Training Deloads: You're not doing them enough.
It’s a rare occurrence in my practice where I say the words, “You’re not doing enough.” In fact, quite the opposite.
My practice is about 95 percent CrossFitters—not to mention my performance clients online. During my time as a “Doc in a Box”, immersed in the CrossFit culture, I have become familiar with the same confused stare when I ask clients, “When was your last deload?” Radio silence. Deer in the headlights. WTF are you talking about? I’ve seen it all.
There is the slight chance someone says, “Oh yeah, my coach has me on a deload. All that is programmed today is 30 squat snatches at 225lbs for time.” My response is often similar to the client who is unfamiliar with the deload.
Let’s define a few terms before offering some practical solutions to running athletes on a deload:
Stressors
Stressors are known as anything external or internal that affects the physical or mental state of an athlete. Life drama should be an unintentional stress (although we all know people who make it intentional).
Training, on the other hand, is an intentional stressor. When you go to the gym, you have intention to stress your physiology. You are placing external loads, intensity, and using energy sources all intentionally.
Want the secret formula to any successful training program? STRESS + RECOVERY = ADAPTATION
All of these stressors, unintentional and intentional, need to be taken into account when determining the appropriate time to deload an athlete.
Rest vs. Recovery
I am often asked about the difference between rest and recovery. Rest is passive. It is a state in which output is extremely low. Recovery is an active process. It requires thought and knowing WHEN to rest. Recovery can be a light active walk, a day spent on the couch watching Netflix, or it can be a vacation away from reality. Every type of recovery includes varying implications and mechanisms and will affect every athlete differently.
Deload
A deload is a period in time in which a change of the training stimulus is needed in order to drive further adaptation. Typically, deloads are prescribed when plateaus have occurred in training progression or in an effort to prevent them. In CrossFit, we are constantly varying the stimulus, so a deload is often a challenge. The key in deloading CrossFit methodology training is all in the INTENT and INTENSITY.
Let’s make this clear, a deload is a necessary part of training and recovery.
Here’s an example of a program written for one of my own clients (female):
*Thursday and Sunday are REST days, in the case, the “netflix and chill” kind.
Remember this week is short-term in the game. You need to let your body get back to homeostasis.
Now when you’re feeling overtrained or have an athlete who cannot put forth the effort needed to make pushes you know they are capable of, remember this article and apply it! Your athletes will thank you, your body will thank you, and your training will progress.
Moral of the story: Be smart in training. Deloads make your life easier and are a necessary part of the long-term process. Your goal should always be sustainability OVER TIME, not over the next month.
Edited by: Ellyn Kirtley (https://emkirtley.com/)