How To Program A Deload Week

Within powerlifting programming, there are pretty strong opinions both ways in regards to the need to program deload weeks. Some say it is a waste of a week where you could be training hard, while others program deloads on a structured and/or reactive basis. I am in the camp of having regularly scheduled and/or reactive deload weeks. From experience, I see a lifter's longevity increase from deload weeks not only due to physiological reasons, but maybe even more so due to the mental and psychological benefits it provides. In my latest KZbin video I cover the 6 reasons, physiological and psychological, of why I program deload weeks. I detail how to determine the frequency of deloads needed on an individual lifter basis. I break out Google Sheets once again to give a conceptual template of how to program deload weeks, including me screen recording myself programming a deload week as an example. I explain how to individualize the extent of the deload not only to a particular lifter, but to each one of their lifts separately. And lastly, I take a look into how deload weeks can be one of the best tools for determining how to taper and peak into a meet.
#powerliftingprogram #deloadweek #powerliftingprogramming #deload #taper #deloadprogramming #powerliftingdeload #fatigue #powerliftingfatigue #fatiguemanagement
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[@mls_33]

It boggles the mind that you don't have more viewers, tbh. This video is a gold mine

[@PRsPerformance]

I was talking to another powerlifting KZbinr who has 20k+ subscribers, and he said the current KZbin algorithm just makes it really hard for smaller channels like mine to grow and show up within searches. Which as of now, my leg drive video is the only one getting hits from searches. Just got to keeping plugging, as its been steadily growing, just slowly haha.

[@tylerdetermined]

As the OGs, we are affirming that Steve's channel with blow up! We just have to keep commenting and liking!

[@tylerdetermined]

Love the proactive model of deloads. My personal TTP (time to peak) is 4 weeks and that 5th week is historically when I need a break mentally and physically. Looking forward to the end of this week's deload and hoping back into training next week 💪🏾per usual, awesome video Steve

[@PRsPerformance]

thank you sir!!

[@fawzaanmohammad6782]

After tweaking my back I was looking for a video on deloading, 8 hours later and I get your video notification, I honestly can't stress enough how happy I am to have found your channel

[@PRsPerformance]

Sorry to hear about your back, but perfect timing!

[@skylarvaneeka]

This channel is super helpful !

[@PRsPerformance]

Glad it helped!

[@marcellocalza8041]

This is very nice thank you for all the videos, but what if following your template the deload is heavier than the planned first week? Since i feel like having 2 very low intensity weeks in a row kinda makes me weaker should i skip the deload and go directly for the first week or should i skip the first week and use the deload (that follows your template) as a first week?

[@PRsPerformance]

Check out the wave load video I did and possibly do that instead.

[@marcellocalza8041]

@@PRsPerformance thank you man you are the best youtube channel when it comes to pl programming 🙏

[@BahaaPowerlifting]

Can u make a video about phases different? And how to go from one to another? Nice video as usual keep it up man !

[@PRsPerformance]

If you haven't watched the prior programming series videos, I do touch on that a little bit. But sometime late January I am going to be doing another series on programming and should be touching on this subject a bit more.

[@BahaaPowerlifting]

@@PRsPerformance i saw the 3 episodes and they were a game changer for me , and im very excited for the upcoming episodes man !

[@chronicell998]

On a deload after the last week of a program after a max test/rpe 9 week Would the deload percentages be different? Since the weights youll be lifting for rpe 6 the week after sre going to be a lot light (1 rep to 3 rep etc).

[@PRsPerformance]

The deload would be the same % wise

[@SignaL2k10]

great videos

[@PRsPerformance]

thank you!

[@chronicell998]

If you hit a pr, would you increase the %decrease to compensate for the increased fatigue?

[@PRsPerformance]

Doesn’t really matter if it’s a PR, it would matter more how hard it was.

[@broskichimp5618]

Hey man, you were talking about some waveloading apporach. I have no clue what that is but I wanna know is that the approach for me or is the standard deloading for me?

[@PRsPerformance]

Wave loading is cycling right back into a new block, but with a slight volume taper on week 1.

[@rainjango4410]

If my deload week is heavier than my rpe 6 week - what is the point of the deload? Surely a waveload would achieve the same thing?

[@PRsPerformance]

Wave load could work then, but deload is more of a volume drop if that is needed.

[@rainjango4410]

@@PRsPerformance my deload top sets are higher then my rpe 6+7 at the bottom of the range you suggested. Could you just waveload with the same volume drop on this deload?

[@tylerdetermined]

In the instance of starting a new block that includes more accessory/overall volume, during deload week, would you introduce that stimulus for acclimation or just allow the lifter to focus on decreasing overall fatigue during deload and see how training progresses? I'm wondering because I'm planning to include more accessory work in my next training block, although I am deloading this week, I don't think 2x8 on accessories would incur much fatigue at all. Sort of like a intro/deload week. I appreciate your time and help with all of the information you post across all platforms

[@PRsPerformance]

I wouldn't do anything different during the deload week, but the following block I'd start at your normal set count of accessory work, and then gradually increase that over the first 2-3 weeks.

[@tylerdetermined]

@@PRsPerformance you the man Steve, thank you again, it really does mean a lot;

[@misd8602]

Hey steve me again! You answered this lastly: (You are no longer progressing your relative 1RM/estimated 1RM, or may even be regressing.) What if the case is that only one lift regresses and the other 2 are completely fine?

[@PRsPerformance]

Then adjust the workload and setup of that 1 lift.

[@misd8602]

Hey steve, How do we notice that we are plateau? Maybe a spike in rpe or reaching failure on some lifts

[@PRsPerformance]

You are no longer progressing your relative 1RM/estimated 1RM, or may even be regressing.

[@Sundown17]

If you program de-loads after every block are you essentially going back to 0 fatigue after each block? At the end of a program do you just do another deload like all the other or would you do something more?

[@PRsPerformance]

Not necessarily zero fatigue, but lower fatigue. And no you don’t need to do anything extra at the end of a program.

[@Sundown17]

So you would deload like this after a meet?@@PRsPerformance

[@kb.gawlik]

Thanks man, this is very informative and helpful. Tho i got a question - this makes a lot of sense while going from "volume" block to "strength" block (going from sixes to triples max that kind of deloading reall smooth transition from block to block). Do you have same approach after strength block if someone didnt compete?

[@PRsPerformance]

Same approach, no difference. Both blocks are going to accumulate fatigue, so both will require some form of fatigue dissipation.

[@kb.gawlik]

@@PRsPerformance Thanks, I understand that, but going from, for example, 5@8 + 3x7 backdowns -> deload as in video -> 3@8 + 3x4 backdowns seems to be pretty smooth, but if we do it in reverse order I think the volume difference will be huge (or at least 1st week?). Or am I overthinking this?

[@PRsPerformance]

@@kb.gawlik I'd read this from my Instagram page if you haven't already to get a better idea of why I don't think that is really much different. Because no, I wouldn't do anything different in regards to deloading in that circumstance. instagram.com/p/CHI8owAghYS/

[@kb.gawlik]

@@PRsPerformance ive read that, but don't know why I didn't think same way about deloads. Thank you!

[@_KaushalSingh]

Thank you sir❤

[@PRsPerformance]

Most welcome