Deload Calculator
Find out when you need to deload and which protocol is right for you. Prevent overtraining and maximize your gains.
Deload Calculator
How long since your last recovery week?
How tired do you feel overall?
How are your lifts progressing?
How well are you sleeping lately?
How excited are you to train?
Any persistent aches or pains?
Deload Protocol Guide
Volume Deload
Reduce total sets by 40-60% while maintaining the same weights.
- • Best for: Moderate fatigue, want to maintain strength
- • Duration: 5-7 days
- • Example: 4 sets → 2 sets per exercise
Intensity Deload
Reduce weight by 40-50% while keeping sets the same.
- • Best for: Joint stress, technique work needed
- • Duration: 5-7 days
- • Example: 100kg → 50-60kg
Full Deload
Reduce both volume AND intensity significantly, or take complete rest.
- • Best for: Severe fatigue, overtraining symptoms
- • Duration: 5-10 days
- • Can include 3-5 days of complete rest
Active Recovery
Light movement without structured training. Focus on mobility.
- • Best for: Mental break, maintaining habit
- • Duration: 3-7 days
- • Activities: Walking, swimming, yoga, stretching
Why Deloading Matters
What is a deload? A planned period of reduced training stress that allows your body to fully recover and adapt to previous training.
When to deload: Most lifters benefit from deloading every 4-8 weeks, but this varies based on training intensity, age, sleep quality, and stress levels.
Signs you need a deload: Stagnant progress, persistent fatigue, decreased motivation, nagging joint pain, poor sleep, and increased illness frequency.
Common mistake: Skipping deloads because you feel fine. Accumulated fatigue often goes unnoticed until it's too late. Proactive deloading prevents overtraining and injury.
Related Tools
What is a Deload?
A deload is a planned period of reduced training stress that allows your body to fully recover from accumulated fatigue. Think of it as a strategic retreat before pushing forward - you temporarily back off to come back stronger.
Without periodic deloads, training stress accumulates faster than your body can recover. This leads to overreaching, then overtraining, and eventually injury or illness. Strategic deloads prevent this cycle.
Why Deloading Works
Tissue Repair
Heavy training creates microdamage in muscles, tendons, and connective tissue. Deloads give these structures time to fully heal and strengthen.
CNS Recovery
Intense training fatigues your central nervous system. Deloads restore neural drive, which often results in feeling stronger after recovery.
Hormonal Balance
Chronic training stress elevates cortisol and suppresses testosterone. Deloads help normalize these hormones for better adaptation.
Mental Reset
Training motivation naturally fluctuates. Deloads prevent burnout and often restore enthusiasm for hard training.
Signs You Need a Deload
- 1Strength has stagnated or declined for 2+ sessions
- 2Persistent fatigue that sleep doesn't fix
- 3Nagging joint or muscle pain that won't go away
- 4Decreased motivation or dread going to the gym
- 5Elevated resting heart rate (5-10+ bpm above normal)
- 6Mood changes, irritability, or poor concentration
- 7Getting sick more often than usual
- 8Sleep disruptions despite being tired
Deload Protocol Comparison
Volume Deload
Best for: General fatigue, want to maintain feel for heavy weights
How: Keep weights the same, reduce sets by 40-60%
Example: 4 sets → 2 sets per exercise, same weight
Intensity Deload
Best for: Joint stress, tendon issues, technique refinement
How: Keep sets the same, reduce weight by 40-50%
Example: 100kg → 50-60kg, same number of sets
Full Deload
Best for: Severe fatigue, overtraining symptoms, coming back from layoff
How: Reduce both volume and intensity, or take complete rest
Example: Half the sets at half the weight, or 3-5 days off
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I take a deload week?
Most lifters benefit from deloading every 4-8 weeks. However, the optimal timing depends on training intensity, volume, sleep quality, stress levels, and individual recovery capacity. Signs you need a deload include stagnant progress, persistent fatigue, decreased motivation, and nagging joint pain.
What is a deload week?
A deload is a planned period of reduced training stress (typically 4-7 days) that allows your body to fully recover and adapt to previous training. It's not a rest week - you still train, but with reduced volume, intensity, or both.
How do I deload properly?
There are several methods: Volume deload (reduce sets by 40-60%, keep weight same), Intensity deload (reduce weight by 40-50%, keep sets same), or Full deload (reduce both). Choose based on your fatigue type - joint pain suggests intensity deload, CNS fatigue suggests volume deload.
Will I lose strength during a deload?
No. Deloads typically lead to strength gains, not losses. Your body uses this time to repair tissue, restore CNS function, and consolidate adaptations. Many lifters hit PRs in the week following a deload due to full recovery.
How do I know if I'm overtraining?
Warning signs include: persistent fatigue despite adequate sleep, declining performance over multiple sessions, increased resting heart rate, mood changes/irritability, frequent illness, loss of appetite, and decreased motivation to train. Our calculator considers these factors.
Can I just train through fatigue?
Short-term fatigue is normal and even productive. But accumulated fatigue that doesn't resolve with normal rest leads to overtraining syndrome, injury, and regression. Strategic deloads prevent this by allowing periodic full recovery.
Automatic Deload Detection
This calculator helps you decide when to deload. Arvo tracks your training volume, performance trends, and fatigue markers automatically - and tells you exactly when it's time to recover.
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