WEBVTT - Will a Deload Week Help Me Get Stronger? 0:00:01.639 --> 0:00:05.160 Hi, and welcome back to bounce forward with me, Tip Haul. 0:00:05.559 --> 0:00:08.600 I'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians the land on 0:00:08.640 --> 0:00:12.200 which I'm recording this podcast, the waundry people of the 0:00:12.320 --> 0:00:16.320 cooler Nation. I pay my respects to elders past and present. 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:22.439 Carrie had a great question, what is a dload week. 0:00:22.720 --> 0:00:24.920 I've been told by a trainer before that I need 0:00:24.960 --> 0:00:29.520 to deload in my workouts. They said, go crazy, eat 0:00:29.600 --> 0:00:32.239 what you want for a week, no exercise, and then 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:34.560 come back and we'll have tricked your body and you'll 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:36.680 end up stronger than when you work out again. 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:38.760 I'm not sure I trust this advice. 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:44.720 Help, Oh Carrie, Okay, that sounds fantastic, Like just go crazy, 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:47.159 eat what you want, no exercise, and come back and 0:00:47.200 --> 0:00:48.360 you'll be stronger than before. 0:00:48.880 --> 0:00:49.560 Fantastic. 0:00:50.360 --> 0:00:55.920 A dload is definitely my jam and a deload week. 0:00:56.640 --> 0:00:59.640 It is firstly well planned out, and it's a well 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:04.160 planned reduction in exercise intensity and volume, and it's commonly 0:01:04.200 --> 0:01:09.759 incorporated into training programs to facilitate recovery and prevent overtraining. 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:14.000 And this whole concept is particularly relevant in strength training 0:01:14.080 --> 0:01:18.080 or endurance sports and any physical training kind of routine 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:21.039 that involves high intensity or high volume periods. 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:23.400 So it's really important. 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:26.240 Let's look at the purpose of a deload week and 0:01:26.280 --> 0:01:29.600 then how you might integrate it or yeah, because I 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:32.720 don't agree with everything your trainer has said. So first 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:35.080 of all, the purpose of a deload week is all 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:39.880 about recovery. So you've got intense training, it puts a 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:42.760 lot of stress on your muscles, a lot of stress 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:46.120 on your nervous system and your connective tissues. So deload 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:51.080 week allows these systems to recover, to repair, and it's 0:01:51.120 --> 0:01:55.440 crucial for preventing injuries and that long term fatigue, that 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.279 nervous system just shutting down and going I've got nothing. 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:03.120 So then you've got but also performance improvement. So by 0:02:03.160 --> 0:02:07.240 incorporating periods of lighter training, you know, particularly athletes can 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:12.799 avoid plateaus and they can then have the dload week 0:02:13.240 --> 0:02:16.560 maintain and even improve performance by allowing the body to 0:02:16.600 --> 0:02:20.680 adapt to the training load and then coming back. And 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:24.280 then you've got the really important thing, which I reckon 0:02:24.320 --> 0:02:30.160 is amazing, the mental recovery. Continuous high intensity training can 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:34.560 be mentally exhausting, so dload week can also serve as 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:37.680 a mental break and help you to stay mentally fresh 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:42.120 and just give you motivation. So how then do you 0:02:42.200 --> 0:02:45.320 implement all of this? So you've got to look at 0:02:45.320 --> 0:02:47.919 a reduction in intensity or volume. So there are a 0:02:47.960 --> 0:02:51.160 few ways to structure a deload week. You can reduce weights, 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:54.920 reduce you're lifting by forty to sixty percent of your 0:02:55.000 --> 0:02:59.160 usual loads, and just maintain the number of repetitions and sets, 0:02:59.240 --> 0:03:00.480 so just bring the way down. 0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:03.160 Or you can reduce volume. 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:08.079 That's another way to approach, to keep the intensity the same, 0:03:08.560 --> 0:03:11.560 the same amount of weights lifted, but reduce the volume 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:15.440 so fewer sets and fewer reps. So instead of reducing 0:03:15.440 --> 0:03:18.160 the weights, you're reducing the reps and the sets. And 0:03:18.200 --> 0:03:21.080 then you can also reduce frequencies. So maybe you train 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:25.400 three four times a week, so maybe as a dload week, 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:30.120 you just train twice and you're recovering more. And the 0:03:30.280 --> 0:03:32.560 other way you can do a deload week is by 0:03:32.680 --> 0:03:37.360 switching out your more intense exercises for less intense exercises. 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:42.080 Maybe focusing on different body parts can also bring a break. 