Deload Week: You're Probably Doing It Wrong [FULL WEEK OF TRAINING]

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In this video I discuss how Austin Baraki structures my "low stress" week (deload week), the importance of a low stress week, and when to incorporate one into your routine.
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[@weeshnaaa]

I think I need to take a deload week after witnessing that majestic beard flowing in the wind

[@Victoriascarn]

weeshnaaa understood, its alot to take in.

[@AchaimianS17]

I know you said theres no such thing as a perfect deload week but from personal experience (and with my strength clients), a lower intensity week is vital to long term progression. I totally agree with not completely taking a week off but I would strongly recommend people try a low intensity week as well as the advice given here, and decide for themselves which works best. For me, I come back more motivated, excited and fresher after a low intensity deload rather than a lower volume week. I would consider myself in the advanced category for what its worth. Just my two cents!

[@nigelbranch9634]

Do you really know what high intensity is if you don't do low intensity once in a while

[@HUGEGUY405]

I thought a deload week was not working out because I've been deloading for the last 10 years!

[@tajbirsingh5205]

Fat-Kid Fitness that's a deload decade.

[@BuffGuy71]

Lazy bum

[@Deuger]

Connective tissue, joints and the CNS also need rest, even if the muscles feel recovered. Of course as an beginner/intermediate you dont really tax them as much as an advanced lifter, but many people who are trying to moving to the "advanced" from intermediate really need to learn to listen to their body. It doesnt need to be a whole week, even just doing a lighter workout when you really feel shitty will go a long way. My biggest mistake was to push and push while ignoring many symptoms because "deload is a waste of time". Nowadays I know better and as a fun fact my deadlift has done amazing progress going from lifting once a week to once every two weeks. Maybe im an genetical exception or something. Just my two cents.

[@starpooper1681]

How do you approach your deloads?

[@atgtooverhead7377]

I've had this exactly same thought back in my head for a while now, and it has seemed to be working for me very well. Thank you Alan for giving me some actual information and backing up my thoughts!

[@GerryCobian]

I like the new intro. You should make some videos on the assistance exercises for the main lifts. For example, pin squats, pause deads, etc... What are the expected intensities for the assistant exercises compared to ones main lifting movement?

[@GForceIntel]

Gerry Cobian it's all bullshit just do the lift. high volume and intensity and

[@jimbowimbo3796]

GForceIntel it's not all bullshit, it's mostly bullshit

[@septicbile2901]

Allan, I've noticed a severe lack of jujimufu in your videos and I shall remain thoroughly vexed until I see the two of you training together.

[@sprindlsprok13]

I'm solidly around intermediate level right now and have just started considering taking deloads. Love the informative video! Also, I really enjoyed how The Sword was almost exclusively playing in the background

[@lizetpacheco5147]

(posting from wife's account) I personally disagree with a lot of this. After 9 years of doing my deloads how Alan is saying (reducing volume but still trying to get in my heavy sets) has only left me with a very half-ass deload that doesn't allow me time to recover from minor injuries or recover enough to see "gains" and feel fresh again. I learned that for me, taking a week or even 10 days off completely from lifting (or at the most like 2 days of training in 10 days) sets me up for a massive PR streak when I return every single time, and my body feels way better as well I don't battle with mental burn out anymore. I do get lazy if I do the 40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x thing though. For me its better to do nothing and recover well.

[@followerofgms8294]

Lizet Pacheco me 2 I love taking the week off I come back stronger

[@Upharius]

Lizet Pacheco Yeah, full recovery from things you may not "feel" during training is most important.

[@Victoriascarn]

Lizet Pacheco That would be " complete recovery " I agree, serious lifters should take at least 5-7 days of complete recovery once every year. I do the same, and i always feel amazing when i return.

[@lizetpacheco5147]

I do minor deloads and the complete recovery that you mentioned about every 4 months. Instantly come back stronger every time.

[@clap5]

I agree, I think you need to rest by deloading the weights. Your joints can not simply recover if your lifting heavy all the time. In the short game, you might progress faster. But in the long run, your setting yourself up for some serious joint issues.

[@adammccarthy9489]

i think what type of deload week you take (less weight, lower intensity or low reps) depends on why you need a deload week( is it muscle soreness, feeling weak during workouts, or over accumulation of stress) one size dos not fit all for deload or low stress week. great video and im aware this is an old video. New research comes out daily!! stay strong!

