that the target rep range is reached with 0 reps left in the tank.

	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5
Squats	3 x 8 x 160 lbs	4 x 8 x 165 lbs	4 x 8 x 170 lbs	5 x 8 x 175 lbs	2 x 8 x 160 lbs
Leg Press	3 x 10 x 240 lbs	3 x 10 x 245 lbs	4 x 10 x 250 lbs	5 x 10 x 255 lbs	2 x 10 x 240 lbs
Leg Extensions	2 x 12 x 140 lbs	3 x 12 x 145 lbs	4 x 12 x 150 lbs	4 x 12 x 155 lbs	1 x 12 x 140 lbs
Total	8 Sets	10 Sets	12 Sets	14 Sets	5 Sets

Training so close to muscular failure causes the fatigue level to increase tremendously with each set. Together with the fatigue gradually accumulated over the previous weeks, a level has now been reached where increasing the training volume again would no longer make sense.

There would then be insufficient recovery between training sessions, which would result in the negative consequences described above.

How exactly is training done during the deload?

To prevent this, a deload should now be inserted. During this time, you should train with a greatly reduced volume, with fewer sets and repetitions and a slightly lower weight.

Fortunately, it is much easier to maintain muscle than to build it, so in a well-planned deload you don't have to worry about losing your hard-earned results.

In the deload phase of the above example, only 5 sets are completed for the quads. Furthermore, the weights are reduced to the level of week 1. In addition, the repetitions are reduced so that at least 5 repetitions would still have been possible for each set.

The training volume of a deload should be chosen according to the principle "as low as possible, as high as necessary". As low as possible so that fatigue can be reduced as much as possible, as high as necessary to prevent any muscle loss.

Full of energy for the next training cycle

Following the deload, a new training cycle begins, and training is again performed at the optimal training volume. This volume is now significantly lower again and at the same time offers much better muscle building potential.

One of the reasons for this is that the hormone balance returns to normal due to the drop in fatigue levels during the deload and no longer negatively affects muscle building.

Adjust rep ranges and exercises after deload

In the example above, we would increase the number of sets back to the level of week 1 of the previous cycle. However, due to the strength gained, you can now use more weight or perform more reps in this next cycle.

In general, weight and rep range should be chosen so that the training stimulus is higher than the last time this exercise was performed.

Various combinations of weight and reps can be performed with our maximum strength calculator as a tool for comparison. The equivalent maximum weight of the sets of the current cycle should be higher than those of each past cycle.

However, in order to stress the full range of muscle fibers over several training cycles, some exercises and rep ranges, among other things, should be changed after each cycle.