There is a catch to pushing yourself continuously in the fitness journey: fatigue and exhaustion will catch up soon and the gains will start to slow down. This is where deloads and reloads come in, ensuring continuous progress.
Deloads are periods of reduced workout intensity that give the body a chance to recover and rejuvenate. Reloads, on the other hand, are power-packed periods of intense training, supercharging your gains.
There is, however, a clear physiological logic, science rather, as to how and when one can incorporate these in the workout schedule.
How do deloads work?
During deloads — strategic periods of reduced training volume and intensity — you lift or exercise, but at only at 10% to 20% of your maximum capacity. So, curling 2kg to 4kg instead of your usual 20kg.
“Deloads are like a rest time for the body — physically and mentally — after a reload,” says Rahul Ramesh, fitness trainer at Brad Fitness, Bengaluru. “On a deload, there will be no strict diet, no disciplined workout, no scheduled sleep. People can eat when they are hungry, will work out half an hour or sometimes won’t work out on some days. It’s a time of rest for all the joints, ligaments and muscles.”
Deloading amid a gruelling fitness journey is the process of removing the strain on the body through rest and active recovery.
But how do deloads help?
Research has shown that deloading promotes physiological adaptations by reducing fatigue and muscle damage. Deloads enhance recovery, allowing for improved muscle repair, glycogen restoration and neural adaptations. They promote muscle recovery, reduce fatigue and prevent overtraining.
Implementing these well-planned breaks helps the body restore the delicate balance of physiological processes and systems and makes it easier for the individual to stay true to the training routine and goals.
How reloads break plateau
Reloads are the invigorating bursts of intense training that propel us to new heights of fitness.
“The reload phase serves a totally opposite purpose to deloads,” says Ramesh. “People should be 100% disciplined in case of workout, food and sleep. Only with that discipline will it be possible to build a big amount of muscle mass.”
Reloads serve as potent stimuli for muscle growth and performance enhancement. An individual stimulates greater adaptations by using short-term periods of increased training volume and intensity. Reloads can lead to significant gains in strength, power and muscle mass.
Reloads are particularly valuable while seeking to push past performance plateaus. They help deal with stagnation by injecting fresh stimulus into training routines. However, it is essential to balance reloads with adequate recovery to avoid overtraining.
Deloads, reloads and periodisation
Periodisation is dividing your training into distinct phases, each with a specific goal, training intensity and volume. By systematically altering these variables, you can overload progressively, recover sufficiently and target greater adaptations to your body. This structured approach optimises performance, prevents burnout and reduces the risk of injury.
So, when and how should one use deloads and reloads?
Having a deload week after every four to eight weeks of intense training will give the body a chance to make an active recovery. Reload weeks can be scattered into a structured training programme and you can alternate strategically between phases of higher and lower intensity. These periods of differing training volume and intensity should be based on the type of training, age, goals and recovery capacity.
But there’s a catch: most people probably do not train hard enough to resort to deloads and reloads.
Before jumping into deloads and reloads, one needs to consider their training volume and intensity and check if they are training hard enough in the first place. Consistency is key to making progress in the fitness journey and once you master the art of staying consistent you can fully dive into the world of deloads and reloads.
Takeaways
- Deloads are periods of reduced training volume and intensity. They aid in rest and recovery, enhance muscle repair and prevent overreaching and overtraining.
- Reloads are strategically planned periods of increased training volume and intensity. They lead to significant gains in strength, power and muscle mass when implemented effectively.
- Deloads and reloads can be incorporated after every four to eight weeks of intense training to maintain progress and prevent fatigue.
- Proper periodisation and balancing reload with adequate recovery are essential to avoid overtraining.
