What it is
A planned spell of lighter training to let fatigue fade and prepare you for the next block, in the words of an international expert consensus. It's a lighter week, not a week off, and not a taper before a competition.
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Training guide
Deload week: when you need a lighter week, and how to take one
A deload is a planned lighter week: the same days and exercises, about half the sets, and weights that feel easy, so fatigue can fade before your next block. Competitive lifters take one roughly every 5 to 6 weeks, and experts agree on what a deload is, though most athletes in a survey felt they could progress without one.
The trials are few and small. A full week off cost trained lifters a little strength but no muscle; in one small trial in untrained men, lighter weeks neither helped nor held back gains; and after very high-volume training, a lighter week and a week off gave similar results. So a deload is optional, especially early on, and lighter beats stopping if strength matters.
This guide covers when to take one, exactly what to change, deloads for runners, and how a deload differs from a taper or a week off.
The short version
Common practice
In a survey of 246 competitive strength and physique athletes, deloads lasted about 6 days and came every 5 to 6 weeks on average, with fewer sets, lighter weights and less effort, but the same days and exercises. Coaches described 5 to 7 days every 4 to 6 weeks, with wide variation.
Direct evidence is thin
There are three small trials. A full week off cost trained adults a little strength but no muscle; in one small trial in 19 untrained men, with no control group, two lighter weeks neither helped nor held back gains; and after very high-volume training, a lighter week and a week off gave similar results in 30 trained men.
Optional, especially for beginners
65% of the surveyed athletes felt they could progress without deloads, and one coach interviewed said they aren't necessary for progress. Our plans make them optional.
Our rule
Every 6 to 8 weeks, or sooner if your performance drops for two sessions in a row and you feel run down or achy: same days, same exercises, about half the sets, and weights that feel easy (4 or more reps in reserve). Then restart at your previous weights.
Lighten rather than stop
A week off cost a little strength in trained lifters, so lighten rather than stop if strength matters. A week off for a holiday or illness is fine: gains are largely kept for up to about 3 weeks.
What a deload is
The definition
"A period of reduced training stress designed to mitigate physiological and psychological fatigue, promote recovery, and enhance preparedness for subsequent training": the definition agreed by an international panel of expert coaches.
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What a deload can change
The experts agreed a deload can cut volume (sets and reps), intensity (how heavy), frequency (sessions a week) or how close you go to failure, and that intensity can stay the same if volume drops. Most disagreed that deloads should differ for men and women.
Source 1
Deload, taper or week off
A taper cuts training before a competition so you peak on the day, and almost all strength athletes taper. A week off means no training at all; some studies call that a deload too, but most coaches and athletes mean lighter training.
Fitness and fatigue
Hard training builds fitness and fatigue together. A lighter spell lets fatigue fall faster than fitness, so you start the next block fresher. That's the idea; no trial has yet shown that a deload adds gains.
Overreaching and overtraining
A short dip in performance after hard training (overreaching) is normal and recovers with rest. Overtraining syndrome is a long-lasting drop that no single test diagnoses, and it's rarely documented in strength training.
Do you need one? What the trials show
A full week off in trained adultsEmerging evidence
In 39 trained adults (29 men and 10 women) doing very hard training, about 90 sets a week across all muscles, to failure, a full week off in the middle of 9 weeks didn't change muscle growth, endurance or jump height. Squat strength rose 13.0 kg against 16.4 kg with continuous training, with wide uncertainty, and people often said they felt lethargic after the week off. The trial was funded by a training company, which had a role in its design.
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Lighter weeks in beginnersEmerging evidence
In one small trial in 19 untrained men, with no control group, each man's arms and legs were split between training straight through for 8 weeks and taking two lighter weeks (2 sets, once a week, in weeks 4 and 8). Muscle growth and 10-rep strength rose about the same either way.
The second lighter week came just before the final tests, so it also worked as a taper. The result may not apply to trained lifters, women or older people.
Source 5
A lighter week or a week off after very hard trainingEmerging evidence
In 30 trained men who built up over 6 weeks to very high volume (up to 32 sets of 10 per exercise a week), a week at about 15% of that volume and a week off gave largely similar results, mostly measured in muscle samples, with no difference in squat bar speed.