[@Y0y0Jester]

All these videos telling me what I'm doing wrong, just like my parents :( Do I ever do something right?

[@Zio_xm]

Too Long Didn't Watch yeah releasing that everything u do is a mistake, is the only thing u are doing right :/

[@killslay]

"Everything is killing your gains" - AtheanX

[@daytonasayswhat9333]

@@killslay That guy sucks.

[@JosephQPublic]

I think you spelled everything correctly! That’s a plus!! Go you!

[@thelastowitch]

@@daytonasayswhat9333 And why would that be? Any arguments?

[@Gargarks]

Pleeeease do a collab with Jujimufu. But with wide angle to contain all the hair.

[@isaacbutler2517]

I been saying this lmao

[@apffer]

Allan, thank you a lot for the link to the barbell medicine bridge program. I am doing starting strenght linear progression after a couple of years nonstop on a more bodybuilding and athletics style of training, and its very nice to have a glimpse of the future transitioning to intermediate and a guide written by the doctors. Wish you the best and greetings from Brazil.

[@l.v7344]

Good video overall. Interesting that you brought this up now and used 5/3/1 as an example, since Wendler uses exclusively high intensity deloads in his most recent programming. It is cool to see these kind of connections emerging more and more with different training methods.

[@sa1126]

The marriage of the sword and untamed strength videos could be the greatest thing to happen in years.

[@veritaslibertas2889]

Hi Alan, your coach Austins remark regarding total training volume serving as the primary driver of long-term muscular adaptation particularly from a muscular hypertrophy standpoint left out the part of the equation referred to as recovery ability. The statement would be true provided a lifters recovery ability was unlimited, which is clearly not the case, hence the need for a low stress week or whatever someone wishes to refer to it as. Recovery ability is not a static thing, it's level is changing all the time in response to the stressors that are applied, and training is just one of many stressors that must be adapted to. Genetics, age of the lifter, sleep, food intake, and many other variables determine how much stress tolerance you have, and therefore how much stress you can recover from before your recovery ability is exceeded by the intensity of the stress being applied. There are a group of individuals that espouse the idea that there's no such thing as overtraining, just under eating. My question for them is, how much food do you think your digestive system can process in a given time-frame? I'm not talking about how much you can force through, I'm talking about how much you can actually digest and assimilate, and keep in mind that the process of digestion and assimilation is probably the singular most costly thing we do from a metabolic and recovery ability standpoint. In addition the different types of tissues in your body ie. muscle, tendon, nerve, ligament, bone, etc all recover at different rates, then there's the supply of neurotransmitters that are responsible for signaling muscular contractions as well as all the other processes occurring in your body, which also exist in limited supply. Localized muscular recovery is quite fast compared to various other tissues, but it is just assumed by most lifters that these other tissues keep pace, until something breaks that is. There's a reason why runners who sprint have more muscle than marathon runners, why sprint cyclists have more muscle than Tour de France cyclists etc. If total training volume was the primary driver of long-term muscular adaptation particularly from a hypertrophy standpoint, who in these examples I've cited applies a greater total training volume and therefore should be the most muscular? Anaerobic exercise, particularly strength athletics are not endurance sports. There is undertraining, which is what was preventing you from making progress on your bench press for so long, and there is overtraining which will eventually set in when the total training volume at a particular intensity level on an ongoing basis exceeds the lifters recovery ability. In a video interview of Stan Efferding when he was asked about his current training program he remarked that he started out squatting twice a week, when he got to a certain point (I think it was around five hundred pounds) he had to decrease the frequency to once a week, and when he got to the seven hundred pounds mark he decreased his frequency to once every two weeks with his deadlift day alternated with his squat day in between. In several interviews Tom Platz who was capable of squatting well over seven hundred pounds talked about a similar decrease in frequency from three times a week at the beginning to once every two weeks and depending on how he was feeling once a month, because the relative intensity of his squat workouts was so high. These are obviously chemically assisted lifters with greatly enhanced recovery abilities as a result, who were decreasing their total training volume at a given intensity level over the long-term so as to facilitate greater recovery and therefore continuing positive adaptation to the training stressors that were being applied. How much more necessary is that reduction in total training volume going to be for a lifter whose recovery ability is not chemically enhanced? In addition I think you will find that this same dynamic applies to almost all the top men involved in strength athletics. As far as the few who train more frequently at greatly reduced intensities between higher intensity sessions under the pretext of trying to prevent decompensation or the oxymoronic concept of active rest goes, my question is this, in what other instance where the recovery ability of an individual is subjected to a high intensity stressor ie. someone suffering from a burn, or a broken limb, would we advocate a reduced intensity of the same stressor (or any other stressor) be applied to enhance their recovery time? Instead of a blow torch applied to the area of the burn, we'll apply a cigarette lighter to the area to speed up the healing process. I think this clearly illustrates the absurdity of this line of "thinking" there is a sweet spot of volume and intensity that must be adjusted appropriately on an ongoing basis by every lifter based on their individual particulars if they expect to make continuing progress and this is more a process of trial and error than anything else. Anyway, you are a strong lifter and appear to be doing well with your lifting so keep up the good work, and congratulations on the success of your gym, it's nice to see that your hard work and perseverance paid off. Best wishes Alan! :D

