After an initial testing week, and three weeks of a strength block, it’s time for a deload week. Apart from going on holiday and Christmas, I can’t think of many things I’ve looked forward to more! Starting the last week of training I was crushed, loving the programming and the variety it included, but mentally and physically exhausted. As the reps started feeling heavier and heavier, it was the relative ‘light’ of the promised deload week that got me through.

Funny thing is, in all my years of training, I’ve NEVER taken a planned deload. Yeah, I’ve read all about how necessary they are, how it’s only by allowing your body (and mind) time to recover and adapt that you’ll come to realise your true potential, but, I always kept training, finding all sorts of ways to rationalise why I didn’t need a deload. Guess you could say I was a “rebel without a deload”.

Thinking about why I never planned a formal deload, I guess there are several reasons.

1) RECOVERY – By and large, I tend to recover quite well, meaning I don’t generally feel ‘crushed and sore’, signs I (wrongly) thought meant a deload was necessary. If I didn’t feel that way, why ‘waste time’ cutting back training?

2) THE ‘NEED TO ACHIEVE’ – I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with this, but I now think/realise it’s probably a good idea to couple this with an understanding that sometimes doing less NOW (for the short term) will allow you to do more LATER(for the long term).

3) IRRATIONAL FEAR AND INSECURITY – I know I didn’t get to where I am training wise in a week, but somehow seem to convince myself that if I took a week off, or even eased back for a week or so, I would somehow lose ‘everything’. Strange (and stupid), but true!

4) NOT TRAINING LIKE I AM NOW – My training is now quite different to what I was doing previously. Yes I trained ‘hard’ before, but I didn’t train a lot of the (very demanding) movements I’m now training. Similarly, seeing the sorts of numbers the other athletes are posting is hugely motivating and definitely encourages me to push just that little bit harder.

Now, I guess you could say I’m feeling a little less rebellious, and very much looking forward to the deload before the reload!