Photo: Jacob Lund (Shutterstock)
If you take a break from lifting, or if you lift lighter weights for a little while, your body will be less fatigued and you may be able to lift more, or set a new PR. Sounds great, right?
The problem is that this phenomenon—called a deload—gives you the illusion of short-term progress while hurting your long-term progress. If you’re having a stressful week at work and you’ve been going hard in the gym, then sure, take a deload if you think that will help. But if you’re taking deloads every couple of weeks (and they’re not part of your program), you’re going backwards. Work hard consistently, and you’ll build up your capacity to keep working hard.