[@starpooper1681]

Do you really think that you can go squatting once every two weeks and make gains without steroids?

[@AtPeacePiece]

Thanks. I'm not training for the same goals that most of your viewers are, but this channel helped me a ton with squatting and deadlift

[@HeyItsJoe1]

was literally going to comment "Shots fire at 5/3/1" right before he said he wasnt taking shots lmao

[@stephenmalcik7388]

but it was clearly a shot...

[@orionantares]

Though really the more advanced 531 program has a deload setup similar to what he describes. The deload week I've been using is to repeat the week 1 weights but for only 3 reps each with no AMRAP and then cutting my assistance reps in half but keeping the weight and sets the same.

[@jefftparker]

PopcornShrimp I do the powerlifting version (3/5/1) and just deload every 2 cycles. I also take my real 1rm (or estimate in reality) and do the percentage from there. Im totally fine with this next week being a deload week. Just the mental pressure of lifting this HEAVY ASS WEIGHT to me at least can get overwhelming. Gonna amp up the cut and try to lose 2lbs this week instead of 1.

[@SteFan-rd7hi]

Also in his new book, Wendler changed the deload week to exactly this: Keep the intensity high, cut the volume.

[@thomasbye4339]

More specifically?

[@jefftparker]

I do a deload every 6 weeks. Following 2 cycles of 3/5/1. Works for me.

[@HooDRidEWhiteY]

Jeff Parker same here.

[@rko951]

and i take a deload every 4th week following the 531 and that works lol

[@NIPPLEBARK69]

I do it after 5 weeks then up the weight

[@valentincheval3878]

Hi Alan, I am a beginner in strengh, and one thing that I would love to watch is a serie for beginner, step by step. It's easy to get lost tbh, and this would help.

[@StrongButAwkward]

I've found a lot of success with Juggernaut's recommendation of ~60% volume and ~80% Intensity of your normal workout for deloads.

[@phantomcreamer]

Got a link to that one?

[@immelting9834]

I use deload weeks to switch routines and judge my weights .

[@nachtwaandler]

PRIMUS!!! HELL Yeahh​!

[@Grifftrogg]

My names is Mud is an epic tune! I'm glad I'm not the only one to spot it.

[@stevenlacen1398]

Tiger Crooks primus sucks

[@joshjohnston7388]

Tiger Crooks dude... "primus sucks" is what the fans chant at a primus concert.

[@phaedruslive]

First was the sword, you normie.

[@Materman76]

You've always got the best music.

[@braddixon3338]

There's also an age factor to be brought into this. I'm 56, and follow the 3 on, 1 light regime and it is needed. by the end of the third week, I'm feeling pretty beat up. dropping weight to something light and doing reps of 10 for fewer sets allows me to not loose strength, and recover from the last 3 weeks of hard lifting. The only exception is when I'm coming into a meet, then I drop volume but not weight, and practice meet type lifting (warm up, followed by progressing weight singles)

[@joshjohnston7388]

Brad Dixon yeah man. 90% of lifting models are only addressing 20 yo males. Us older dudes gotta train differently.

[@nohomobro8933]

Brad Dixon same

[@clownpocket]

I'm 54. The Barbell Prescription book has great programs for older dudes.

[@dancook5057]

Thank you for explaining deload. I was always worried about doing it wrong I haven't ever actually done it because of that I'd only take 2 days of and then either switch up exercises or change intensities and volumes so I really appreciate it.

