What Is a Deload Week and Why You Need One

 

Today’s episode is for the woman who has been training hard but feeling more tired than strong. If your workouts suddenly feel heavier, your motivation is dipping, or you’re waking up tired even after rest, your body may be asking for a reset. A deload week is a simple, strategic way to support long-term progress without losing momentum.

If you’ve been pushing through fatigue, feeling unusually sore, or wondering why your strength has stalled, this episode will help you understand the signs your body is giving you and how to build a deload week that leaves you feeling recharged and ready to lift again.

Here’s what you will learn:

• What a deload week actually is
• Why recovery is where real progress happens
• The biggest signs your body needs a reset
• How deload weeks prevent burnout and plateaus
• Different ways to structure a deload depending on your training style
• How lighter loads, fewer sets, or lower frequency support your nervous system
• How deloads strengthen your foundations and help you return stronger
• How often you should take one based on your training
• Why slowing down at the right time improves your long-term results

This episode is your reminder that rest is not losing progress. It is how your body rebuilds, adapts, and supports the work you put in week after week.

If you loved this episode, you may also enjoy:
How to Skip a Week of Workouts Without Messing Up Your Results

If you want more from me, be sure to check out… 

Transcript

(0:00) Hey, hey, beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something (0:04) super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. (0:08) You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter.

(0:12) I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and (0:17) unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. (0:22) Let's get in.

Let's go. Hello, and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. (0:35) Today, we're going to be talking about something that might be the missing piece in your training (0:39) routine, especially if you are feeling like a deeper level of tiredness.

If you've ever had (0:45) a week where your body just feels tired, not sore in a good workout way, but like you're just tired (0:50) down to your bones. Maybe your lifts feel heavier than usual. You're dragging throughout your (0:55) workouts than you used to.

And like things that used to feel easy, just don't. Maybe you're not (1:00) sleeping great. Your motivation is super low and you start wondering like, what is wrong with me? (1:05) That kind of tiredness that does not feel like regular soreness, but more like your body is (1:10) asking for a breather.

We're going to be talking about deload weeks, like what they are, why they (1:15) matter and how to build them into your routine in a way that supports long-term progress. Because (1:20) if your workouts have been heavier than usual, or your motivation has just been lower because (1:24) you're just not feeling it, you might not need to be pushing harder. Your body may simply need (1:30) to just recover.

But before we dive in, I want to share this review. She have a five-star view (1:34) and it's a great learning tool. After finding this podcast by using Julie's workouts on Pinterest, (1:38) I have learned so much.

I am so grateful that she puts content out there so that young women like (1:43) me can learn so much from her. I also love how she incorporates her faith into the podcast. (1:48) It's very refreshing thing with all of the secular fitness voices out there.

I love that so much. (1:52) Thank you so much. First of all, for being my Pinterest crew, I have had so many of your guys' (1:57) reviews over the last months, like coming from Pinterest.

And I just want you to know, like, (2:01) shout out to my Pinterest crew. I love you guys so much. And you guys are amazing over there.

(2:06) So thank you again for taking time out of your day to send in this review. We're just going to (2:10) dive right into it. So what is a deload week? Well, a deload week is a planned period, usually (2:15) about five to seven days where you are intentionally reducing the intensity or volume of your training.

(2:20) I want you to think of it like giving your body a pit stop in the middle of your fitness journey. (2:23) You're not quitting. You're not losing progress.

You're simply pulling over to refuel, (2:27) check your engine and make sure that everything is ready for the next stretch of road. During a (2:32) deload, though, you're still moving, but you're just not pushing. That's the key here.

You are (2:36) still moving, but you're not pushing. You might lift lighter weights, do fewer sets, take an extra (2:41) rest day, shorten your workouts. The goal here is to give your body and nervous system time to (2:46) recover so that you can come back stronger.

So why does a deload week matter? Well, here's what most (2:52) people are getting wrong. Progress doesn't just happen during your workouts. It happens in the (2:56) recovery from your workouts.

When you are training hard week after week, your muscles, your joints, (3:01) the central nervous system, that's going to accumulate fatigue and that's completely normal. (3:05) It's a part of training, but over time that fatigue can build up to a point where it really (3:09) does start holding you back instead of helping you grow. And that's where deload weeks can come in.

