How to optimize deload week nutritionally?

[christinaf]

Hello all noble natties,

I am currently on reading week and will not be able to get in the gym for about a week, which I'm okay with since my body is beat up anyways from training hard 7 days a week for 5 weeks straight, and running an UL split before that.

I am currently 187lb and between 17-22% bodyfat. Bicep, delt veins visible, abs not,

I am wondering over this deload week if I should

a) cut hard and try to lose 3 lbs (I fear it would mostly be water and glycogen)

b) try to cut 1 pound of pure fat

c) bulk and push past 190lbs

 

[doks]

@christinaf The point of a deload is to reduce fatigue, so being in a deficit is not conducive to that at all. Train easy and eat at maintenance if you want to optimize a deload

 

[christinaf]

@doks How much does a calorie deficit really effect fatigue management especially if I am in the fed state. It is not like I am shredded, my body has reserves it can happily use.

 

[doks]

@christinaf Being able to use adipose tissue for energy and recovering from diet and training-induced fatigue are two wildly different things.

 

[heylilly]

@christinaf I think cutting your calories in a deload (where recovery is prioritized) would hinder the deload as you would have less energy to recuperate your muscles. No real point is doing a one week cut either IMO as the weight lost would be negligible both visually, qualitatively (as you said, water/glycogen), and quantitatively (since cutting too hard would really stunt recovery). I suggest eating as you were the past few weeks, maybe a touch less if you want.

 

[comyn7]

@christinaf Cutting calories down during a deload mitigates the purpose and effectiveness of a deload, which is to reduce fatigue. Why would you change anything?

 

[christinaf]

@comyn7 Activity is drastically reduced, which reduces fatigue already. A 300-700 calorie deficit would not have a significant effect on recovery IMO, and the benefits like burning fat, desensitizing metabolism etc seem beneficial.

 

[comyn7]

@christinaf It does have a significant effect on recovery, and you’re not going to experience much fat loss in one week. I’m not sure what you mean by “desensitizing metabolism”.

The only situation where I’d lower food in a deload is if you’re experiencing digestive issues from high food intake.

 

[tolch]

@christinaf I’ve read this as:

a) cut hard and lose 3lbs of fat and muscle

b) cut 1lb of both fat and muscle

c) bulk and push past 190lbs with mostly fat gain

Without the stimulus of weight training you can’t expect to lose only fat and gain only muscle while manipulating your diet. Eat in maintenance and spend the week recovering.

 

[lemuel52]

@christinaf Just eat at maintenance. It improves recovery and won’t cause fat gain. Look at it as pressing the pause button on the diet.

 

[christinaf]

@lemuel52 Yeah that's the plan basically eat at just below maintenance

 

[lemuel52]

@christinaf Why below maintenance though? Do you believe that you would be losing something if ate at maintenance?

 

[christinaf]

@lemuel52 I suppose not I just think the reduce in activity earns a slight minor deficit