On Deloading
Do it before you need it, or you'll be forced to.
Last week, my strength training went poorly.
On Monday, I did speed box squats at a light weight with band tension added. Prior to this workout, I was pretty sure that low bar squats were causing inflammation in my bicep tendons, leaving my elbows quite unhappy when bench pressing a day or two later. I wanted to test this theory, and I also wanted to perform some squat technique work on the one day per week that I lift in person with my coach. The squats, and the rest of the workout, went very well.
The next morning, I planned to complete a bench press workout. I was prescribed 7 sets of 2 with 230lbs; I had done 6 sets of 3 at 225 a week earlier, so this wasn’t a huge ask of my body. Except for the fact that the squats did indeed cause my elbows and bicep tendons to blow up overnight. I did a few of the sets, but wasn’t able to push through the pain and complete them all.
Staying positive, I took it as a win that I had at least confirmed what was causing the problem; I could now take steps to mitigate it moving forward. I planned to decompress through my scheduled mid-week run workouts and then take my lifting frustrations out on the max effort deadlifts I had planned for Thursday.
The runs felt great, as they usually do when done at a low intensity. Thursday morning rolled around, and I started loading up the bar with plates and chains. Things were moving well, until they weren’t. At a weight that would normally move without issues, I had a slight tweak in my lower back. Now, I have been through years of low back issues that I have largely been able to mitigate while lifting. This tweak wasn’t like previous ones that would leave me hunched over in pain for days. I probably could have continued to work through it, but the rewards of finishing that session were not worth the potential risks. I called it and texted my coach to ask if we could deload the following week.
A deload is a deliberate reduction in training frequency, volume, or intensity, or some combination of those three, with the intent of allowing the body to recover and be better prepared for future training. This concept applies to lifting, running, and sport in general.
The mistake I made was allowing myself to go too long without a deload. Ideally, you will deload before you need it–this helps to avoid the things I experienced last week. My body made it very clear to me that I was overdue. Fortunately, nothing catastrophic happened. I am still lifting and running this week, but at lower volumes and intensities. Below, you can see an example of a normal training week (for me) vs a deloaded week.
Normal Week:
Monday
SSB Box Squats - 5x3 at 250lbs + chains
Bench Press - 5x3 at 225lbs
Close Grip Bench Press - 4x7 at 150lbs
Accessories and Assault Bike Sprints
Tuesday
Accessory workout consisting of Nordic Curls, Split Squats, Dips, Pullups, Facepulls, and Hammer Curls
30-45 minute run
Wednesday
60 minute run
Thursday
Deadlifts - 8x3 at 225lbs + bands
Barbell RDLs - 5x6 at 205lbs
Barbell Good Mornings - 5x6 at 135lbs
Accessories
Friday
Barbell Overhead Press - 2x5 at 150lbs
Bench Press - 7x3 at 160lbs + bands
Accessories
Saturday
45 minute run
Sunday
Rest
Deload Week:
Monday
SSB Box Squats - 5x3 at 185lbs + chains
Bench Press - 5x3 at 155lbs
Accessories
Tuesday
Accessory workout consisting of Kettlebell Swings, Nordic Curls, Split Squats, Dips, Pullups, Facepulls, and Hammer Curls
20 minute run
Wednesday
45 minute run
Thursday
Deadlifts - 8x3 at 185lbs + chains
Barbell RDLs - 5x6 at 185lbs
Barbell Good Mornings - 5x6 at 115lbs
Friday
Barbell Overhead Press - 2x5 at 125lbs
Bench Press - 3x3 at 115lbs + chains
Accessories
Saturday
Long, slow hike
Sunday
Rest