Source 6
Longer breaksEmerging evidence
In 14 young men, 3 weeks off after every 6 weeks of bench pressing gave the same muscle and strength gains over 24 weeks as training straight through. Across 103 studies, stopping training lowered strength more the longer the break, and more in people over 65 and in inactive people.
What athletes do and believeEmerging evidence
In the survey of 246 athletes (mostly men and powerlifters, with about 8 years' training), 47% planned their deloads in advance, 13% only took them when needed and 39% did both. Their triggers were the programme (65%), feeling beaten up (63%) and stalled performance (54%), and 65% felt they could progress without deloads.
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What coaches sayEmerging evidence
In interviews, 18 coaches described deloads of 5 to 7 days every 4 to 6 weeks, ranging from every 3 to every 12. One pre-planned them for novices and took them when needed for advanced lifters, and one said deloads aren't necessary for progress. Across sports, strength and conditioning coaches mostly cut volume and intensity by up to a quarter in planned lighter spells.
So: optionalMixed evidence
Three small, short trials, a survey and a consensus. No trial has found that a deload adds gains. A week off cost trained adults a little strength, while in one small trial in untrained men, lighter weeks cost nothing. Our plans make a lighter week optional, especially for beginners, and prefer it to a week off if strength matters.
How to deload
The rule from our plans' shared notes, which matches what most athletes in a survey did (Rogerson 2024) and the expert consensus (Bell 2023). Skipping the hard extras is our editorial advice.
- Keep your usual training days and exercises.
- Do about half your usual sets.
- Stop every set with 4 or more reps to spare: use lighter weights, or your usual weights for fewer reps.
- Skip drop sets, supersets to failure and test sets.
- Add easy walks or mobility work if you like.
- After about a week, restart at your previous weights and progress as before.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Dumbbell goblet squat
How often, and how long
How often
Our plans suggest every 6 to 8 weeks, or sooner if your lifts drop for two sessions in a row and you feel run down or achy, and you can skip it if you feel fresh and are still progressing. Competitive lifters averaged every 5 to 6 weeks and coaches every 4 to 6, and the experts agreed it depends on how you respond to training and what else you do.
How long
About a week: 6.4 days on average in the survey, and 5 to 7 days for the coaches interviewed.
Planned or when needed
Most athletes planned some deloads in advance and took others when they felt beaten up or stalled. One coach pre-planned them for novices and took them as needed for advanced lifters.
How our plans do it
Our plans set their lighter weeks to match their load:
- Push/pull/legs: a planned lighter week 7, because it has the most weekly sets.
- 7-day plan: every fourth week.
- Most of our 3-day, full-body and dumbbell plans: a lighter week 8, usually optional.
- Beginner strength programme: when two or more lifts stall in the same week and you feel run down.
- Strength training plan for runners: in your running cutback week.
- Workout plan for seniors: none planned, because falls programmes work best when they carry on.
Lighter week or week off?
Lighter beats stopping, for strengthEmerging evidence
A week off in trained adults slightly reduced strength gains, and people felt lethargic or out of practice afterwards. After very high-volume training, a lighter week and a week off gave similar results. If strength matters to you, lighten rather than stop.
Holidays and illnessEmerging evidence
A week or two off costs little: gains are largely kept for up to about 3 weeks, and 3-week breaks every 6 weeks didn't reduce gains over 24 weeks in one trial. Longer breaks cost more, especially over 65.
Muscle in a deload weekEmerging evidence
Muscle was kept with a lighter week and with a week off in all three trials.
Easy activity in a deload week
Walks, easy cycling or swimming are fine: keep them at about 2 to 4 out of 10, the effort health guidelines call light activity, and save hard intervals for the week after (our suggestion).
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Deload or taper?
What a taper isStrong evidence
Across 27 studies in athletes, a 2-week taper that cut training volume progressively by 41 to 60%, while keeping intensity and how often they trained, improved performance most.
