Deload Week

I assume we should time our deload week to coincide with other sports/fitness that we do. I do a lot of Olympic lifting with the Crossfit program I follow. I don't deload, but after reading the level one course it seems to be vital for long term progress.

I am going to trial a deload week every 4 weeks with Crossfit to coincide with the gymnastic foundation work.

It makes sense Mark

You will thank yourself in the long run. Deloading is crucial to long term progress. Remember it does not mean total rest, just an increase in active reocvery and decrease in training load volume. Generalised statement there, but you get the idea.

Would it be wise to also cut cardio volume by 50% on deload weeks?

I will not post my opinion on Crossfit.

@peekay, personally I would. Then again, I don't do cardio any more.

peekay said:

Would it be wise to also cut cardio volume by 50% on deload weeks?

Coach's directive is to keep deload weeks in synch for all elements of F&H; by extension, I think it is safe to do the same with your other physical activities; and that may mean adjusting their own micro cycle.

In deload week, I was very tempted to fill the space that cutting the volume of F1 created, by an increase of other activities... since starting F1 I have resisted and also cut the volume of the rest by half.

I don't know if it is wise, but it is working well for me

I have found cutting volume of all activities has helped.

To put your body into a good recovery mode it is helpful to cut down everything for that time. Not get rid of activity but treat things as active recovery not intense training.

It is only one week, but allowing the body even such a small period of light activity pays enormous long term dividends.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

(...) even such a small period of light activity pays enormous long term dividends.

Are you somewhat implying that longer periods of light activity from time to time would be beneficial too?

- If you were an elite level athlete, who for most of the year engaged in very vigorous twice a day training for 6-7 hours; yes.  

- For most people's level of development here; no.  

The majority of people here would find more than one recovery week detrimental to their training.

- The statement was meant to illustrate that even as small a timeframe as one week can have enormous benefits.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

In strength terms one week is nothing. Not in our context here but as an example in the 4 year cycle of an olympic athlete the "deload" timing is vastly different. The timing has to fit the level of athlete and their level of training. Doing twice a day training myself 5-6 days a week, at the end of one deload week my body felt like a wreck, it was in healing mode still and needed a bit more time. During times of less training after a week I feel refreshed and ready to go.

Coach took the extra thinking out of it for ya and made it easy.

Edit: DOH! Now I see Coach's reply. Got interrupted while typing.

Thank you Coach, and Nic

I have an Olympic Weightlifting coach who worked at the Australian Institute of Sport with Olympic athletes of all disciplines. He stated they use to deload every 3-4 weeks by cutting volume by half and keeping the intensity the same. He found the most difficult thing was when he put the athletes in a deload week their other coach would try to up their volume for their sports specific training. Apparently a lot of athletes developed chronic fatigue until they started reloading every 3-4 weeks .