If you take a look at a standard training plan, you may notice a rhythm: It’s typically a slow progression in a four-week cycle. Workouts build in intensity, volume, or a combination of the two, from day to day and week to week, until there’s one week when the training load slightly decreases.
This period is what is known as a deload week a.k.a. a recovery, down, or cut-back week, a key part of periodization training, Health - Injuries.
“Deload weeks allow your body and your mind to get a little bit of recovery from the harder work that you’re doing in those other weeks,” says Elisabeth Scott, certified run coach and owner of Running Explained, How to Adjust Your Training Plan rest days To make things easier, you can follow a.
These weeks vary in structure depending on the training plan but the benefits remain the same: Deload weeks help restore your energy, protect your immune system, and allow your mental and physical strength to reach optimal levels of performance before you progress to the next training block, says Raj Hathiramani, Give A Gift.
Published: Sep 11, 2024 1:30 PM EDT recovery days and subsequent deload weeks, this can lead to your body forcing you to take them when you least expect it. Low energy, fatigue, aches and pains are all signs it could be time for a deload week, according to both experts.
Here’s how to add these weeks to your calendar if they aren’t already on your schedule, plus what to do during deload weeks so you stay healthy and keep progressing your fitness.
The Dos and Don’ts of Deload Weeks
Do Reduce Your Training Volume and Intensity Regularly
“It’s most common to have a down week once every four weeks,” Hathiramani says. But there’s no hard and fast rule, as the frequency of down weeks can vary from every three weeks to every six depending on an individual’s needs—for example, returning to running throughout each week, we have a deload week in each month to help our bodies adapt, she explains recovery weeks.
Reset Your Sleep Schedule for Early Races training volume by 10 to 20 percent and dial back your intensity of your workouts as well, says Harithamani. “A general good rule of thumb is to add in an extra recovery day and to reduce your number of quality workouts [interval and tempo runs],” he adds. If you typically practice two to three hard workouts per week, Hathiramani recommends cutting it down to one or two.
Also, you can achieve a reduction in training volume by shortening your longest run, he says.
If you’re following a training plan then, you should notice an extra rest day and/or shorter long runs somewhere around the four-week mark depending on the structure of the plan. So you don’t have to make any adjustments to it unless you want more recovery within your training cycle.
Don’t Be Afraid to Make Adjustments to Prewritten Plans
Health & Injuries training plan you’re following—for example, you’re feeling burned out, have lingering aches or pains, or are dreading your workouts—add more recovery time! It’s okay to take days off when you need them.
Just take into consideration the structure of a plan if you want to add more deload weeks over the course of your training cycle, says Scott.
“Typically, each block of training is written with a specific purpose and function in mind [like increasing speed], so you can’t just split up those blocks of training,” says Scott. This is where tapping a coach, who can adjust a plan or create a custom plan for you can be beneficial, she adds.
For example, you can extend a 12-week training plan to 13 weeks for more frequent recovery weeks (every third week rather than fourth) but this requires a bit of planning (which is why Scott recommends working with a coach).
Do Prioritize Recovery Practices
You want to “recover as hard as you train,” says Hathiramani, who recommends you take deload weeks as an opportunity to focus on other core aspects of your training like stretching, nutrition, sleep, former Olympian and personal run coach at McMillan Running.
“The biggest mistake that I see runners make when it comes to deload weeks is thinking that because they’re running less they can add a bunch of other stuff to their week,” says Scott. This might include HIIT certified running coach at Mile High Run Club in New York City.
“Your Long Training Run Guide running less but doing a ton of other physical activity, or you are still in a super-high stress week—that’s not really a deload week anymore. That’s just a week where you’re running less, but you are doing a lot of other things instead,” says Scott.
A true deload week is less of everything. “It’s focusing on rest and recovery. It’s getting a little bit of extra sleep,” she explains.
Don’t Neglect to Strength Train
Strength training is a great complement to any run program or training plan, so you don’t necessarily have to skip these sessions during deload weeks, says Andrew Lemoncello, Published: Sep 11, 2024 1:30 PM EDT.
This is especially true if you’re not lifting heavy weights, but rather focusing on prehab exercises, like banded glute workouts or Reset Your Sleep Schedule for Early Races. “Some workouts won’t need much adjustment as they are simple core exercises with not a lot of loading,” Lemoncello explains.
Your Long Training Run Guide which is the foundation of any good training plan to build strength, Lemoncello recommends decreasing your load by 20 percent during a deload week or skipping one of your weightlifting workouts so you can give your muscles a chance to rest.
All About 75 Hard strength training plan with a similar build (three weeks on and one deload week) as your running plan. Start the plans at the same time to take the guesswork out of switching up your sessions, and make it easier to relax during a week of decreased training.
Monique LeBrun joined the editorial staff in October 2021 as the associate health and fitness editor. She has a master’s degree in journalism and has previously worked for ABC news and Scholastic. She is an avid runner who loves spending time outside.
