Guides · Training
Do you need a deload week?
What a lighter week is, and when to take one · Last checked November 2026
Not on a fixed schedule, but when your body tells you. A deload is a lighter week: the same training days, with fewer sets and a bit less weight. Take one when your lifts stall, your joints ache, or every session feels brutal. You won’t lose muscle in a week.
What the research says
- A week off didn’t cost muscle. 39 trained lifters did a 9-week program. Half took the middle week completely off. Muscle growth was the same in both groups, but the group that kept training gained a bit more strength. (Coleman et al., 2024)
- What lifters actually do: in a survey of 246 competitive strength and physique athletes, a deload lasted about 6 days, came about every 6 weeks, and was used when performance stalled or joints ached. They kept the same days and exercises, and cut sets, reps and weight. (Rogerson et al., 2024)
- The coaches’ definition: “a period of reduced training stress”, meant to clear physical and mental fatigue so the next weeks of training go better. That’s the consensus of 21 expert coaches. (Bell et al., 2023)
- The research is thin. Most of what we know about deloads comes from coaches and surveys, not trials.
Signs you need one
- Your main lifts haven’t moved in 3 sessions.
- Several sessions in a row felt brutal.
- Your joints ache, not just your muscles.
- You’re dreading the gym.
How to do one
- Keep your training days.
- Cut your sets by about a third to a half.
- Keep the weight, or drop it a little. Stop sets well short of failure.
- One week, then back to your normal plan.
How BECOME does it
- It watches for the signs. Rate two sessions “Brutal” in 2 weeks while a main lift is stuck, and your Train tab shows “You’ve been running hot.” with a lighter week.
- A lighter week is 7 days: about 60% of your sets, at the same weights. No weight increases that week.
- You choose: “Lighter week” or “Keep my plan”. Nothing changes on its own.
- One lift stuck? It suggests a 10% reset for that lift instead. (See When should I add weight?)
- Back after 2 weeks off? You get an ease-back week at 80% of the weight. (See Coming back after weeks off.)
Sources
- Coleman M. et al. Gaining more from doing less? The effects of a one-week deload period during supervised resistance training on muscular adaptations. PeerJ, 2024. PMC10809978
- Rogerson D. et al. Deloading practices in strength and physique sports: a cross-sectional survey. Sports Medicine – Open, 2024. PMC10948666
- Bell L. et al. Integrating deloading into strength and physique sports training programmes: an international Delphi consensus approach. Sports Medicine – Open, 2023. PMC10511399
General guidance, not medical advice.
Related: When should I add weight? · Coming back after weeks off