(3:14) They can really help you to recover more deeply so that your muscles can rebuild stronger to help (3:19) prevent injury by giving your joints and tendons a break, reignite motivation by helping you to (3:25) mentally reset, break through plateaus when your strength or energy has really stalled, (3:30) and lastly, they can help you to regulate hormones and stress levels, especially if you've been (3:35) running on high cortisol. It's really like your body's chance to say, okay, let's breathe, (3:41) let's rebuild, let's prepare and go again. But here's the best part.

You don't lose progress (3:45) during a deload week. You actually solidify it because when you're giving your body recovery (3:50) time, you're allowing the adaptations that you've been working towards like muscle growth, (3:54) better endurance, improved strength to actually lock in. Okay, but this leaves the super important (3:59) question of how do you know if you need a deload week? Here are some of the key signs that you (4:05) should be looking out for.

Your workouts are feeling unusually hard. You're sore longer than (4:11) normal. You are feeling super unmotivated, just drained, and not just like mentally, (4:16) but just your body is drained.

You're maybe not sleeping well at all, or you're waking up super (4:21) tired. You're plateauing in your strength or results. In other words, your body is just sending (4:26) you these signals that it needs a little bit more recovery.

And here's the thing, you can either (4:30) plan for ahead of time, or your body will force you to break on its own, right? Later through, (4:37) whether that's fatigue or injury or burnout. And I would personally much rather you have to choose (4:43) this strategic reset rather than be surprised by one. So let's talk about what this actually (4:48) looks like.

It's one thing to kind of understand that you need a deload week. It's another thing (4:53) to know how to do one effectively. There's no single perfect way to do this.

What matters is (4:58) that you're giving your body a chance to recover while still moving in a way that feels good. (5:03) Here are a few approaches that you can choose from depending on how you like to train. (5:07) One option is to just cut back on your load.

And this means you're still lifting, (5:11) but you're using a lot lighter weights. I want you to aim for around 50 to 60% (5:16) of what you normally use. So if you're usually squatting with a 30 pound dumbbell, (5:21) maybe you're using 15 or 20s instead.

And again, the focus is going to shift here. (5:26) Instead of chasing intensity, you're really focusing on clean form, full range of motion, (5:31) slow controlled reps. You're strengthening your foundations here.

Another option is to (5:36) keep your usual weight, but cut down on the volume. So maybe you're doing four sets of those (5:41) during a deload week. Maybe you might do two or maybe you normally push close to failure, (5:46) but this week you're going to stop a few reps earlier.

It still feels good. You're still (5:51) engaged, but your body isn't under the same amount of stress as it normally would be. (5:55) You can also cut back on frequency.

If you typically train, let's say five days a week, (6:00) I want you to try three or four. Use the extra time for activities that support recovery like (6:05) walking, stretching, mobility, or simply just resting. Remember that walking is movement.

(6:11) Mobility work is movement, but rest is also productive. And then there's the option of taking (6:15) what I call an active recovery week. So instead of lifting like normal, you might move your body (6:21) through lower impact workouts.

That could be like cardio, like walking or cycling, spending time, (6:27) focusing on mobility, flexibility, Pilates. This is especially helpful. If your body does feel (6:34) really run down or just you're mentally tapped out, whatever approach you use, the key here is (6:39) your priority for the week is recovery.

Like that is your main job. And that means getting enough (6:45) protein to help your muscles repair, staying hydrated throughout the day, getting good sleep (6:50) and actually giving your nervous system a chance to reset and settle. And also you're supporting (6:55) your stress levels, right? Remembering that stress does not only come from emotional overwhelm.

(7:00) Your workouts are a stressor too. And your gains are made during recovery, not during the workout. (7:05) So if your body is asking for a deload week, that's not you falling behind.

That's you training (7:09) smarter. That's you honoring the season that your body's actually in. And I promise when you give (7:14) yourself that space, you can come back stronger, more energized and more excited to train again.

(7:20) Remember, this is not a lazy week. It's a strategic week. You are doing it on purpose (7:25) to help your body adapt, recover and come back stronger.

