A deload problem

I train f7 and h1 once a week and whenever i deload i always feel weaker coming from a deload week. Should i stop doing them? i dont really "feel" tired going in to deloading like i used to anymore so i feel like i dont even need it. Any suggestions?

and i feel weaker in the sense that it always takes me 1 week to "bounce back" and feel as strong/stronger than the week before deloading.

Although it may not seem like it, your body needs the deload week for repair. Coach Sommer would not have added them to the overall programming if they were of no value.

Load/Deload. Can't have one without the other!

I had this feeling a couple of times with my push ups (my weakest element). I come back from deload and my push ups feel kinda dreadful until the end of my first week. I thought it was a beginner/beginner problem and I blame myself for not working hard enough. 

Your case is probably totally different since you’ve been doing this for much longer. Is it possible that you need to work much harder (intensity) in order to push your body to the point you are dying for your deload week? Just a thought. 

While my ego would like to be doing more, the reality is that I do look forward to my deload week. My body seems to whisper “thank god deload is coming" and then “glad deload is here!” That helps me believe I’m doing enough and I can start my cycle somewhat “refreshed" – A relative term where I live. 

In the back of my mind, I wonder if I should be doing more BA volume to make more BA push progress, but I’m also very cautious and too afraid to add on and screw it up, so I don’t. My “good” elbow just had its 1-year anniversary from surgery and I don’t want to feed my elbow tendonitis on the “bad” one. I’ve reluctantly accepted that my overall strength is coming back slower than I expected for whatever reason. I‘m older, crankier, who knows.

I hate the feeling of pushing the gas pedal and feeling my muscles are asleep, weak (like not enough electricity). I notice it and “convince” myself that it’s only temporarily and I’ll get over this bump.

For some exercises I keep the same reps but do half of the sets. Then I do the extra mobility sets on their own. Keep experimenting with what works for you. The deload works great over the long term as it allows the body to heal and not get injured.

Yes Mark, I actually tried that the second time around only for PU and it worked better when I kept high reps/half sets.

Now I'm back to low PU reps and much slower tempo to kill the scapulae tilting, so new strategy in place until I get these suckers. Thanks for chiming in!

On 6/3/2016 at 8:11 PM, Eva Pelegrin said:

In the back of my mind, I wonder if I should be doing more BA volume to make more BA push progress, but I’m also very cautious and too afraid to add on and screw it up, so I don’t.

This is always on the back of my mind as well, as I notice nice progress with the higher volume.

But then I think how will it impact my already pathetic crab walk, table, HS PE2/iM or pHS PE1. I think the mobility would possibly suffer unless someone already has good mobility.

On the theme of this thread, however, I find the periodic 2 a days, (even if its only during the final week of the bloc) makes the deload week very welcoming.

I think it should be ok to keep doing those mobilities normally that don't require much strength or put much loading on connective tissue. With others you could scale them back to a lighter bar/dowel or a less strenuous version of the exercise or just reduce reps or hold times. As Mark said above, it's good to experiment to see what works for you.