Deload weeks: what they are, how to write one, and how they show up in your log
A deload is a planned easy week, not a missed week. This guide covers the common ways to write one, how to build it in a few edits in Method, and why a deload looks different from a skipped week in your history.
GuideUpdated 4 min readMarkdown version
What a deload is and is not
A deload is a week you write in advance with less stress than the weeks before it. Its job is to let the next block start without the fatigue of the last one. An international Delphi consensus of coaches and researchers in strength and physique sports defined deloading as "a period of reduced training stress designed to mitigate physiological and psychological fatigue, promote recovery, and enhance preparedness for subsequent training" [1]. It is training; the sessions happen, the movements are practised, the record is kept.
It is not a missed week. It is not a week off. And it is not something to decide on the morning you feel tired. A program with a deload written into it has already made that decision for you.
Three common ways to write one
| Approach | What changes | Leave as is | Good when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reduce volume | Sets per exercise drop by roughly a third to a half | Load, reps, RIR target | Fatigue is the issue and you want to keep the weights familiar |
| Reduce intensity | Loads drop, often 10 to 20 percent, or the RIR target rises by 2 to 3 | Sets and reps | Joints and connective tissue need the easier week more than the muscles do |
| Reduce both | Fewer sets and lighter loads | Exercise selection and schedule | The block was long or heavy, or you are coming off a peak |
Any of the three keeps the schedule. The sessions stay on their days; only the prescription changes.
One thing the evidence does not support is treating a deload as a week of nothing. In a trial of 39 trained men and women, a group that stopped training entirely for one week at the midpoint of a 9-week high-volume program gained similar muscle size, endurance, and power to a group that trained straight through, but the continuous group improved lower-body strength more [2]. That study tested a full week off, not a reduced week, and it is one trial; it is still a reason to prefer a written deload over an unplanned break.
Building it in Method
A deload is a few edits in the web editor.
- Duplicate the last week of the block. Method lets you choose how many copies; one is enough.
- Bulk edit the copy. Choose the scope, the new week, and the field. Use a set selector to drop sets, for example remove the last set of every exercise, or raise the intensity target by changing the RIR value across the week, or reduce reps. One edit applies to every exercise in scope.
- Check the cardio. If the week has runs or rides, shorten the distance or duration targets in the same pass, or leave them if conditioning was not the source of fatigue.
- Save it as the block's last week. The calendar picks it up on its dates like any other week.
Bulk edits across a week are part of Method Pro's planning tools; a single substitution in one session is free. Suggested loads in the deload week will read your most recent eligible sets as usual and invert them for the easier targets, so the suggested numbers fall with the prescription.
How a deload reads in your data
History. Completed sessions, each with its prescription snapshot, so the week is visibly a planned easy week rather than a gap.
Streaks and activity. A streak counts days with a completed session. A deload week has sessions, so it continues the streak. A deload is never "missed"; missed applies only to a planned day with no completed session.
Estimated 1RM. Points for that week will sit lower, because sets were lighter or further from failure. The chart is a description of what you did per training day. It does not score the week.
Records. A deload week rarely sets records, and that is expected. Records over the last 90 days will still show the block's peak.
Muscle coverage. Effective sets for the week drop with the volume. Coverage states where your working sets went; it does not say the week was insufficient.
When to place one
Most blocks put the deload at the end, after 3 to 6 weeks of progression. Writing it at the end of each block when you build the block means it is already there when you need it, and the decision is not made under fatigue. See how to program workouts in advance.
Common questions
- What is a deload week?
- A planned week of reduced training stress, usually lower load, fewer sets, or both, placed at the end of a block so the next block starts fresher. It is written into the program in advance; it is not a week you skipped.
- How do I add a deload week in Method?
- Duplicate the last week of the block, then bulk edit the copy: reduce sets with a set selector, raise the RIR target, or change the rep target, across the whole week in one edit. Leave the exercises and schedule as they are.
- Does a deload break my streak?
- No. A streak counts days with a completed session. A deload week has sessions, so training days still count. Only a day you planned and did not train reads as missed.
- Will a deload week hurt my estimated 1RM chart?
- It will show as lower points for that week, because the sets were lighter or further from failure, and that is the truth of the week. The chart plots one point per training day from your best set; it does not penalise you for planning an easy week.
References
Numbered citations in the text refer to this list. Each entry links to the paper on PubMed or by DOI.
- Bell L, Nolan D, Immink V, Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, et al.. Integrating Deloading into Strength and Physique Sports Training Programmes: An International Delphi Consensus Approach. Sports Medicine - Open, 2023. PubMed 37730925
- Coleman M, Burke R, Benavente C, Piñero A, Augustin F, Maldonado J, Fisher JP, Oberlin D, Vigotsky AD, Schoenfeld BJ. Gaining more from doing less? The effects of a one-week deload period during supervised resistance training on muscular adaptations. PeerJ, 2024. PubMed 38274324
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