A deload week is something you do only if you are training regularly and actually need a break from your normal routine. It's a week to avoid overtraining ...MilitaryFitnessWhatIsa‘Deload’WeekandWhyDoYouNeedOne?Military.com|ByStewSmith,CSCS®Adeloadweekissomethingyoudoonlyifyouaretrainingregularlyandactuallyneedabreakfromyournormalroutine.It’saweektoavoidovertrainingandtorecoverfromaperiodofperformanceplateaus,decreasedenergylevelsandacombinationofover-working,poorsleepandnutrition.Thedeloadweekisdesignedtohelpyourelax,unwind,catchuponsleep,avoidstressandcomebackstrongerthefollowingweek.Theseweeksworkbestwhenyouneedit--butjustbeforeyouneeditisevenmoreideal.Don’tknowifthat’syou?Someofthesymptomsthatwillpromptyouneedtoconsideradeloadweekinclude:Reducedperformanceinstrength,endurance,musclestamina,flexibility,grip.Lowerenergylevels(recentpoornutritionandsleep)Startingtopeakonyourperformanceandhaveachallengingphysicaltestorselectioninaweek.Completingacycleofhighvolume,highmileage,orheavyweights(every6-12weeks)Inourtacticalfitnesstraininggroup,ourcyclesaretypically12-13weekslong,withaweeklymobilitydayandadayoffeachweek.That’stypicallyenoughrecoverytime,butifyouworkamanuallaborjoborworkthenightshift,youmayneedadeloadweekmoreoftenthannormalassleepinterruptionisamajorcauseofpoorphysicalperformance.Adeloadweekisnottakingaweekofffromanyphysicalactivityperiod,asyouwillseebelow.Itissimplyareductionoftrainingandshiftsoffocustousingfullrecoveryoptions(rest,sleep,nutrition).HereishowyoucanturntheClassicMilitaryPTWeekintoadeloadweek.Youcanturneverydayintoa50%workoutbydoingtheworkoutaswrittenfor5minutes,butthenthefollowing5minutesyoustopandwalk,bikeeasy,orstretchandfoamroll.Youcanreplaceeveryotherdaywithamobilityday.Oryoucanturneverydayintoamobilitydaywhereyoudoeasycardiofollowedbystretching,foamrolling,andmassagetoolsfor5minutesetseachfor30-60minutes.Youcantrythe50%/MobilitycomboonDays1/2,Days3/4,Days5/6.Ifyouworkoutearly,trysleepinginanddoinghalfoftheworkoutyounormallyplanlaterinth