Deload week: what it is, when to take one and how, according to the evidence
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In a survey of 246 strength and physique athletes, every single one took deload weeks: on average, about 6 days every 5-6 weeks. But stopping completely is not the same as deloading, and a 2024 study shows it. What a well-planned deload looks like and when you need one.
In 2024, Rogerson and colleagues asked 246 strength and physique athletes, with an average of eight years of training, how they organised their breaks. All of them deloaded. A typical deload lasted about 6 days and came every 5-6 weeks. They cut sets and reps, and reduced weight and effort somewhat, but kept the same training frequency and the same exercises.
It is an almost universal practice and yet one that has been studied very little. This is what is known, what is not, and how to deload in a way that helps you without losing what you have gained.
What a deload week is
An international group of coaches, in the consensus by Bell and colleagues (2023), defined it like this: a period of reduced training stress designed to mitigate physiological and psychological fatigue, promote recovery and enhance preparedness for subsequent training.
The key is less stress, not no stress. You keep training, but with less volume, less weight or less proximity to failure, so that accumulated fatigue drops faster than your adaptations.
Deloading is not stopping: what the evidence says
The study by Coleman and colleagues (2024) compared two groups over a 9-week programme. One trained without a break; the other stopped training completely for one week halfway through. Muscle grew the same in both, but the group that kept going gained more strength, and also felt somewhat more ready to train.
An earlier study, by Ogasawara and colleagues (2013), shows the other side: alternating 6 weeks of training with 3 weeks off for 6 months produced similar hypertrophy to training without a break. In other words, short breaks do not wipe out muscle, but they do not make it grow more either, and stopping completely can cost some strength.
| Study | What it compared | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Coleman (2024) | 9 straight weeks versus 1 week off halfway | Same muscle; more strength without the break |
| Ogasawara (2013) | 24 straight weeks versus 6-week cycles with 3 weeks off | Similar hypertrophy and strength at the end |
| Rogerson (2024) | What 246 experienced athletes do | Deload every 5-6 weeks, without stopping training |
If you are worried about losing muscle during a few days out of the gym, read how much muscle you lose when you stop training: one week barely counts.
How to deload: three ways
| Method | What you change | When it suits you |
|---|---|---|
| Less volume | Half the sets (or 30-50% fewer), same weight, RIR 3-4 | The most common option; keeps technique and strength |
| Less weight | Same sets, 10-20% less weight | When your joints are bothering you |
| Less effort | Same sets and roughly the same weight, but RIR 4-5 | When the fatigue is mainly mental |
In all three you keep the same frequency (the same days) and the same exercises, as the surveyed athletes did. RIR, the reps you leave in reserve, is explained in RIR and RPE.
How often to deload
There is no figure proven by trials. Athletes deload every 5-6 weeks on average, and many programmes plan one every 4-8 weeks. Two approaches combine well:
- Planned: at the end of each 4-6-week block in which effort has been rising.
- Reactive: when signs of accumulated fatigue show up, even if it is not scheduled.
| Sign | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| You lose reps with the same weight two sessions in a row | Fatigue is masking your fitness |
| Joint aches that do not go away between sessions | Tissues are not recovering at the pace of training |
| You sleep worse or do not feel like training for weeks | Accumulated psychological fatigue |
| Soreness that lasts longer than usual | Recent volume has been too much |
If several signs persist even after deloading, it may be something more serious: we cover it in symptoms of overtraining. And no deload makes up for chronically poor sleep: sleep and performance.
Do beginners need deloads?
Less so. In the first months volume and loads are moderate and fatigue clears from one session to the next. For a beginner, an easier week when something does not fit, such as a trip or a run of poor sleep, is usually enough. Planned deloads start to make sense when you train close to failure several times a week with high volume.
Common mistakes
- Turning the deload into a week off for no reason: according to Coleman (2024), stopping completely can cost some strength.
- Using it to test your maxes: the low-stress week is not the time to set records.
- Replacing the gym with another hard effort, such as running much more: fatigue does not drop.
- Deloading every two weeks without needing to: if you never build up fatigue, you never build up stimulus either.
Planning blocks and deloads is part of managing fatigue. The Progrevia generator schedules the deload within the block: effort rises week by week and the last week cuts volume so you arrive fresh at the next one.
- Rogerson D, Nolan D, Androulakis Korakakis P, Immonen V, Wolf M, Bell L. Deloading practices in strength and physique sports: a cross-sectional survey. Sports Medicine - Open. 2024;10(1):26.
- Bell L, Strafford BW, Coleman M, Androulakis Korakakis P, Nolan D. Integrating deloading into strength and physique sports training programmes: an international Delphi consensus approach. Sports Medicine - Open. 2023;9(1):87.
- Coleman M, Burke R, Augustin F, Piñero A, Maldonado J, Fisher JP, et al. Gaining more from doing less? The effects of a one-week deload period during supervised resistance training on muscular adaptations. PeerJ. 2024;12:e16777.
- Ogasawara R, Yasuda T, Ishii N, Abe T. Comparison of muscle hypertrophy following 6-month of continuous and periodic strength training. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2013;113(4):975-985.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a deload week?
A period of reduced training stress to reduce physical and mental fatigue, recover and prepare for the next block (Bell consensus, 2023). You keep training, but with fewer sets, less weight or less effort.
How often should you deload?
There is no proven figure. The strength athletes surveyed by Rogerson (2024) deloaded for about 6 days every 5-6 weeks; many programmes do it every 4-8 weeks or when signs of fatigue appear.
Is it better to take a full week off or to deload?
Deload. In the study by Coleman (2024), a week without training halfway through a 9-week programme did not change muscle growth, but the group that kept training gained more strength.
Do you lose muscle during a deload week?
Not noticeably. Even 3-week breaks every 6 weeks of training produced similar hypertrophy to training without a break for 6 months (Ogasawara, 2013).
How do I cut back training during a deload?
The most common way is to do half the sets with the same weight and more reps in reserve (RIR 3-4), keeping the same days and exercises. Dropping the weight by 10-20% also works.
Informational content based on the available scientific evidence: it does not replace advice from a healthcare professional. If you have an injury or a medical condition, or are pregnant, check with one before changing your training or diet.
