Deload week occurs every 13 weeks to cap off the previous 12 weeks of strength and conditioning. Within these 7 days, you can expect a weight-free training floor and a consistent 70% pace. Primal athleticism, agility, bodyweight movements, cardio, and striking are all at play during this uniquely and thoughtfully programmed week. No different than our standard training recommendation, plan to attend 4x sessions to optimally benefit.
Why Deload?
The human body is incredible. When pushed, it adapts and becomes a better version of itself. This is why strength training works, why pushing yourself in the MADhouse results in physical improvement. That said, it’s important to understand exactly how this works.
When we train under load (with weight), our muscles are being torn apart, connective tissue stretched to its limit, bones and joints placed under duress, and central nervous system taxed. Basically…we are physically traumatizing our bodies. While this sounds dramatic, it’s actually a good thing – a REASONABLE level of “trauma” allows it all to grow back better. But said “trauma” can’t be reasonable if it’s never removed from the program.
While our bodies are capable of adapting to almost any physical stress, it isn’t immediate. Your body needs a chance to fully recover and adapt to the stress placed upon it – the stressor in this case: weights.
You don’t get stronger from the act of lifting weights, you get stronger from the act of RECOVERING from lifting weights.
This is exactly why you’ll find a 100% weight-free training floor every 13 weeks.
We talk a lot about post workout recovery basics (nutrition, sleep, hydration, fish oil, mobility, etc)…but Deload Week is bigger than that. It is absolutely imperative that you give your body a chance to FULLY recover and adapt to everything you’ve asked of it.
“But I naturally deload when I travel or go on extended vacation.”
GREAT…you still need a scheduled deload week integrated into the program. Most respectable strength training programs that you’d find in a 1:1 setting deload on a 6 week cadence. We stretch our deload cadence to every 13th week because we anticipate you have days off (via travel and vacation) throughout each 12 week strength cycle where you’ll naturally deload.
Make no mistake, Deload Week is a core component to our program design, and something you won’t find in most other boutique fitness studios.
Why not?
To level with you, it can be hard to sell and takes a lot of repeated education to land. But you’ve done your part by trusting us to provide you with best possible training program, so we’re going to do our part by actually delivering that to you. And that includes deloading. We don’t do things at MAD because they sell. We do them because they work.
To recap…deloading:
- Repairs your muscle (so they can continue to work and grow for you)
- Reduces physiological stress
- Reduces risk of overtraining-related injuries
- Alleviates your central nervous system (which, make no mistake, is taxed after 12 weeks of Protocol M.A.D.)
- Allows you to stay in motion without having to abandon training altogether
- Balances hormonal levels (primarily restoring cortisol and testosterone)
If you train with us regularly, your body not only craves a week of deloading, but it will greatly benefit from it. Consider Deload Week an opportunity to prepare your body for the heightened demand of the next 12 week programming cycle. You’ll return to the MADhouse properly adapted to the stimuli from the previous 12 weeks, and likely experience a boost in progress.