[@ungualexandru6]

You cannot compare this intro to anything else omfg!!

[@thehiatusprt]

This how I have been doing deload without even knowing, everybody was telling me was to much. thank you.

[@dylanthompson6525]

This song haunts my dreams, my brother has not stopped playing it for the past year

[@mikedunn4077]

Liking that new intro. Primus for the win. Great vid

[@SiameseDream97]

That primus intro was amazing

[@ivandelac764]

This is true. There are some seemingly good theories out there when it comes to programing but honestly when you apply scientific methods to test them in field you figure out that when programs concerned most of them aren't good or make sense for any specific sport or goal.

[@SirJoelsuf1]

1:50 Most don't know that they are noobs and think that they are above being noobs. I'd love to see a video from Alan (or ANYONE in the community who isn't a try-hard) detailing exactly when you go from noob to intermediate. For example, I've been lifting heavy since 2013 but I still consider myself a noob because I haven't plateaued yet. And just because you hit a plateau doesn't mean you aren't a noob anymore.

[@stayferal291]

I lift while listening to The Sword as well, nice work

[@brycemeche8516]

Respect for liking Primus 👊🏻

[@VegetoStevieD]

Ya, I've tried traditional deloads, where you use less weight. It ends up being more like de-training.

[@1587-i3w]

Khechari same,squatted 460 for 3 before deload and barely 385 after

[@Artofwar3004]

@@1587-i3w wtf, did u took 3 months off? 😂

[@XXBloodyElle]

Alan dude, thank you for KGs keep that metric system going

[@wptte]

I've been doing 5/3/1 for a while now (thanks in part to you, Alan). I also didn't feel good with the low intensity of the deload week, so I've been doing stuff that I don't normally do during the other weeks. Cleans and rack pulls come to mind, maybe throw in a few push presses as well. The way I figure, I'm still working decently hard, but not doing the exact same movement patterns I do the rest of the time. All in all, good idea? Bad idea?

[@gregruopp4437]

I do kind of the same thing , not based on any type of science though! I usually try to do light weights on other moves that I can focus on technique instead of weight. I find the thing that takes a beating for me is my knees and elbows, so I shoot for exercises that don’t hit those too hard

[@sloppykittens822]

Love the Primus intro!

[@AlexanderJimenezEuan]

Alan, what is your approach on warm up? I know Austin and Jordan advocate against stretching and dynamic stretching. Awesome video! Good content as always

[@sergiotl7378]

+Alexander Jimenez Euan He has several warm-up videos on his channel. The problem is all of them are prior to Alan's being abducted by the Starting Strength sect, so who knows what does he think now.

[@AlexanderJimenezEuan]

Sergio TL That's actually why I am asking. I'm not sure if he is still implementing the smashing-stretching-dynamic stretching aproach

[@kanguroman]

Alexander Jimenez Euan on Instagram he posted a video of his squat prescription that day where he tells you exactly how he warmed up check it out

[@mattdelvecchio1537]

Sergio TL It’s childish to call it a cult. SS is simply a strength training program that works very well for novices. It’s not an intermediate or advanced program nor is it a powerlifting or bodybuilding program. As a program for novices I have no problems with it as it’s easy for novices to follow the clear movements and instructions.

[@AlexanderJimenezEuan]

Manuel Jimenez Thanks a lot man! Really appreciate it

[@mattdelvecchio1537]

In Beyond 531, the second book to 531, program creator Wendler revised his deload advice to every two three-week cycles. That is, every six weeks. As preventive medicine. The lifts are still there but just pretty light.

[@guineapigcinemas1175]

Thanks Alan, I always try to train on time. Love your videos. Keep up the great work.l!

[@jamesabboud3883]

This my friend, was a GREAT video!

[@tester24243]

I have been following Alan for many months and this is the first time I see him doing DB Press ... Not I am complaining but it looks cute on him to do DB press or some kinda isolate movement .

[@CDelasaux]

I think you've convinced me to change the vanilla 531 deload week. I always thought it was pointless to even bother doing 40/50/60% of your 90% 1rm for 5 reps, it's too effortless, even for a deload and I struggle to even get motivated to fight over the damn bench press in the gym just to do that shit.

[@CultivateAwareness]

My favorite outro on all of you tube

[@QQyoko]

dat Primus intro though Thank you for this. I was getting kinda tired of the SS stuff, but this seems super helpful and relevant. Plus, Primus.

