Deload Planner: When and How to Deload

Deload planner for lifters

Short answer

In a survey of 246 competitive strength and physique athletes, deloads came every 5.6 weeks on average and lasted 6.4 days, about a week. Most athletes cut their sets, lifted lighter and stopped further from failure, while keeping the same sessions and exercises. Train 6 weeks between deloads and they land in weeks 7, 14, 21 and so on.

Last reviewed 28 October 20262 published sourcesNot medical advice

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Deload planner

For lifters. Tell it how many hard weeks you have done since your last deload and how often you want to deload.

Enter the hard training weeks since your last deload (0 if you just had one).

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What athletes change in a deload (246 strength and physique athletes)
Training variable	Decrease	No change
Weekly sets	78.9%	17.9%
Repetitions per set	52.8%	30.9%
Weekly training sessions	32.9%	63.0%
Load on multi-joint lifts	83.7%	11.4%
Load on single-joint lifts	60.2%	33.3%
Effort on multi-joint lifts	84.9%	6.1%

Rogerson et al. (2024), Tables 5 and 6. The remaining athletes increased the variable or answered other.

What a deload is

An international panel of expert coaches agreed this definition: a deload is a period of reduced training stress designed to mitigate physiological and psychological fatigue, promote recovery and enhance preparedness for subsequent training (Bell et al., 2023).

How athletes deload

Rogerson and colleagues surveyed 246 competitive powerlifters, weightlifters, strongman and physique athletes. Every one deloaded, mainly to manage energy and fatigue. A typical deload lasted 6.4 ± 1.7 days and came every 5.6 ± 2.3 weeks (Rogerson et al., 2024).

Most planned deloads in advance (47.2%) or planned them and also took extra ones when needed (39.4%); 13.4% deloaded only when they felt they needed it, for example when performance stalled or muscles and joints ached (Rogerson et al., 2024).

During the deload, athletes cut sets and repetitions, lifted lighter and left more repetitions in reserve, but generally kept their training frequency and exercise selection (Rogerson et al., 2024). These are reported habits, not trial results.

Related tools

Plan the build-up to each deload with the progressive overload calculator, and track how hard your weeks are with the training load calculator.

Common questions

How often should I deload?

Competitive strength and physique athletes surveyed by Rogerson et al. deloaded every 5.6 weeks on average, with a spread of about 2.3 weeks either way. Many also deloaded early when performance stalled or their muscles and joints ached.

How long should a deload last?

The average deload in the survey lasted 6.4 days, give or take 1.7 days, so about a week.

What should I change during a deload?

Most athletes cut weekly sets (79%) and reduced load on multi-joint lifts (84%) and effort, stopping further from failure (85%). Most kept the same number of sessions (63%) and the same exercises.

Sources

Figures on this page were checked against these publications on 28 October 2026.

Rogerson D, Nolan D, Androulakis Korakakis P, Immonen V, Wolf M, Bell L. Deloading practices in strength and physique sports: a cross-sectional survey. Sports Medicine – Open. 2024;10:26. doi.org/10.1186/s40798-024-00691-y

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;9:87. doi.org/10.1186/s40798-023-00633-0