Week Off/Deloading/Periodization

Training Bodybuilding
1

My goal = Bigger and stronger (probably more emphasis on bigger)

Simply question really - how to know when to do either?

As regards periodization - I don’t tend to purposely peroidize my training, I just change rep range when and as I feel like it (I can’t explain it, I just know when to increase my rep range…like when strength gains seem to slow down on the low reps for one exercise). It’s kind of autoregulating.

Deloading usually happens when all my weights have been sticking for more than 3 sessions. I reduce weight by 15% and build back up (to allow supercompensation). But, I feel that in the past I’ve been using the deload more than necessary (i.e. my strength seems to be stagnating more than it should at my level). I feel that the problem before was pushing my CNS to the limmit too much.

Week off usually happens if my whole system feels burned out (all exercises are slow in progress, feeling tired all the time, deload didn’t do much etc).

I have swapped to a 3 way routine now:

Day 1 Bench, Arms
Day 2 Legs
Day 3 Off
Day 4 Shoulders, Back
Day 5 Off
Day 6 Repeat.

Before I was doing a 2 way Upper, Lower split

Mon Upper
Wed Lower
Fri Upper

The three way is more balanced. But also, I will be managing CNS fatigue better via ramping. So hopefully, my cycles will last a lot longer than before.

My question:

Is my monitoring process good? Should I take weeks off, or should I concentrate more on deloads when my strength properly stagnates? What would be an unreasonable time frame to take a week off at? I understand that it all depends on genetics and or circumstances, but if someone needed to take a break or deload after just a few weeks EVERY time, then surely there’s something wrong with his training?

Currently, my big lifts are approximately,

DL and Squat 350lbs
Bench 285lbs
Military Press 200lbs
Pullup bodyweight + 85lbs

I want to really bring the lifts up since I have plenty room for improvement.

Please don’t tell me to just eat and lift (I am doing that already lol, I love trainig, I lift every week and don’t take breaks unless I’m olbiged to, and I eat plenty usually over 4000cals).

Just would like a bit of feedback as regards reading my results.

I’m a beginning to become a big fan of CT (as many on here are too), so refference to his methods would be handy, thanks!

If more info is needed, I will provide :slight_smile:

2

Oh yeah, I’m about 190lbs BW (had a Flu lately and so my weight’s gone down a bit)

Bodyfat is about 8%.

I’m 6 feet tall

3

With CT’s autoregulation stuff, you shouldn’t need much time off, and the deload is sort of built-in… Besides, if you stick to what I told you about that 3-way (you can train any day you want, and if you feel like shit some day, don’t train… Simple as that), you end up with yet another layer of autoregulation…

Unless your joints/tendons start hurting and you feel like a zombie outside the gym, then I don’t think you’ll need any deloading.

4

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
With CT’s autoregulation stuff, you shouldn’t need much time off, and the deload is sort of built-in… Besides, if you stick to what I told you about that 3-way (you can train any day you want, and if you feel like shit some day, don’t train… Simple as that), you end up with yet another layer of autoregulation…

Unless your joints/tendons start hurting and you feel like a zombie outside the gym, then I don’t think you’ll need any deloading. [/quote]

Thanks for your response! (it was getting pretty lonely in here lol)

The only probblem about not training when I don’t feel like it - I quite often feel like crap but I FORCE myself to go, whether feeling like crap or not. I just don’t like to let myself off that easy! lol…unless it’s obvious in the results (like the past week I haven’t progressed in weight). I really have to force myself not to go to the gym, I have to have a very good reason other than because I feel like crap. Even when I know that it’s good for me, I feel “guilty” about having days off. No wonder I burned myself out.

What I’m trying to say is, because I’m stubborn with myself, I find it hard to read my body. I’m the type of guy who wouldn’t go to the Dr’s until I was dying (maybe even then, I’d feel guilty about “wasting the Dr’s time” lol).

