What is a De-Load Week?

With the week ahead being a De-load week for our members, we wanted to give you a heads up as to what this is.

So, what is a De-load week and why is it important?

Machines can run for months or even years without down time. If there is an issue, you can replace the parts and keep on going.

Humans do NOT work that way.

Humans are better than machines in there ability to organically heal. We understand the basic concept that if we do something, like cut ourselves, that cut is going to take time to heal and you are probably going to have to modify some activities while it heals.

When it comes to things in fitness, like lifting weights, people tend to forget this concept, even though muscle tissue damage needs time to heal. Without that recovery time, you don’t get the muscle adaptation, the progress, the strength and the fitness you’re after.

So what is a deload week?

Think of it as your active recovery week.

This is a break from training hard and often.

Intense, hard exercise, requires that we recover. It’s just like any injury, wound, illness, or stressor faced by our body. We have to recover before we can get stronger.

In fact, you don’t get stronger from the act of lifting weights. You get stronger by recovering from the act of lifting weights.

Studies show that deloads aren’t just about recovering so you can continue where you left off, but that a deload week can actually improve your fitness and strength to levels greater than where it was before the deload.

Here are some facts/tips about deloading weeks

* Deload does not mean easy or no weight - You don't have to do nothing. Decrease your weight, set and reps. YOU SHOULD REMAIN ACTIVE!! Don't just sit around... go for a walk, lift light weights (we program this for you at the gym), focus on joint mobility and stay fresh!

* You will not loose your muscle and progress - Research shows that it takes around three weeks of inactivity for the first signs of muscular atrophy to emerge.

* You might hit some PBs coming when we return to ‘normal’ training.

* Lift by feel - You have all probably heard us talk about this by now. Some days are better than others. So are some weeks. Being in-tune to your body and how you feel is very important. Stress, lack of quality sleep, not enough food etc, know your workouts, training and lifts are going to suffer because of little recovery time. When you feel rested and eat well, your lifts and workouts feel better. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

* Your joints will thank you - Ligaments and tendons take longer to adapt and heal than muscle tissue. You muscles may be recovering from your regular training, but your tendons and ligaments are on a different schedule.

* The older generation needs it more - If you push yourself like you did when you were a teenager, you will eventually regret it.

Hopfully this has give you guys the WHY behind deload weeks and their importance. Use them as a recovery tool, a break from our normal workouts and a chance to come back rested, stronger and ready to go!

Enjoy the week ahead

The Gusto FitHub Team