What is a deload?
A deload is a planned easy week after a block of hard training: fewer sets, the same or slightly lighter weights, or a week off. Fatigue clears, and you come back ready to keep adding reps and weight.
When do you need one?
Every 4 to 6 weeks of hard training, for about a week. That is the consensus of expert strength and physique coaches (Bell et al., 2023), and competitive lifters report deloading every 5.6 weeks on average (Rogerson et al., 2024). RepStep flags one after 4 weeks of steady training (2 or more workouts every week, no week off), the start of that window. Lifters most often deload early when their joints ache or their numbers stall (Rogerson et al., 2024).
Two ways to deload
Train lighter: same exercises and days, with fewer sets or reps. A 2025 guide suggests cutting volume by 25 to 60%, more the more worn down you are, and either dropping the weight about 10% or keeping it and stopping each set further from failure (Bell et al., 2025).
Take the week off: in trained lifters, a week off halfway through a 9-week program cost nothing in muscle growth, though leg strength gains were smaller than with training straight through (Coleman et al., 2024).
Example
You bench 3 sets of 225 × 6 on Mondays and Thursdays. In the deload week, do just 2 sets of the same, or reduce the weight to around 205. Ensure you leave 2 or 3 reps in reserve. The week after, pick up right where your plan left off.
How RepStep handles it
Four dots on Train count the weeks. When they fill at 4 weeks, RepStep says a deload is due; when you take it in the next two weeks is your call. It never changes your plan or blocks a workout. Take 7 or more days off and it counts on its own, or tap "I took a deload week" after a lighter week.
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. Sports Medicine – Open, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-023-00633-0
Rogerson D, Nolan D, Androulakis Korakakis P, et al. Deloading practices in strength and physique sports: a cross-sectional survey. Sports Medicine – Open, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-024-00691-y
Bell L, Darragh IAJ, Travis SK, Rogerson D, Nolan D. A practical approach to deloading: recommendations and considerations for strength and physique sports. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 2025. https://shura.shu.ac.uk/35313/
Coleman M, Burke R, Augustin F, et al. Gaining more from doing less? The effects of a one-week deload period during supervised resistance training on muscular adaptations. PeerJ, 2024. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16777
Questions
How often should you deload?
Every 4 to 6 weeks of hard training is the expert consensus (Bell et al., 2023); some guides stretch it to 8 (Bell et al., 2025). Competitive lifters average about every 5.6 weeks. RepStep flags one after 4 steady weeks, and a week off for any reason counts.
Will I lose muscle during a deload?
Not in a week. In trained lifters, a full week off halfway through a program produced the same muscle growth as training straight through (Coleman et al., 2024). Leg strength gains were a little smaller in that study, so if strength is your priority, a lighter week may beat a week off.
Should I cut the weight or the sets?
Cut volume first: fewer sets or reps, roughly 25 to 60% less depending on how tired you are. Then either drop the weight about 10% or keep it and stop each set further from failure (Bell et al., 2025).
Does a week off count as a deload?
Yes. Seven or more days off clears fatigue, and RepStep counts it on its own. If strength is the goal, a lighter week may be the better pick: in one study, trained lifters who took the week off gained a little less leg strength (Coleman et al., 2024).
Do beginners need to deload?
Less often. The research so far is on trained lifters, and while the weights are light, recovery is quick. Once your lifts climb more slowly, or one stalls for two or three sessions, a deload is worth taking.