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:45.600 Maybe you've been really focused on lower body and now 0:03:45.640 --> 0:03:47.240 you're going to do a bit of core and upper 0:03:47.240 --> 0:03:50.040 body and just give the lower body a rest, so 0:03:50.400 --> 0:03:54.200 that's another way of doing it. Timing of deload weeks 0:03:54.200 --> 0:03:57.560 are really important, so you've got dload weeks are typically 0:03:57.600 --> 0:03:59.960 scheduled every three to six weeks, depending on the train 0:04:00.320 --> 0:04:03.640 intensity of like you know, this is I'm talking about 0:04:03.640 --> 0:04:06.680 like an athlete here, but the frequency can be based 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:11.160 on age, experience, your overall physical condition, and also looking 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:15.520 at the signs of needing a dload week. So are 0:04:15.640 --> 0:04:25.279 you overtraining and having decreased the performance, persistent fatigue, reduced enthusiasm, motivation, 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:29.200 Are all these things happening to you, then definitely you 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:37.400 do need a dload or more recovery. There are some considerations, 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:39.760 so you've got to look at the specific needs of 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:45.080 the individual and these can be very widely depending on 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:48.600 the athlete's needs or the person's goals and sport they're 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:52.480 training for. So what a powerlifter might need is very 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:54.839 different to a marathon runner, very different to a mum. 0:04:55.640 --> 0:04:58.360 But you know, you've got to look at what are 0:04:58.400 --> 0:05:02.320 your needs and what are your goal and balance those goals. 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:07.040 It's important to progress and get the benefit of that recovery. 0:05:07.120 --> 0:05:08.720 So you want to have your. 0:05:08.640 --> 0:05:13.440 Dload weeks very planned and strategic to maximize both. So 0:05:14.720 --> 0:05:17.440 incorporating dload weeks is really good into your program. I 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:21.200 agree with that, and they are key to having long 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:25.320 term progression and health in any kind of regime. If 0:05:25.360 --> 0:05:26.960 you just want to put a bit of lean muscle on, 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:29.400 if you're like you know, like me, like a mum, 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:31.760 just want to put a bit of lean muscle on. Yes, 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:34.480 definitely need deload weeks every now and then. If you're 0:05:34.520 --> 0:05:38.920 an athlete, yes, absolutely a week off a stringent diet plan. 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:41.960 If you're talking diet now, eat whatever you want. Your 0:05:42.000 --> 0:05:46.479 trainer said can boost your metabolism and help. But I'm 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:48.160 not too sure of the science of this one. So 0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:51.039 if you've been in a calorie deficit for a very 0:05:51.080 --> 0:05:54.320 long time, it can be good for the metabolism and 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:58.320 read it a bit and a great bring great psychological 0:05:58.360 --> 0:06:01.520 relief to just eat more calories. 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:04.880 But I think eat whatever you want. 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:08.960 In my experience, that can be harmful because you get 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:12.040 that kind of binge mentality of the all or nothing 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:15.839 attitude where you're either on a diet or a regime, 0:06:16.120 --> 0:06:18.440 or then you're off the diet doing whatever you want 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:20.279 eating it. You don't want that all or nothing. You 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:23.880 want this to be strategically planned. So if you're eating 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:27.800 I don't know, fourteen hundred calories a day, you might 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:30.960 want to increase that to two thousand calories, but just 0:06:31.200 --> 0:06:34.200 you know, up your protein, up your carbs, you know, 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:37.400 be a little bit strategic about it. And in my 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:40.560 experienced diet breaks do work the best when they're strategic. 0:06:41.800 --> 0:06:46.280 So you really want to prevent that metabolic slow down 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:50.240 by being on diets for a long period of time anyway, 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:53.760 because it can lead to decrease in metabolic rate and 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:57.280 that survival mechanism where the body becomes more efficient in 0:06:57.360 --> 0:06:59.880 using energy and going, oh my gosh, we're in famine. 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:04.240 I better slow down everything, and it can affect your hormones. 