[@mariod1inc]

week 7 of heavy singles at 92% of my max i even increased it by 5% it works thanks Alan !

[@Crashtechs]

New vid is awesome! Thank you And i will definitely check out the program.

[@ukaszj2906]

As a novice lifter after 1 month training, every last set to failure it fried me fast and str started droping in these excersises. After a 9 day rest, no lifting, my deadlift has gone back up 20kg, so i think i cant agree. But now ill just train smarter not doing sets to failure and try a low stress week to see hows it going. I see many elite lifters, or all of them, dont deload by quiting for a week.

[@RNBrecords]

I'm doing bulgarian method - hit legs 6 days, i do PR then 5x3 with 85%, the next they i do 5x2 with 90%. How i should deload 1 week before competition (i'm natty)? Thx

[@michaelstickler6973]

Love hearing Alabama playing in the background.

[@emreyimdir]

wendler says workout with your 50%.brian says competition weeks are deload weeks.elliott says sit like a bag of potatoes for a week, don't even jog.alan says lower the volume, keep the intensity.you know what? this year every month i will pick one of the above for my deload weeks. i hope 5 months later i will post my opinion of which is the best for me.

[@Icebergslim91]

So what was the best for you?

[@chimbolo89]

That intro was perfect!

[@joelschneider2186]

i wasn't gonna do the Bridge program because of its use of RPE but when I was sold the moment when I read the FAQ about stretching that said "Never"

[@threethrushes]

In eight months of training as a newbie, I have had four to five deloads, which were more or less planned around holidays, and random sickness.

[@567Kriss]

Alan thank you for your service!

[@2riluca]

I like when you say train untamed

[@AberrantArt]

Hey Alan. Where can a person find more explanation on intermediate or advanced programming? For example, how and why the rep ranges used in the bridge are selected? How to select and apply the variation in reps used per movement per week? How to choose which movements get added / increased sets per week? How to structure the stress fluctuation each week as seen in the bridge or RTS style programming?

[@mikehamson]

Do you think replacing the barbell rows with power cleans/snatches for someone who plays a sport that requires a lot of power (rugby) is a good idea for The Bridge Program?

[@michaelkelly2783]

Alan, looks like touch and go reps on the bench and full pause on deads. Ever go touch and go on the deads and pause reps on the bench? I seem to do the later in my training. Thanks for another good video!

[@Isaiah-ft5nx]

Mad props for the intro song!!

[@lukascoote]

Holy shit. When did alan jump to 375k Subs!! I came here like 2 years ago i swear it was around 100 or less. Good job 👍

[@yrrets]

Embrace the suck

[@conalls2480]

Daaaamn! Primus at the start, then The Sword while lifting? Damn, solid taste

[@Ruffstuff_Recovery]

That Primus just made my day!!!

[@midnitelamp]

my body has always told me when to deload

[@paulcaskey]

This gym has the best music.

[@farstrider79]

As a 37 year old with a F***d back. I say, press hard, but be careful not to go to far. Care for your back, because once it goes it doesn't come back.

[@AberrantArt]

Thanks Alan! After completing a week long deload, would you recommend starting back repeating the week right before the deload and then progressing? Or can we jump right back into it and go for the next overloading progression and set new PRs?

[@TheHavoci]

Holy shit Alan vids now have Primus sound tracks!

[@Summerofsam]

Primus. Instant follow. Your channel is sick homie. Thanks for the tutorial.

[@Cryptkeeper0311]

Good video, it points out that I may have screwed up in my training. If anyone can give me some tips id appreciate it. I have been lifting for a couple of years now and I recently stopped progressing completely after training pretty decently hard for the last 3-4 months straight. I got to the point to where squats of 325 (85% for me) began to feel like a 1 rep max... I believed that this was me "over-reaching", So i took it easy for a little bit and did some more sub-max training. I got to the point to where I can barely manage 245x5 when I use to squat 315x5. Its a similar story for my bench and deadlift. There are a few stresses and changes in my life and I took a full week off from the gym. I still feel like my cns is still not done recovering. Im starting back again and I am weaker than ever and the weights that use to be apart of my warm up to me are now heavy af. I am now wondering where to begin to start getting at least back to where I was, I am no longer confident in my previous 1 rep maxes. Should I run starting strength until I get some of my stregth back or ease into it with lighter weights? Or maybe I need more recovery time? Id appreciate the help.

