To Deload or not

[bamazav]

Do you take a recovery week or deload? If you do, do you train at all or take the entire week off altogether?

I usually take a week every 5th week and work light.

Oops, company here, be back later.

[5kgLifter]

I take a complete week off, sometimes 2 weeks; if I'm doing 2 weeks, I may do some cardio or may pick up a light weight to try a new exercise out for form and feel.

I generally take a week off to coincide with mine and hubby's birthday and then Xmas/New Year...or something along those lines.

[big_swede]

Usually i take a week off heavy singles and doubs when i feel the need for it, to give the joints a break.

[BendtheBar]

I don't generally deload, but I do take a few days here and there off from training. I prefer to take breaks when they are needed organically. (Extreme fatigue, traveling, illness...)

[MMA Max]

I dont deload. I work out 5-6 days a week with either 1-2 days off..If I feel draggin, I set buy Nyquil, Drink some and sleep for 15 hours, Then get up and eat everything in site and I mean everything, Then go back to sleep.

Feb 18th I am taking 3 days off to go to Mass. Boston. Thats my deload..Drinking and Sex with my woman!

[Rich Knapp]

I'f I de-load it isn't planed. I lift what my body tells me it is in the mood for.

[bamazav]

Some interesting thoughts in here. More for me to think about.

[big valsalva]

I'm with BTB. Life usually throws me enough curves that every few weeks I need to miss a day, or a whole week. But that's life. When I was running Wendler I'd take that fourth or fifth week and just my requsite sets and reps. If that deload week turned into a week and a half, so what? My old body needs it from time to time. Not to mention my mind too. Nothing wrong with a brief layoff though if you've been hard at it for a month or so.

[bamazav]

I have found my need greater when working full body. When I am training splits I can go on forever without recovery days/deloads. With the fullbody routine, at about 4 weeks, my joints and lower back begin to really feel the work.