0:07:04.720 --> 0:07:07.360 So having a bit of a break from your usual 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:12.560 regime with food for a week or so can rebalance 0:07:12.720 --> 0:07:16.960 levels of important hormones affected by a calorie deficit that 0:07:17.000 --> 0:07:18.840 you've been in for a very long time. And I'm 0:07:18.880 --> 0:07:22.640 assuming that this is a long calorie deficit, so such 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:28.000 as letum, which regulates your hunger hormones, and cortisol, which 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:31.160 is your stress hormones. So all those things can be recalibrated, 0:07:31.880 --> 0:07:35.480 and most importantly, I think mental health like having a 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:39.640 bit of psychological relief from a diet break, where if 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:43.800 you're on reduced calories, you're going to feel fatigued. You know, 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:47.320 you're going to feel exhausted. So having a little break 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:53.520 can alleviate that feeling of deprivation and fatigue and improve 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:57.040 your mood and well being. So it's very important that 0:07:57.160 --> 0:08:01.120 you do do this, and it's also very important because 0:08:01.160 --> 0:08:04.600 it helps your adherence to a diet. So allowing the 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:08.320 occasional indulgence or having a week where you're just a 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:12.200 little bit more flexible, you're less likely to feel trapped 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:15.280 in a diet, and therefore you're going to be more 0:08:15.280 --> 0:08:19.320 successful long term because you know, hey, I'm going to 0:08:19.400 --> 0:08:22.160 go a little hard here with a mini cut, and 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:25.200 then in three weeks I'm going to have a diet 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:27.720 break and then I'm going to go back on. And 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:30.360 you always have this thing coming where you feel like 0:08:30.640 --> 0:08:33.640 it's strategic, it's planned, you know what you're doing, you 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:36.000 know why you're doing it, and it's not just like 0:08:36.240 --> 0:08:38.720 have a week off and eat whatever you want. It's 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:44.559 strategically planned and you're replenishing your energy stores, replenish glycogen 0:08:44.600 --> 0:08:47.800 stores in muscles, you'd feel really good, feel really strong. 0:08:47.840 --> 0:08:52.800 It's going to increase your physical performance in everyday activities 0:08:52.800 --> 0:08:56.600 as well as exercise, and the diet breaks just flood 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:58.960 your body with nutrients and make sure all your needs 0:08:58.960 --> 0:08:59.520 are being met. 0:08:59.520 --> 0:09:01.320 And it's really really good, and. 0:09:01.240 --> 0:09:04.920 It reduces that risk of muscle loss, which is really important. 0:09:05.040 --> 0:09:11.600 So you calorie restriction, especially significant long calorie restriction can 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:14.599 lead to muscle loss, so diet break can maintain that 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:17.520 muscle mass and break that cycle and just make sure 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:22.160 you're not losing muscle. So I guess diet breaks a 0:09:22.200 --> 0:09:26.360 really good tool, and dload weeks are really good tools. 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:29.880 But my main message here is make sure that they 0:09:29.920 --> 0:09:34.040 are strategic, that you're not doing all or nothing attitude 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:38.600 and having that mentality around exercise and food, that the 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:43.400 ragime that you're originally on isn't too strict that you 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:48.200 need a diet break. If you need a diet break, 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:52.559 I think you need to ask yourself the question why why, 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:57.680 Because maybe you being in such a long term dieting 0:09:57.800 --> 0:10:02.559 mentality is not serving you. So that's one thing. Having 0:10:02.559 --> 0:10:06.200 a dload week from intense training, or maybe you've been 0:10:06.240 --> 0:10:10.000 going hard. I'm going hard at the moment. I'm trying 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:12.920 to increase my muscle mass, so I'm doing four strength 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:16.040 sessions a week. I'm having a little bit of creatin supplement, 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:20.080 I'm having lots of protein. I'm really trying to kick 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:25.560 off my forties by mitigating any perimenopause symptoms and things 0:10:25.640 --> 0:10:27.720 like that. And I feel like i need a bit 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:30.520 of a dload week soon because I've been going hard, 0:10:30.600 --> 0:10:32.959 and that will just mean going down to two sessions 0:10:33.000 --> 0:10:36.920 a week instead of four and concentrating more on core 0:10:37.120 --> 0:10:39.280 and upper body because I've been doing more lower body. 0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:41.680 So it's like it's the way you do. 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:44.079 It doesn't have to be complicated, but there does need 0:10:44.120 --> 0:10:47.120 to be an overarching plan. It can't be just stop 0:10:47.200 --> 0:10:50.080 exercising and eat whatever you want, because that is not 0:10:50.160 --> 0:10:53.800 a plan and it will set you back psychologically. Thanks 0:10:53.880 --> 0:10:56.680 so much for listening to Bounce Forward. I love having 0:10:56.760 --> 0:11:00.480 your company, So please dm me on Instagram at tip 0:11:00.520 --> 0:11:03.560 Hole Underscore XO and let me know what topics and 0:11:03.640 --> 0:11:06.680 questions you'd love me to answer. Don't forget to rate 0:11:06.720 --> 0:11:09.520 and review me on your podcast at speak soon. 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:10.720 Happy Days,