I guess it’s time to deload?

F

fromissouri

New member
I’m planning to take a week off of lifting. It will be my first official deload in 2.5 years of lifting. Last time 1 year ago I took 4 days off due to external factors. But now I feel like I need a week off.

Joints have started to hurt, elbows, rotator cuff, knee. Even with proper warm up. Motivation also going down. It all started when I started implementing more intensity to push to absolute failure. I’ve going as hard as possible for at least 6 months now.

It feels wrong because I’m small. Do small guys need deloads? I don’t lift heavy at all. For context I’m 5’6 150lb. I usually do 3-4 sets on everything

Here are my stats
RDL 160lb 8-12,
Preacher curl 60lb 8-12,
Incline bench 125lb 4-8,
Pullover 50lb 6-10,
Cable overhead extension 90lb 10-15,
Power shrugs 225lb 8-12,
Bench 165lb 4-8,
Dips 45lb 6-10,
OHP 95lb 4-8,
 
@fromissouri While a deload can help. It’s not always the answer. It might be especially if you just feel like you need one and motivation is low. But for the other things:

Why are your joints hurting? Possibly, too much volume and improper technique could also be an answer. Maybe you need to rotate some exercises out.

I just say that, cos you could take a week deload, come back and have all the exact same issues within a week.
 
@victorcourville Here is my weekly volume. Is it too much?

Chest : 9-12 sets,
Biceps : 9-12 sets,
Triceps : 8 sets,
Back : 12-15 sets,
Legs : 12-15 sets,
Shoulders : 6-8 sets,
Abs : 6-8 sets.

I run a four times a week program with as much effort as possible on every exercise with controlled reps. I started getting shoulder pain on the eccentric of the OHP and when doing upper back focused row. I could probably rotate them but I’m still pretty fatigued
 
@fromissouri Everyone needs a deload mate, I really don’t enjoy them but they pay off big time! I’m pushing 40 now and I never used to take them when I was young and dumb; on reflection I think my gains suffered. When I’m slinging big weight over large numbers of sets I can’t shake the systemic fatigue and see progressive worsening of technique, motivation, stamina etc. until I deload.

I remind myself that my muscles repairing themselves is wear growth happens. And my deload isn’t a week off, I do a week of half the reps, half the weight and half the sets. It’s super unsatisfying but I try and think of it as a “technique week” where I just focus on every rep having perfect form, full rom etc. and find it improves my technique when I return to normal training.

EDIT: also, remember that a week off isn’t going to lead to loss of mass. There’s really no reason not to take one of your need it. Some people just go by gut feel or schedule them in. I prefer the latter because otherwise I still have that dumb attitude of “she’ll be right” and if they’re scheduled I take them.
 
@oncemore Currently I’m doing one every 5-7 weeks, I’m going a bit mental at the moment with my volume and reps and I need the break. I think a lot of people do them at least every 12 weeks.
 
@unknown404 Nice, thanks... I've never done them intentionally, but occasionally get too busy with work and skip a week in the gym. Feel like maybe I'm getting all the deloads I need.
 
@fromissouri Everyone needs deloads mate, if you're doing some really intense program with properly implemented progressive overload then you definitely need to deload at times. I tend to run off meso-cycles of 4-6 weeks depending on how beat up I am/other factors of life then deload for a week or so and repeat. Deload in this case meaning active recovery so I'd still be in the gym but weight, sets and reps are cut down massively (at least half on each of them) - if your joints are in pain I may even suggest just doing some light warm-up work for your joints daily rather than lifting in the gym.

It doesn't matter if you're small or the world's strongest man, everyone needs to give their body some time to chill, recovery is just as important as the workout itself.
 
@fromissouri If in doubt, take a deload.

Training is stimulus for muscles to grow, but your muscles grow during recovery. Really, you should be trying to schedule a deload every ~8 weeks or so, but I for one am terrible at following that and tend to deload when I'm either traveling, need some time off to focus on work, or just hit a wall mentally. Worst case you miss out on a little stimulus which in the long term means nothing. Best and likely case, you'll help your body recover and grow extra while also having a nice mental reset.

Deloads let you shake off fatigue, help nagging joint pain subside a little, and allow you to recharge. You'll often find yourself itching to go back to normal volume (if you reduce volume) or very ready to go back to gym (if you deload by taking full time off). I've hit many of my PRs the week after a deload week and push past plateaus.

You can also do active recovery: go for a walk, do some yoga, play some sports. Good to mix things up.

Will note that it's important to distinguish between "joints/tendons feel a bit worn" and persistent injuries. Deload won't fix you if there are technical issues with your form, or imbalances, or actual injuries. Ideally go to a physical therapist, but you can also research rehab exercises on your own to target specific pain. I always recommend cable external rotations for shoulder pain in particular as a starting point. Many people will face some kind of shoulder pain because it's a ball and socket joint that has forces pushing on it in all sorts of directions so needs a bit of extra attention for stability.
 
@fromissouri A 1 week deload with frequency and volume cut by 2/3s and spending the extra time on mobility snd prehab can only help.

Look up the fitness fatigue model, it’s a fact that eventually fatigue must be substantially dissipated before performance can improve. So many people will moan about not wanting to deload but:
  • it’s literally just 1-2 weeks.
  • You’ll easily maintain all your strength and side.
  • You may even super-compensate and come back bigger and stronger
  • They punctuate training blocks allowing you to take stock of what has and hasn’t been working
Taken every 4-8 weeks there is literally no downside other than the risk of taking one too early and then the only downside is a week waster - big whoop
 
@fromissouri Take a week off or a few weeks with lower volume and frequency. Continue de eat like you do or even more. It's gonna give a rest for your body to adapt and heal, and you won't lose strength or mass.
 
@fromissouri You might take a deload here and there for hypertrophy but with the newer evidence it is not that beneficial. Training to failure all the time is your Problem. Most of Training should be in the RPE 8-9 range@rir 1-2. Even rpe 7s can be used when Training legs. You can not train at RPE 10 all the time at every movement. A week of deloading will not fix this.
 
@fromissouri You’re textbook over reaching. That’s why it’s recommended to follow meso cycles. You have a week off or a week of pretty relaxed training, then over the course of 6 or so weeks you start from low volume and lower intensity (like 10 sets per week or even less per muscle group at around 3rir), and then taper it up over the weeks until you have a peak week or even a couple/few where you are at a higher volume and balls to the wall type intensity. Then you take a week off again to let your body rest and recover, and resensitize your muscles to growth at lower volumes, and reset the cycle. Each cycle you will start with a bit more weight than you did the beginning of the last cycle, and switch some exercises if you want to as well. This pairs perfectly with a gaining diet where you will want to gain about a lb or slightly less a week.

If your joints hurt and motivation is down, that’s your body telling you you’re doing too much. The answer to being small is not just do a shit ton of volume and crazy intensity. Go watch any renaissance periodization video on YouTube that you find relevant, and you will learn everything you need to know.
 
@losteve19 The only time my joints have ever hurt is when my form broke down. Even a slight deviation of perfect form could make the difference, especially when you get to your 30s.
 
@remas The only time my joints have ever hurt is when I’m doing too much volume. So it varies. But between his joints hurting, his motivation going down, and his change of training style mixed with what appears to be a higher volume approach, I’m calling it over reaching.
 
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