Deloading for the Mind, Body, & Soul

It’s funny how important a deload can be, especially to the active individual that trains hard consistently.  I am the kind of person that find it difficult to take a real rest day.  My rest days usually turn into “tinker days,” where I do direct ab work, maybe some traps, and other muscle groups I may have neglected during the week.  Usually I do some cardio too.  All of this caloric expenditure can really add up and if your caloric intake is not supporting this level of activity, complications can occur over time.  The stress of constantly being on a caloric deficit and/or carbohydrate restriction can be really taxing on the body if energy output (far) exceeds caloric input.  You can’t expect to drive 400 miles on 300 miles worth of gas in the tank.  An effective cutting phase is just like that – trying to travel 305-310 miles on 300 miles worth of gas in the tank – small steps forward to net big rewards over a long period of time.

I train pretty hard with high volume and with sets close to failure.  My body felt like it weighs a ton the past few days.  My mind is foggy.  My motivation to get off my ass is nonexistent.  I’m 7 weeks out from a competition.  I don’t need to feel this way, at least not now this far out!  Sure, it could be that my caloric intake may not be enough; but based on historical data, my caloric intake is the highest it’s been at this level of conditioning in my whole life.  This cannot be the case.  So if it’s not my intake, it’s got to be my output.  I don’t remember the last time I took an actual full on rest day.  I don’t remember when I didn’t train max effort, and just deload for a few days. 

Now’s the time to act and regain my mental and physical health to continue performing at tip top shape in and out of the gym.  Deloading entails dropping the weight to loads where you can easily perform 10-12+ reps without reaching failure.  The focus is shifted to perfecting form.  This allows your body to catch up on much needed rest to recuperate, yet you are still able to continue burning calories and staying on track with your goals.  Sure, progress in weight loss may stall for a week, but a very small price to pay to gather the strength to carry on optimally—taking 1 step back to take 2 steps forward. 

Today, I feel so much better.  I invested 2-3 days of deloading and today, on squat day, I was able to 1RM 3 plates ATG high bar squat.  I haven’t done this in a long time.  I weigh 150 lbs and I’m at about 5-6% bodyfat.  I didn’t think this was possible, but it worked out well.  There is definitely a balance between energy input and output, a synergy, that if balanced, can keep you feeling healthy, performing strongly, and meeting your body composition goals all at the same time—mind, body, and soul.  The trick is finding that synergy!