What Is a Deload and How Can it Help My Weight-Training Program?

Deloading can be an important recovery tool for your weight-training goals, and it is often built into your customized workout programs. But what is a deload? Simply put, a deload is a period of recovery during (intra) any weight-training program that usually lasts for one week. The word “deload” doesn’t mean a complete break from the gym. In fact, it’s designed to help you maintain your routine while giving your muscles a chance to heal. Let’s take a closer look at deloading and why it’s so important:

How Does Deloading Work?

As stated above, deloading is a brief period aimed to boost recovery during your training phase to help you continue to apply progressive overload. Depending on your experience level and the amount of weight you lift relative to your maximums, when you deload might vary a bit. Your first deload may start around the fifth or sixth week of a 12 week strength training program. However, as your training and experience progress, you may need to deload more frequently as you will be using heavier percentages of your maximum while training.

There are a few ways to deload, but the most common method is to reduce your weight by roughly 70-75% keeping same rep count but reducing the total amount of working sets for one week before continuing onto more challenging weights the following week.

How Do I Know When I Need to Deload?

If you’re following a pre-designed training program, your deloading period will be scheduled for you. If you’re designing your own workout program, these indicators might be telling you it’s time for a deload:

Overtraining: If you’re feeling weak or your performance is suffering and you can’t seem to find the stamina to complete your reps with correct form, you may be overreaching.
The wrong kind of pain: Progressive training is not without its aches and soreness. But constant pain in your joints or muscles may be a sign that your body needs to recover.
Plateauing: Suddenly your weight progression seems impossible and you just can’t get past a certain load. A deload can help rid your body of any inflammation and fatigue that may be slowing you down.

Why Is Recovery So Important?

If you’re dedicated to reaching your workout goals, it’s understandable to want to hit the gym as hard as you can. Taking it easy can feel like you’re wasting your time. But overtraining can easily lead to long-term injuries or overtraining syndrome (OTS), which can cause chronic pain, exhaustion, and lowered immunity.

Fortunately, recovery is also when a muscle grows. Weight-training exercises cause muscular micro-tears, which need time to heal. When the micro-tears heal, your muscles grow. Without giving your body enough time to repair itself in this way, you may actually be slowing down your progress, not to mention risking all the health problems listed above.

So, Why Not Take a Break from the Gym Completely?

Saying goodbye to training for a full week is not always the best answer. Going back to training after several days of recovery may affect your mental focus or even motivation. Unless there’s a serious injury involved, deloading is the ideal solution. It helps maintain the habit and routine of working out while providing a long list of holistic benefits.

Is Deloading a Good Use of My Time?

Absolutely. Taking it easy for a week may seem like you’re cheating yourself, but in reality, your body needs this time to recuperate. It’s also common to hit PB’s the week after a deload, weights that felt like you were grinding them out all of a sudden can feel smooth connected because you took the time to back off the load but maintained the movement patterns.

Deloading is important for anyone who is serious about progressing. Scheduling a deload week (or following a pre-designed workout program) is an important way to see continued progression.

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Ever start a diet with all the best intentions onl

Ever start a diet with all the best intentions only to fizzle out after a few months? You are not alone, and that is what the latest episode of my podcast is about. Asking you the question - is now a good time to diet?

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What is a Supported Step Down? And should you incl

What is a Supported Step Down? And should you include a Supported Step Down in your routine?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock when it comes to fitness content, you’ve probably seen coaches talk about making an exercise more “glute dominant”. And within that topic, this supported step-down variation gets a lot of hype.

This setup (holding on) allows you to sit back, limit knee bend compared to a regular step-down, and lean forward through the torso, which creates a greater stretch on the glutes for better potential with loading.

I hadn’t actually tried the exercise until today, so I decided to give it a go for the first time and share my honest feedback.

Coming in, I was a bit sceptical because it always seemed challenging not to overuse the supporting arm. My initial thoughts were confirmed during the exercise; I found it tricky not to rely on that support.

Still, I think it’s a solid accessory movement. Personally, I prefer the step-down variation, where you don’t place weight onto the leg that touches the floor. Yes, it involves more knee flexion but keeps the workload constant on the working leg.

This supported version has merits. Just be mindful as you load it up and progress, especially if you’re training close to failure. You’re likely to rely more on that supporting arm.

So, ask yourself: what are you trying to overload? If it’s the glutes, the role of that arm matters.

As always, my advice is to give it a try and see for yourself!

📍@lisbonstrong

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Squats & Deadlifts are great. It’s true, they d

Squats & Deadlifts are great.

It’s true, they deliver great bang for your buck in terms of how many muscles they work.

But there’s a point, once you get moderately strong, when they become a monumental faff. Setting up, stripping down, doing warm-up sets, and working through all your sets, including rest periods, can take a long time. Most people I know end up spending over 20 minutes on just one of these lifts.

Depending on how you define “bang for your buck,” this trade-off doesn’t always seem great.