5

If you feel like crap pretty often, diet and sleep patterns should really be checked… And other things, too.

6

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
If you feel like crap pretty often, diet and sleep patterns should really be checked… And other things, too.

[/quote]

Insomnia is sometimes a problem. I’ve done as much as I can to help it…it’s just something that I have to work around - not optimal I know.

7

[quote]its_just_me wrote:
Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
If you feel like crap pretty often, diet and sleep patterns should really be checked… And other things, too.

Insomnia is sometimes a problem. I’ve done as much as I can to help it…it’s just something that I have to work around - not optimal I know.[/quote]

What have you done for insomnia?

8

[quote]plateau wrote:
its_just_me wrote:
Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
If you feel like crap pretty often, diet and sleep patterns should really be checked… And other things, too.

Insomnia is sometimes a problem. I’ve done as much as I can to help it…it’s just something that I have to work around - not optimal I know.

What have you done for insomnia?[/quote]

I’ve made the room environment as sleep friendly as possible (e.g. dark, good ventilation, not too hot etc). I go to bed at set times every day (between 10:30-11:00pm), and try to get up at the same time every morning too.

Also, I used to follow a low to moderate carb intake diet and a diet that cycles carbs (carb cut off)…but I found that the lack of carbs in the evening time made my dropping off to sleep virtually impossible (also didn’t have very deep sleep - sleep quality is crap). So I take a warm glass of milk and honey before I sleep now (works like a treat most of the time!). The slight increase of carbs in the evening time is well worth the price for sleep.

Also, something that’s very difficult for me (Winter time in SCOTLAND! lol) is getting enough sun light during the daytime. In the summer my sleep is better than in the winter months (SAD). In case you didn’t know - because daylight wakens the body up really well during the day, the body falls to sleep quicker and has deeper better quality sleep at night time. The more daylight you get during the day, the more likely you’ll drop off to sleep quickly and deeply.

Another factor that doesnt go in my favour is thinking too much at night time lol. I find it hard to switch off (almost hyperactive). Although I do find that doing something repetitive before sleep helps me drift off better (e.g. reading).

9

Without doubt or question sleep is a huge issue for your overall health but allow me to return this decision to the specifics or de-loading parameters. I never used to de-load my mantra was always do more than last time. Eventually that leads to stagnation. So de-loading is a must. Now IMO there are basically 3 ways to de-load. 1] You take planned time off; no training at all. 2] You reduce training volume and/or intensity for a time period like a week or maybe two. 3] You hit the wall and you are forced to make a change.

Trust me when I tell you I’ve lived #3 for too long and it does not work. The idea is basically should you be plan reduced training or just pure off time. There are merits to both and quite frankly only direct personal experience will tell you which is better for your body. I tend to go with pure off time; most people I think do better with reduced training. The key those is to either pre-plan [say once every 4-6 weeks to have a de-load week] or as soon as you recognize stagnation adjust immediately

10

[quote]saps wrote:
Without doubt or question sleep is a huge issue for your overall health but allow me to return this decision to the specifics or de-loading parameters. I never used to de-load my mantra was always do more than last time. Eventually that leads to stagnation. So de-loading is a must. Now IMO there are basically 3 ways to de-load. 1] You take planned time off; no training at all. 2] You reduce training volume and/or intensity for a time period like a week or maybe two. 3] You hit the wall and you are forced to make a change.

Trust me when I tell you I’ve lived #3 for too long and it does not work. The idea is basically should you be plan reduced training or just pure off time. There are merits to both and quite frankly only direct personal experience will tell you which is better for your body. I tend to go with pure off time; most people I think do better with reduced training. The key those is to either pre-plan [say once every 4-6 weeks to have a de-load week] or as soon as you recognize stagnation adjust immediately[/quote]

Yeah THAT was THE question in essence…ought I to be planning deload etc BEFORE the bad effects start (and not just when the lifts completely stagnate).

