Plan a deload week in training.
A deload cuts volume sharply while keeping load reasonably heavy, which preserves the training skill and neural adaptations you have built. The reduction here starts at 30% and grows with accumulated fatigue and the number of weeks since the last break, so a long hard block earns a deeper cut. Intensity drops only modestly — usually to 85-90% of normal working weight — because dropping it too far makes the return week feel harder, not easier.
Deload prescription
Volume reduction = 30% + fatigue x 2.5 + weeks since deload x 1.5, capped at 65%; deload sets = normal sets x (1 - reduction/100)
These figures are estimates based on population-average formulas and are intended for training and recreational planning only. They are not medical advice. Consult a qualified health professional before starting or changing an exercise programme, particularly if you have an existing medical condition.
Commonly every four to eight weeks of hard training, or sooner when performance stalls, sleep worsens or joints complain. The urgency line here combines fatigue and elapsed weeks.
Sets first. Keeping load near normal while halving volume maintains skill and confidence, whereas cutting load alone often leaves fatigue in place.
No. Strength and muscle are retained over a week of reduced volume, and performance typically rebounds above pre-deload levels.