[A common theme…] I have found myself talking about de-load cycles quite a bit lately. A de-load cycle is an intentional period of reduced volume and intensity that is planned into your training to give you an opportunity to recover and adapt without having to take time off. A de-load cycle could occur every 4th, 5th or 6th week of your training depending on your training frequency, intensity, type etc. Higher intensity and more frequent trainees are going to need more regular de-load cycles. Reasons for doing a de-load include: - It allows time for connective tissue strengthening (which occurs slower than muscle strengthening) - It will allow nervous system recovery - It gives your endocrine (hormone) system some down time - It takes the constant stress out of training and can help keep you motivated Ways to take a de-load include: - Do the same type of training that you’ve been doing and reduce the volume and intensity by about 50% - Focus purely on technique or skill development for a week - Do something completely different for the week (i.e yoga, swimming, hiking etc) - Work on your weaknesses (flexibility/mobility of a certain movement or position etc) If the thought of taking a de-load makes you feel un-easy because you’re worried that you’ll fall behind or not continue to make progress then you are probably someone that needs it the most. You are likely the type of person that deals with ongoing, nagging pain that comes and goes or shifts from one region to another every other day. De-loading is not a punishment. It is a necessary part of a smart training program that allows for continued, long-term development. If we all took a step back and looked at the big picture we would see that training is merely the stimulus to elicit the adaptive process then we can also see that recovery and de-loading is what actually allows change to occur. Training, de-loading and recovery are not separate ideas, they are one and the same.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 09:27:00 +0000
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