Quick answer
A deload week is a planned period of reduced training stress, usually about 7 days every 4 to 6 weeks according to an expert consensus. Trials found no loss of muscle size from a lighter or skipped week, though one found smaller lower-body strength gains after a full week off.1,2,3
Key facts
- A panel of strength and physique coaches agreed on defining a deload as a period of reduced training stress meant to ease fatigue and prepare for the next phase. The authors call deloading widely used but under-researched.1
- In a 9-week trial of 39 resistance-trained adults, taking a full week off at the midpoint gave leg muscle growth, endurance and power gains similar to training straight through, but lower-body strength gains were smaller.2
- In 19 untrained men, cutting volume and frequency in weeks 4 and 8 of an 8-week program gave the same muscle thickness and endurance gains as training continuously.3
- Young men who trained in three 6-week blocks with 3-week breaks ended with muscle and strength gains similar to men who trained for 24 weeks without a break.4
- The ACSM's 2026 overview of reviews found periodization, the planned variation of load and volume, was not significantly better than non-periodized programs when overload was applied.5
Deload week meaning, and who defines it
Most of what is written about deloads comes from coaching practice. In 2023 an international panel of strength and physique coaches worked through three rounds of questions and agreed on a definition: a stretch of reduced training stress aimed at easing physical and mental fatigue and getting you ready for the next block of training. The paper states plainly that deloading is common and under-researched, so the panel's agreement reflects expert opinion, not trial results.1
The panel's paper describes deloads as usually lasting about 7 days and coming every 4 to 6 weeks, with some as short as one session or as long as 2 weeks. A deload can be planned into the calendar or called when you feel run down. The coaches agreed that training volume should fall during a deload, while intensity could rise, fall or stay the same as long as volume dropped.1
What a deload week workout looks like
| Approach | What changes | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer sets | Do fewer sets than usual, keeping the weights | The coaches' panel agreed volume should drop, and a review of maintenance training found strength and size held on one set per exercise when the load stayed the same |
| Fewer repetitions | Stop each set well short of your limit | The panel's paper describes cutting repetitions within a set as one way to lower volume |
| A full break | No lifting for the week | The 9-week trial that used a full week off found leg muscle growth similar to training straight through and smaller lower-body strength gains |
These are readings of the sources, not a plan any trial tested head to head. The only reduced-volume deload trial we found was in untrained men and used a single weekly session of 2 sets per exercise in weeks 4 and 8.3
Deload week lifting: what the trials found
Three randomized trials give the closest evidence, and all are small. In the 9-week trial, resistance-trained adults who abstained from lifting for the middle week gained as much leg muscle, endurance and power as those who kept going, but gained less lower-body strength and scored slightly lower on a readiness-to-train questionnaire. In the 8-week trial of untrained men, lowering volume and frequency in weeks 4 and 8 made no difference to size or endurance. A 2013 trial found three 6-week blocks separated by 3-week breaks produced about the same bench press muscle and strength over the 24 weeks as continuous training.2,3,4
None of the three tested what the coaches describe, a planned lighter week every 4 to 6 weeks over a long program in experienced lifters. Our reading is that the studies give no sign a deload is needed for muscle size, and a small sign that a full week off may cost some strength in trained people. Whether it helps long-term fatigue is not settled.1,2
Deload week running and marathon training
The sources above are about lifting. For runners, the nearest studied idea is the taper, a pre-race reduction in training. A meta-analysis of 27 studies in competitive athletes found the biggest performance gains from a 2-week taper with training volume cut by 41 to 60%, with intensity and frequency left alone. That is a pre-competition plan, not a recovery week in the middle of a block.7
A narrative review of maintenance work found endurance could be held for up to 15 weeks with as few as 2 sessions a week, or with volume cut by 33 to 66%, as long as intensity was kept. It was written about maintaining fitness during busy periods, not about recovery weeks, but it shows how far volume can fall without losing fitness.6
Do you need a deload week?