[@vyalon7387]

When I started bench pressing I had to stop one month in due to a two week trip. After I came back I was way better on the bench press even though I haven't done it in two weeks and i was a beginner.

[@CJ-gp6vf]

That intro 😍10/10

[@jakeherington7237]

That Primus into was dope

[@BarbellSocietyUK]

Great video Alan, the deload is misunderstood 💪🤘🏻

[@justingarssacoche]

I understand the reason to deload, because fatigue masks fitness, and it's great before a meet (along with a taper), but I don't fully understand the most optimal way to incorporate them in my routine. If I'm coming back from an injury at an advanced level (600DL 515 Sq 350b) and making linear progress again (because muscle memory) should I deload ? I am making progress without deloading almost like a novice at the moment. Is a deload necessary ? My body feels banged up at the moment, but this is subjective. I got great progress dealoding on wendler 1x every 4 weeks, then on my own program when I felt like it, or after the heaviest week, but I would like to be more methodological with deloads. If volume is the most impactful on fatigue, why do programs like wendler have the deload week after the heaviest week ? Shouldnt the deload be done after the lightest/most volume week i.e. 85%amrap rather than after the heavy week which has little volume i.e. 95% x 1 ?

[@theolliproductions]

Alan ive been doing SL/SS type linear progression for a few months and im currently at 76kg bodyweight and lifting Squat 120kg x5 Bench 87.5kg x5 and DL 160kg x5, Should I start taking deload weeks since ive been having minor injuries and havent had any progress for the last 2 weeks ?

[@theolliproductions]

Oh yeah i think my injuries are from training, mostly shoulder impingement and some facet locks that i have gotten treated though, and have taken pauses from training during those injury times. Also my height is 5"9

[@thetruth5232]

eMCEE86 For 5'9'' your light. In terms of LP, you either gain a massive amount of weight, or alter your programming. you could probably get 20 kilos out of your squat without getting fat, but your DL and bench are at a level where you should consider intermediate programming as the weight is already heavy enough, to induce too much fatigue that you cant recover from in such a short timeframe, which also might cause your injuries(Overuse and form breakdown). I'd recommend reading Starting Strength and signing up at the forum, as SSonline coaching is not cheap and your problems are easy to fix.

[@mnikhk]

If you have stalled more than twice on each lift and add a third time despite some technique correction,youre no longer a novice,there are many ppl on internet who will say nah thats bs untill you deadlift 400-500 youre a novice well its your body some ppl just stall early or late

[@MAGAMAN]

It sounds like you have issues with your form. I would spend a lot of time working on that, because that is the absolutely most important thing in lifting. Another thing that could cause this is lifting too much weight. If your form is breaking down because you can't lift the weight correctly, you are lifting too much. Drop enough weight to where you are about 20 lbs below what you can lift with correct form for all your sets and continue as you were before. once you hit the point where your form falls apart, repeat the above. You may also want to try different rep ranges and sets. While SS says to do 5x5, this doesn't work for everyone. I am switching between 4x4 heavy and 4x8 lighter every other lift and it is working well for me. I alternate squats and deadlift every other workout, so one week I squat 2x and deadlift once and the next I deadlift 2x and squat once. I know this goes against the SS stuff, but it works well for me (I'm in my late 40s). Also, don't be afraid to drop weights back more than twice as some people say. I'm still using the same program I've been using for a while and I have dropped weights back several times when my for started falling apart and I'm still increasing my max lift. If your form keeps falling apart at the exact same weight, then you should start looking for a new program. Is the program I'm doing the most optimal? Probably not, but I don't have the money to have someone create a custom program and coach me, so as long as my lifts keep going up, I'm happy.

[@Leader]

That 225 OHP is there bro!

[@nikolaspajic8074]

He already got it

[@hellawaits77NY]

Respect on the St. Anger shirt!

[@bmstylee]

Yeah but that album was hot garbage

[@黃昱翰-x3u]

So Actually I'm watching coach Austin's KZbin Channel????? I thought I was watching Alan Thrall lol.

[@pwneddude]

Alan, what's your view on linear progression? Is it a good idea for someone to go through a linear progression period? Some have mentioned that doing so exposes you to a higher risk of injury given that you're not (fully) focusing on form and heavily stressing your body.