Source 14
Endurance athletesEmerging evidence
In 14 studies of endurance athletes, tapers of 21 days or less that cut volume by 41 to 60%, while keeping intensity and frequency, improved time-trial performance.
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Marathon runnersEmerging evidence
In app data from about 158,000 recreational runners, strict 3-week tapers went with marathon times about 5.5 minutes (2.6%) faster than minimal tapers. This was an observational study, so it can't show the taper caused the difference.
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Strength athletesEmerging evidence
Before competitions, strength athletes typically cut volume by 30 to 70% while keeping loads above about 85% of their maximum for 1 to 2 weeks, according to the survey authors' summary of the tapering research.
Source 2
Coaches across sportsEmerging evidence
In a survey of 204 strength and conditioning coaches, planned lighter spells such as tapers, competition and travel weeks used 1 or 2 strength sessions a week of 30 to 60 minutes, with 1 to 3 sets of 1 to 6 reps at 60 to 84% of maximum; volume and intensity were usually cut by up to a quarter.
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The difference
A taper peaks you for an event; a deload resets you between training blocks. Our running and Hyrox plans include tapers.
Deload weeks for runners
Lighter weeks in running plansMixed evidence
Running plans, including ours, usually ease off every 3 or 4 weeks. It's common practice rather than tested: in the Run Clever trial, both training schedules cut volume by 10% in the last week of each 4-week block, but no trial has compared easing off with not easing off.
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Our plans
Our marathon plan has lighter weeks 4, 8, 11 and 14 and a 3-week taper, our 10K plan has lighter weeks too, and the strength training plan for runners lightens in your running cutback week.
Before a raceStrong evidence
Taper rather than deload. In athletes, about 2 weeks with volume cut progressively by 41 to 60%, keeping intensity and some faster running, worked best. For a marathon, strict 3-week tapers went with faster times in recreational runners, and our marathon plan uses one.
Hyrox
Our Hyrox training plan ends with its own taper; our Hyrox guide covers the race.
Keep your main lifts, lighter
Do about half your usual sets of each, with weights or reps that leave 4 or more in reserve (our plans' rule).
3D demoDumbbell goblet squatIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoBarbell back squatAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoTrap bar (hex bar) deadliftIntermediate · Other / check instructions
3D demoDumbbell Romanian deadliftIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoBarbell bench pressIntermediate · A barbell + A bench or box
3D demoDumbbell bench pressIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoStanding overhead pressIntermediate · A barbell + A dumbbell
3D demoLat pulldownBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoSeated cable rowBeginner · A cable machineEasy extras
Optional: 20 to 40 minutes of easy cardio at about 2 to 4 out of 10, or a few minutes of mobility (our suggestion).
Plans with lighter weeks built in
Each plan says when its lighter weeks fall, or why it has none.
6 days a week
Push pull legs split (6 days a week)
A 6-day push/pull/legs plan for experienced lifters: two push, two pull and two leg days, with sets, reps, rest and lighter weeks.
6 training days55 minAdvanced7 days a week7-day workout plan
A full week that mixes intensities: three strength days, two cardio days, a mobility day and an easy day, never seven hard days.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a week3-day full-body workout plan
A beginner gym plan: three full-body sessions a week, alternating workouts A and B, with sets, reps, rest and an 8-week progression.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekFull-body workout plan for intermediates: 3 days a week, 12 weeks
For after about 8 weeks of a beginner plan: three full-body sessions a week, one heavy, one moderate and one light, in a gym or at home, for 12 weeks.
3 training days50 minIntermediate3 days a weekBeginner strength program: a 5x5-style barbell plan
A 12-week beginner barbell program: squat every session, alternate bench and row with press and deadlift, and add weight each time until it stalls.
3 training days50 minBeginner4 days a weekMarathon training plan for beginners: 18 weeks to your first marathon
An 18-week first marathon plan from half marathon fitness: three runs a week, a long run built about 10% at a time, strength, a 3-week taper and race-day fuel.
4 training days60 minBeginner2 days a weekStrength training plan for runners
A 12-week strength plan for runners: two sessions a week of heavy lifts, single-leg work, calf raises and hops, fitted around your runs.