In the same amount of time, I could do two hard sets of:

1️⃣Bulgarian split squats
2️⃣Back extensions
3️⃣Leg curls
4️⃣Leg extensions

I’m not saying you should never do them; I’m just saying don’t rely on them all the time. The time trade-off isn’t as optimal as you’ve been led to believe.

And, trust me, it’s liberating to take these lifts out of your routine sometimes and focus on exercises you can do quicker.

Tell me, how long does each of these lifts take you?

#StrengthTraining #LegDay #FunctionalFitness #WorkoutEfficiency #LiftSmart #StrengthCoach #SquatLife #Deadlifts #TrainingTips #BuildStrength #LegsAndGlutes #SplitSquats #StrongerFaster #FitnessJourney #MuscleBuilding #TimeEfficientWorkouts #TrainingSmart #LiftHeavy #GymLife #FitnessMotivation

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you don’t

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you don’t ever need to mobilise, but a very smart thing to do in strength training is to choose exercises that expose the joints to their full range of motion.

For example, I could do push-ups where my chest touches the floor, or I could elevate my hands onto yoga blocks and take my shoulder girdle through a greater range of motion. This exposes the shoulder to more shoulder extension. Or, with my pull-ups, I could stop with my shoulders not fully flexed overhead, or I could drop all the way into the hang before pulling up.

In the video's example, I’m using elevation to create a deficit in range of motion, taking my ankle, knee, and hip through the large range of motion available to them.

Emphasising range of motion could be the missing key to improving both mobility and strength in your workout.

Then, you can focus on mobility in areas that these exercises won’t necessarily target, such as spinal rotation and flexion, hip internal and external rotation, shoulder extension, and internal rotation.

This is a great way to be more time-efficient when you work out 👍🏻

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My initial thought is that life’s too short to e

My initial thought is that life’s too short to eat carbs only on training days!

But all joking aside, this nutritional strategy originates from nutrient timing and carb cycling. The idea behind these approaches is that training primarily uses glycogen as a fuel source. So, to manage this have an increase in carbohydrate intake on training days. Carb cycling often includes high, moderate and low-carb days: low-carb days on rest days and high-carb days on the most intense days. It can be a useful strategy when dieting and eating in deficit, as it can allow you to maximise your workout performance on training days. But this approach is hard to stick to because your exercise schedule dictates your nutrition.

Nutrient timing (eating most of your carbs around your workouts) is usually no more effective than eating a consistent amount of carbs daily. Because keeping carb intake level can help maintain muscle glycogen throughout the week, and exercise drives glycogen into the muscles as part of training adaptations. Research into nutrient timing is, at best, mixed but generally leans towards showing null benefits compared to eating level carbohydrates.

All that being said, there may be times when increasing carbs on days of high energy demand makes sense, for example, when doing a long run as part of marathon training. But the idea of having carbs ONLY on training days is, in my opinion, a hard “no.” You’re likely to feel sluggish on days you have none. Life isn’t just about workouts. If you have kids, a job, or other demands, you need to ensure you’re fueling for cognitive function and daily vitality.

Also, remember that muscle recovery happens on rest days too, so if you restrict energy on those days, you’re also limiting nutrients essential for recovery.

In summary, for some, having high-carb and low-carb days might be practical. For those dieting, timing carbs around workouts could also help sustain performance. However, I strongly advise against days with no carbohydrates. And, as with many things, if you want to try carb cycling, prepare for some trial and error, as being too extreme with this approach can come with noticeable drawbacks.

How to Position Weights for Heavy Dumbbell Chest P

How to Position Weights for Heavy Dumbbell Chest Press 💪

Struggling to press heavy dumbbells because you can't get them into position? Here are some tips to get you lifting safely and efficiently!👇

1️⃣ Focus on Technique First

Before even thinking about lifting, focus on your setup. Quickly tip back to get the weights low and stable.
Don't aim to kick the weights halfway or all the way up before pressing – this puts you in the hardest or most unstable part of the movement.

2️⃣ Avoid Shortchanging Your Reps

You're missing out on strength gains if you're not bringing the weights into a deep, straight position on each rep. Practice pressing from the very bottom to get used to this starting position. This will be essential for handling heavier weights later on.

3️⃣ Don't Rush to Go Heavier

Instead of always chasing the next weight, focus on mastering your current weight with good form. Once you're used to pressing from a deep position, you'll find it much easier to increase weight.

Give this a try, and let me know how you get on! 💥

📍@lisbonstrong

#ChestPress #StrengthTraining #MuscleBuilding #RangeOfMotion #ChestDay #DumbbellPress #FitnessTips #WorkoutInspo #StrengthCoach #PushDay #GymMotivation #LiftHeavy #FitnessJourney #FitTips #FormCheck #ExerciseTechnique

Training to failure shouldn't mean dropping the fo

Training to failure shouldn't mean dropping the form; it means pushing to your limits while maintaining good technique and avoiding injury. Tune into the latest podcast or check out the episode on YouTube. Let's train smart together.