The coaches' paper notes that regular planned deloads are precautionary, and that some coaches skip them and ease off only when they feel flat. The ACSM review adds that planned variation in load and volume was not significantly better than steady programs once overload was applied. If your lifts are rising and you feel fine, the evidence does not show you need one. If your performance is slipping or you are tired, a lighter week matches the advice on rest in the next section.1,5
Stop and ask a doctor if
- You are still tired after 1 or 2 weeks of reduced training. MedlinePlus lists constant tiredness, falling performance, needing longer to rest and overuse injuries among signs of too much exercise, advises cutting back or resting for 1 or 2 weeks, and says to see a provider if tiredness lasts.8
- You cannot bring yourself to take a lighter week. MedlinePlus lists continuing to exercise when injured or sick, feeling guilty or anxious when you skip sessions, and friends or family worrying about your training as signs of compulsive exercise, and says to contact a provider.8
- A muscle or joint hurts for longer than self-care should need. MedlinePlus says to contact a provider for muscle or joint pain that does not go away.9
MedlinePlus also advises a full day off every week and at least 6 hours of rest between periods of exercise, which holds whether or not you plan a deload.8
Questions people ask
What is the deload week meaning?
A deload week is a planned period of reduced training stress. A 2023 coaching consensus defined it as a stretch meant to ease fatigue and prepare for the next phase of training.1
What does a deload week workout look like?
The coaches agreed that volume drops, through fewer sets or fewer repetitions per set, while intensity can stay the same, rise or fall. No trial compared these options with each other.1
Deload week lifting: does skipping the gym cost strength?
In a 9-week trial of resistance-trained adults, taking the middle week off led to smaller lower-body strength gains but the same leg muscle growth as training straight through.2
Deload week running: how does it work?
The closest studied idea is maintenance. A review found endurance held for up to 15 weeks with volume cut by 33 to 66% if intensity stayed the same.6
Deload week marathon training: is it the same as a taper?
No. A taper is a reduction before a race. A meta-analysis of 27 studies found a 2-week taper with volume cut by 41 to 60% gave the biggest performance gain, with intensity unchanged.7
How long should I rest if I feel worn out?
MedlinePlus advises cutting back or resting for 1 or 2 weeks and seeing a provider if you are still tired after that.8
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Sources
- Bell L, Strafford BW, Coleman M, Androulakis Korakakis P, Nolan D. Integrating Deloading into Strength and Physique Sports Training Programmes: An International Delphi Consensus Approach (expert consensus study). Sports Med Open. 2023;9(1):87. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Coleman M, et al. Gaining more from doing less? The effects of a one-week deload period during supervised resistance training on muscular adaptations (randomized trial of 39 people). PeerJ. 2024;12:e16777. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Pancar Z, et al. Effects of deload periods in resistance training on muscle hypertrophy and strength endurance in untrained young men using a randomized within subject design. Sci Rep. 2026;16(1):10299. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Ogasawara R, Yasuda T, Ishii N, Abe T. Comparison of muscle hypertrophy following 6-month of continuous and periodic strength training (randomized trial of 14 men). Eur J Appl Physiol. 2013;113(4):975-985. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Currier BS, et al. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews (position stand; overview of 137 systematic reviews). Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2026;58(4):851-872. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Spiering BA, Mujika I, Sharp MA, Foulis SA. Maintaining Physical Performance: The Minimal Dose of Exercise Needed to Preserve Endurance and Strength Over Time (narrative review). J Strength Cond Res. 2021;35(5):1449-1458. Opened 2026-10-11.
- Bosquet L, Montpetit J, Arvisais D, Mujika I. Effects of tapering on performance: a meta-analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(8):1358-1365. Opened 2026-10-11.
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Are you getting too much exercise? Review date September 4, 2024. National Library of Medicine. Opened 2026-10-11.
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. How to avoid exercise injuries. Review date September 15, 2024. National Library of Medicine. Opened 2026-10-11.
This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.