2 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekWorkout plan for seniors (65 and over)
A 12-week exercise plan for over-65s: strength and balance three times a week, short balance sessions and daily walks, based on falls-prevention trials.
3 training days40 minBeginnerEasy sessions for a deload week
There's no special deload workout: do your usual sessions with half the sets. These two suit an optional easy day.
Active recovery workout
A 25-minute easy session for rest days and sore muscles: easy cardio, a gentle mobility flow, optional rolling for sore spots, and slow breathing to finish.
25 minBeginner11 movesCardio machine, A wall
Easy cardio workout
A steady 30 to 45 minute cardio session at talk-but-not-sing pace: walk, cycle, row or cross-train, counting toward weekly activity guidelines.
40 minBeginner3 movesCardio machine, A wallWho should check first, and when to stop
Check with your GP first if
For healthy adults, strength training is safe: in trials with more than 38,000 people, it didn't raise serious adverse events. Speak to your GP or cardiac team before hard sets if:
- You have a heart condition, or get chest discomfort, unusual breathlessness or dizziness when you're active.
- Your blood pressure is high and not yet controlled. Once it's controlled, low to moderate-intensity strength training with steady breathing is safe, the American Heart Association says.
Call 999 now (911 in the US)
Stop and call 999 for:
- Chest pain that feels tight, heavy or like squeezing, or that spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back.
- Chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness, or sudden chest pain or discomfort that doesn't go away.
- Severe difficulty breathing: gasping, choking or not able to get words out.
- Someone who faints while exercising.
- A sudden, extremely painful headache, or a headache with weakness or numbness, or difficulty speaking.
Call NHS 111 (in the US, your doctor or urgent care)
Get advice the same day for:
- A headache brought on or made worse by exercising, coughing, sneezing or bending down.
- In the days after a hard session, especially a new or much bigger one: muscle pain or weakness far worse than normal soreness, with dark (tea or cola-coloured) urine or passing less urine than usual. These can be signs of rhabdomyolysis, a rare but serious breakdown of muscle, so get medical help straight away.
Stop, and get checked before you train again
Dizziness, unusual breathlessness, chest pain or pressure, or palpitations (a racing, pounding or irregular heartbeat) during strength training.
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See a GP
- A faint at any time other than during exercise (fainting during exercise needs 999).
- A sprain or strain that's getting worse, or isn't getting better.
- Tiredness that rest and sleep don't relieve.
When a lighter week isn't enough
See a GP if tiredness doesn't lift with rest and sleep, or your performance keeps falling for weeks with low mood, poor sleep or frequent illness. Overtraining syndrome is rare in strength training, and other causes, such as anaemia or a thyroid problem, need ruling out. Eating too little for your training can cause similar problems: our rest days guide covers it.
Myths
"A deload makes you come back stronger"Emerging evidence
No trial has found extra gains after a deload, and a week off cost trained lifters a little strength.
"A deload means a week off"Emerging evidence
Most athletes and coaches lighten rather than stop.
"Everyone needs a deload"Mixed evidence
65% of competitive athletes felt they could progress without one, and in one small trial in untrained men, lighter weeks didn't change gains.
"Deloads prevent overtraining"Emerging evidence
True overtraining is rarely documented in lifters, and no single marker predicts or diagnoses it.
"You'll lose muscle in a deload week"Emerging evidence
Muscle was kept with a lighter week and with a week off in trials.
Read next
Questions people ask
What is a deload week?
A planned lighter week to let fatigue fade and prepare you for the next block of training. In our plans, that means the same days and exercises, about half the sets, and weights that feel easy.
Do I need a deload?
Not necessarily, especially as a beginner. In one small trial in untrained men, lighter weeks neither helped nor held back gains, and most competitive athletes in a survey felt they could progress without them.
How often should I deload?
Our plans suggest every 6 to 8 weeks, or sooner if your lifts drop for two sessions in a row and you feel run down. Competitive lifters average every 5 to 6 weeks, and experts agree it depends on how you respond to training.
How long should a deload last?
About a week: 6 days on average in a survey of 246 athletes, and 5 to 7 days for the coaches interviewed in another study. If you take time off instead, gains are largely kept for up to about 3 weeks.