🎧 Subscribe and Listen wherever you get your podcasts
📺 Or watch the episode on my YouTube Channel

#AndyVincentPT #SmarterStrengthTraining #trainsmart #podcast #fitnesspodcast #strengthtrainingpodcast #avpt #onlinepersonaltraining #fitnessobsessed #FitnessGoals #StrengthRetention

The two most popular barbell deadlift variations a

The two most popular barbell deadlift variations are the conventional and the sumo.

It’s common for people to say that one feels much more comfortable than the other. In this video, I’ll explain why that is so you understand the specific issues with each. I’ll also answer common questions about which one is better for the lower back and which one targets the glutes more.

Let me know if you have any further questions regarding the deadlift, whether it’s the sumo or conventional variation.

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When we look at the greater body of research on re

When we look at the greater body of research on resistance bands versus weightlifting, at the very best we can say resistance bands are equivalent to weight training. I'd caveat and say up to a point and more for untrained individuals and I'm not saying there isn't a single piece of research out there that states it is three times more effective. I couldn't find it, but ultimately, what's more important, if it does exist, is that it's going to be the outlier. It's not going to be the mean average of what we see.

Additionally to this Post By Dave Asprey, the caption speaks about how bands "wobble," and your body has to resist this wobble, which engages the proprioceptor muscles, causing muscle growth. This is what happens when people step out of their lane (although I'm not sure what his lane is). Mechanical tension is a primary driver of hypertrophy. Anyone in the strength training space knows that. Everything about his post is ridiculous. The research and the explanation are made up.

I see more and more content like this from creators with huge audiences, who people just assume are correct.

On the one hand, with the research we have in 2024, we understand topics so much better than even five years ago. But with social media, there's so much misinformation going around that people are more confused than ever.

So we have this strange scenario of better understanding so many topics, yet more confusion because too many people are trying to sell products. For them, it's better to keep people misinformed.

#AndyVincentPT #SmarterStrengthTraining #trainsmart

The supplement industry, unlike the pharmaceutical

The supplement industry, unlike the pharmaceutical industry, isn’t as tightly regulated, and these regulations differ between regions. Regulations govern labeling, and allergenic ingredients, but batch testing often isn’t done regularly. This means guaranteeing consistent doses across manufacturing is an issue.

Plenty of third-party research has been conducted to test various products. I imagine this question stems from recent research out of Pieter Cohen’s lab, where they tested supplements. Only 11% of the 57 supplements tested had active ingredient levels with 10% of the stated ranges, a shocking 40% contained non of the active ingredients. And those that did contain them, the dosages ranged from 0.02% to 334%, and some supplements included ingredients that were on the WADA list of banned substances. This could be enough to make an athlete fail a drug test or even potentially cause harm.

NOTE: This research specifically focused on pre-workout supplements, where stimulants are used.

For standard supplements within the fitness, like: creatine, citrulline malate, and beta-alanine or dietary supplements such as magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D, these weren’t the type of products tested in that particular study.

Another way the supplement industry often avoids accurate labeling is by stating “proprietary blend.” This allows companies to include ingredients without disclosing exact amounts. Which is something to be wary of.

To address the question, I don’t have an answer on whether most supplements lack the ingredients or dosages they claim. However, I always urge people to buy from reputable brands and avoid purchasing supplements from influencers or through marketplaces like Amazon, where you may not be getting what you think you are.

It’s also important to consider whether you really need to take a particular supplement. The wellness industry is valued at around $5.6 trillion, three times the size of the pharmaceutical industry.
Wellness is big business, and it’s easy to see why people might want to use supplements, but I often feel they’re reached for a bit too quickly.

In short, it’s worth doing your research before buying any supplements.

There's often a narrative that as people hit mid-l

There's often a narrative that as people hit mid-life and then later life, they need to slow down, look after themselves, protect their joints, and do less. We now know this could not be further from the truth.

I don't buy into the narrative that you can't progress just because you're older. We've all got that friend, auntie, uncle, that started exercising later in life and became the best version of himself.

I also think way too much of training centres around cardio and muscle building.

For this post, I want to encourage more people to sprint, bound, jump, and leap, and include forms of power training in their workouts. This is not just the domain of young athletes, this should be the domain of everyone.

📍 @lisbonstrong

Are you pushing to the point of failure? You might

Are you pushing to the point of failure? You might just be setting yourself up for a fall. If you're into strength training, think about it this way: as you lift heavier, your ability to maintain form lessens. Using squats as an example, nearing failure might make you shift your weight incorrectly, thus reducing efficiency and increasing the risk of injury.

Tune into the latest podcast or check out the episode on YouTube. Let's train smart together.

🎧 Subscribe and Listen wherever you get your podcasts
📺 Or watch the episode on my YouTube Channel

#AndyVincentPT #SmarterStrengthTraining #trainsmart #podcast #fitnesspodcast #strengthtrainingpodcast #avpt #onlinepersonaltraining #fitnessobsessed #FitnessGoals #StrengthRetention

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