Personally, I always get a much better rebound after taking a week off - my test goes through the roof and my sex drive too. Or maybe this is because I’m very bad at managing fatigue (doing too many sets to max failure etc)? And so a week off benefits me more since I’ve driven myself that much into the ground? I think that C_C is right in that while doing the better 3 way split and autoregulatory stuff I shouldn’t need deloads…not in the short term anyway.

If that still fails for some reason (like after a few months), I personally think that it would be better to deload etc as soon as strength gains start to get lower. Example:

12 weeks straight intensity - 2kg added to lifts per week until week 6 where 1kg gains were made per week, then week 9 onwards lifts stagnated.

12 weeks - 6 weeks intense, 1 week off, 6 weeks intense - 2 kg added to lifts every week.

Although the latter example requires a deload earlier than the first example, and an extra week, the overall load increase is higher (in the long run) due to the rebound week half way through the cycle.

Just my thoughts…

11

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
With CT’s autoregulation stuff, you shouldn’t need much time off, and the deload is sort of built-in… Besides, if you stick to what I told you about that 3-way (you can train any day you want, and if you feel like shit some day, don’t train… Simple as that), you end up with yet another layer of autoregulation…

Unless your joints/tendons start hurting and you feel like a zombie outside the gym, then I don’t think you’ll need any deloading. [/quote]

Hmmm, interesting CC. I auto-regulate but also take my deload week for 5/3/1… not sure if dropping the deload would help or hurt me. Sorry, you are my “5/3/1 guy” :stuck_out_tongue:

12

I totally know how it is to be trying to fall asleep but my mind is racing at a mile a minute.
It might help to have an “unwinding” routine before you go to bed that might involve strategies you use to slow down your mind.

-I usually find that reading is a good way to make me tired.
-Things like meditation often help as well. Even if you’re not into that type of stuff, just try to focus on your breathing, and keep it slow and controlled. Often I try not to get “involved” in my thoughts, but simply let them pass. When I can’t do that, I try to think about one thing (something I don’t care at all about, like a chair or a tree branch).
-There are a wide variety of sleep supplements from ZMA (which isn’t necesarily just for sleep) to melatonin. There are also perscription drugs for sleep, but I think those things might have some risk of dependence.

13

[quote]Benway wrote:
I totally know how it is to be trying to fall asleep but my mind is racing at a mile a minute.
It might help to have an “unwinding” routine before you go to bed that might involve strategies you use to slow down your mind.

-I usually find that reading is a good way to make me tired.
-Things like meditation often help as well. Even if you’re not into that type of stuff, just try to focus on your breathing, and keep it slow and controlled. Often I try not to get “involved” in my thoughts, but simply let them pass. When I can’t do that, I try to think about one thing (something I don’t care at all about, like a chair or a tree branch).
-There are a wide variety of sleep supplements from ZMA (which isn’t necesarily just for sleep) to melatonin. There are also perscription drugs for sleep, but I think those things might have some risk of dependence.[/quote]

Luckily lately I haven’t had that problem (restless nights) - it usually gets worse when I’ve been stessing about something, or had a lot of problems to deal with, or if I’m doing too much etc

14

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
With CT’s autoregulation stuff, you shouldn’t need much time off, and the deload is sort of built-in… Besides, if you stick to what I told you about that 3-way (you can train any day you want, and if you feel like shit some day, don’t train… Simple as that), you end up with yet another layer of autoregulation…

Unless your joints/tendons start hurting and you feel like a zombie outside the gym, then I don’t think you’ll need any deloading.

Hmmm, interesting CC. I auto-regulate but also take my deload week for 5/3/1… not sure if dropping the deload would help or hurt me. Sorry, you are my “5/3/1 guy” :p[/quote]

5/3/1 is a bit of a different animal. I was referring to CT’s stuff used in a regular bb routine exclusively.

Do your deload weeks when using 5/3/1.