[@thetruth5232]

That is entirely wrong. A linear progression emphasizes on perfect (or at least good) form and failure is defined as form breaking down. There will be form creep, especially in absence of a coach, but not more than there would be on any other program. You will think about form all the time. Yes, the stress will be higher, But if your a novice, you can recover and adapt quickly enough to perfom over your last pr in ca. 48hrs. If your a novice, do a linear progression, optimally Starting strength. If you want to find out if your a novice, just do a linear progression. Squat 3x5 on monday, sleep and eat well, and repeat on wednesday. If you can add 5lbs on wednesday and complete all three sets with good form and repeat on friday with 5lbs more on the bar and of course good form, your a novice and linear progression works for you until it doesn't.

[@pcmapas37]

If you choose your starting weight and weight jumps correctly, your body is stressed sufficiently while the lifts are not so difficult that form breaks down. In other words, problems only arise with ego lifting, be reasonable and you will be fine.

[@pwneddude]

Good stuff, thank you for the insight

[@mattdelvecchio1537]

You also have to ensure you’re eating at a caloric surplus so you have energy to spend on recovery and adaptation. There are good calculators for this online: www.muscleforlife.com/macronutrient-calculator/

[@fenderman21guitar]

Answered my question, im still a noob, attempting a 4 month bulk after a long 6 month weight loss, no real need to stick full deload weeks in until the weight stops going up is the basic take away if i understand correctly. Ill still probably have a week off every 8 weeks though

[@SuperAmazingAnt]

Best gains you get with high volume. And then you definitely need a brake from the gym. I think your weekly volume in is around 20 sets per muscle group/week so in 2 week period it is 40 sets. My best gains came with 120sets per muscle group in 2 week period. But it is so tough (at least when you are natural) that you cant run a business or family.

[@justindankert7725]

120 Sets? Why would you go that high if it's obviously unsustainable?

[@muscleandmath2910]

Thoughts on deloading on certain lifts only. I mean if my ohp is going up but not my bench, why not go ahead and keep pushing the ohp and lower the stress on bench?

[@TheDONUTboyTELLem]

i feel like what you’re saying yields true but mostly for powerlifting? Perhaps it’s different from the training standpoint of a bodybuilder?

[@venom286__worldoftanks3]

What are your thoughts on doing a month of deload

[@joephillybowes3263]

Would you say this is down to preference? As I feel as tho I need to drop weight in my deload and it doesn't really affect me when it comes to getting back to lifting heavier weights.

[@Azad-qm2pm]

Hi . There you mentioned an `off week`. So my question is, do I still need to take the recommended amount of protein in an off week as well ? I am 75kg (165pound ) and I take around 150g of protein everyday as suggested. Is it ok if I dont take protein powder , or take less amount of protein in my off (deload) weeks since I actually dont take any workout to failure ? Thanks a lot

[@mikesoto5383]

Allen, I recently noticed that when I squat the barbell rests crooked on my back/rear delts. Everything else below my shoulders looks fine/symmetrical. Is this a problem? Should I worry?

[@erickomans5494]

Loved the "suck" diagram, lmao

[@m00py1]

Are you going to revise your beginner strength program with no deloads?

[@LeoSkyro]

Good to find out I was an intermediate 1 month into lifting. Well yeah, my progress stalled pretty soon and kept stalling forever, because I'm a genetic failure.

[@joelusmaximus7720]

you were not an intermediate 1 month in.

[@SimonMSvensson]

MY NAME IS MUUUUD!

[@bifta1427]

Can this "The Bridge Program" be done by and advanced lifter( to be more specifically 2yrs and 5 months of training) ?

[@chinoloc916]

Just Subbeddd. Metal head. Yes. all up in Sac town. !

[@myroadtothetable]

Takes a shot at 5,3,1 "I'm not taking a shot at 5,3,1" man this blokes awesome hahah 5,3,1 for strength people never forget

[@Thefunkeemonkee]

Ok but about when you are cutting or losing weight? I heard that you need to deload just to preven injury since you are more prone to it.

[@davidgregg4924]

I appreciate the Alabama at 4:18

[@SunOmega]

You know whats the song at 3:35?

[@MrXboxUser]

I take a deload week when my body feels it. I workout about 6 days a week, I try to take at least one rest day, but sometimes I feel achy even in my bones, so I'll back off for a week then hit it again. It's usually because I do legs so often 😅