What do I do in a deload week?
Keep your days and exercises, do about half the sets, and stop every set with 4 or more reps to spare, using lighter weights or fewer reps at your usual weights. Then go back to your previous weights.
Is a deload the same as a week off?
No. In trained adults, a full week off didn't change muscle growth but slightly reduced strength gains, and people felt sluggish afterwards. A lighter week looks better if strength matters.
Will I lose muscle in a deload week?
No: muscle was kept with a lighter week and with a week off in trials. Gains are largely kept for up to about 3 weeks without training.
What's the difference between a deload and a taper?
A taper peaks you for an event, usually 1 to 3 weeks of less training while keeping some intensity; a deload resets you between training blocks. Before a competition, taper; between blocks, deload if you need to.
Do runners need deload weeks?
Most running plans, including ours, ease off every 3 or 4 weeks, although no trial has tested that on its own. Before a race, taper: in athletes, cutting volume by 41 to 60% while keeping some faster running worked best.
What are the signs I need a deload?
Lifts that drop for a couple of sessions, feeling run down, and nagging soreness or joint aches: the triggers athletes in a survey used. If tiredness lasts despite rest and sleep, see a GP.
Can I do cardio in a deload week?
Yes, but keep it easy: walks, easy cycling or swimming at about 2 to 4 out of 10. Save hard intervals for the week after.
Does a deload make you stronger?
Not by itself: no trial found extra gains, and a week off cost a little strength. Its job is to help you keep training hard afterwards.
Sources
- Bell 2023 · Integrating deloading into strength and physique training (international Delphi consensus, Sports Med Open)
- Rogerson 2024 · Deloading practices in strength and physique sports (survey of 246 athletes, Sports Med Open)
- Bell 2022 · Coaches' views and practices of deloading in strength and physique sports (interviews with 18 coaches, Front Sports Act Living)
- Coleman 2024 · A one-week deload during supervised resistance training in 39 trained adults (randomised trial, PeerJ)
- Pancar 2026 · Lighter weeks, muscle growth and strength endurance in 19 untrained young men (randomised within-person trial, Sci Rep)
- Vann 2021 · A lighter week against a week off after high-volume training in 30 trained men (trial, JSCR)
- Ogasawara 2013 · Continuous training against 3-week breaks every 6 weeks over 24 weeks in 14 men (randomised trial, Eur J Appl Physiol)
- Iversen 2021 · No time to lift? Designing time-efficient programmes for strength and muscle (narrative review, Sports Med)
- Meeusen 2013 · Preventing, diagnosing and treating overtraining syndrome (ECSS and ACSM joint consensus statement, MSSE)
- Bell 2020 · Overreaching and overtraining in strength sports and resistance training (scoping review, J Sports Sci)
- Bosquet 2013 · What stopping training does to strength and power: 103 studies (meta-analysis, Scand J Med Sci Sports)
- De Marco 2024 · How strength and conditioning coaches set training in planned deload periods: 204 coaches (survey, JSCR)
- Bull 2020 · World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (BJSM)
- Bosquet 2007 · Tapering and performance: 27 studies (meta-analysis, MSSE)
- Wang 2023 · Tapering and performance in endurance athletes: 14 studies (meta-analysis, PLoS One)
- Smyth 2021 · Taper length and marathon times in about 158,000 recreational runners (app data analysis, Front Sports Act Living)
- Ramskov 2018 · Run Clever: progressing running volume or intensity in recreational runners (randomised trial, BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med)
- Paluch 2024 · Resistance exercise training in people with and without heart disease: 2023 update (American Heart Association scientific statement, Circulation)
- Currier 2026 · Resistance training prescription for strength, muscle and performance in healthy adults (ACSM position stand, overview of reviews, MSSE)
- NHS · Heart attack
- NHS · Chest pain
- NHS · Fainting
- NHS · Headaches
- MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine) · Rhabdomyolysis
- CDC NIOSH · Signs and symptoms of rhabdomyolysis
- NHS · Sprains and strains
- NHS · Self-help tips to fight tiredness
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.