So the million dollar question is how (7:32) often should you deload? If you have been training consistently for a while, you need to (7:37) deload every six to eight weeks. And I'm talking if you are consistent day in and day out, at least (7:43) at once every two months, you should have a deload week. The truth is your body doesn't run on a (7:48) calendar.

It really does run on feedback, right? So if you start noticing these early signs of (7:53) burnout, you don't have to wait for the perfect week. Give yourself permission to slow down (7:57) when you need to. Just remember, it's not a setback.

It's a strategy. And remember that (8:02) honoring your body doesn't mean doing less. It means that you're doing what's right for where (8:05) you are right now.

So this week, I want you to ask yourself, like, do I need a push or do I need a (8:10) pause? Because sometimes the pause is where the real progress happens. All right, let's do a quick (8:15) recap. You do not get stronger by pushing endlessly.

You get stronger by cycling between (8:20) stress and recovery. So the next time that you're feeling tired or unmotivated or stuck, or your (8:25) body is just exhausted, I want you to take that as a side to pull back and not push harder. A (8:31) deload week might be exactly what your body's been asking for.

And you will be amazed at how much more (8:36) energized, more focused and strong you feel when you return. It's a planned period of lighter (8:42) training that gives your body and your nervous system time to recover. It's not losing progress.

(8:47) Instead, it's actually how progress long term is supported and sustained. Here's what a deload (8:53) week helps with. It allows your muscles to repair and rebuild.

It protects your joints and tendons (8:58) from overuse. It supports your hormone regulation and stress recovery. It helps restore motivation (9:05) and enjoyment in your workouts.

And last but not least, it creates space for strength and (9:09) performance to return. You can do this by lifting lighter weights, doing fewer sets, decreasing (9:15) workout frequency, or just choosing more gentle movement for a few days. The focus is really giving (9:20) your body room to breathe so it can come back stronger, steadier and more energized.

So if you (9:24) listen to today's episode and you're pondering like if your body's been asking for this, let it (9:29) be your permission to take that reset. Just try it. Maybe you even need to do it mentally to remind (9:33) yourself that you don't have to push week in and week out and your body will also benefit from that.

(9:39) If you are looking for workouts, if you're like, okay, I want to have a deload week, but first I (9:44) need to get consistent in my actual workouts. That's where my Moojulie app comes in. I have (9:49) dumbbell only workouts for women.

All you need is a few pair of dumbbells in a small space. You get (9:53) five brand new workouts every single week. If you do all five of them, that's amazing.

If you do (9:57) three of them, that's amazing. We have lower body, upper body, cardio and core, shoulders and glutes (10:01) and full body. You can go to sale.

That's s-a-l-e.moojulie.com. Again, that's sale, (10:07) s-a-l-e.moojulie.com. The structure is already there for you, which again, will make it easier (10:13) for you to really stay on track and do so without guessing and be guilt-free because you can (10:18) literally just open the app and follow the workouts. And if this conversation helped you (10:23) to realize that your body might need more nourishment or more precise nourishment while (10:28) it recovers, this is exactly what we talk about inside my Macro Academy and Simple Online Academy. (10:33) We focus on fueling in a way that stabilizes your energy, that supports that muscle repair (10:38) and keeps your metabolism steady so that your training actually works with your body instead (10:42) of draining it.

Both of those links for those, my Moojulie community, dumbbell only workouts, (10:47) as well as my Macro Academy and Simple Online Academy are both in the show notes. And this, (10:51) if this episode hits home, I want you to share it with someone who might need the reminder (10:55) that rest is part of the progress. If you love today's episode, you will also love episode 216, (11:01) How to Skip a Week of Workouts Without Messing Up Your Results.

I will go ahead and link that (11:05) in the show notes that you can easily go check that out. But that is all that I have for today's (11:09) episode. I am so grateful that you're here.

I love you so dang much. I mean it. I'll talk to you in the next one.

(11:22) All right, sister. That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do.

(11:29) First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A. (11:33) Ledbetter, yes, it's with an A in the middle, for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips (11:39) and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, (11:44) be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode.

Thank you so much for joining me. (11:51) It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought.

The most beautiful (11:56) women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being (12:02) authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out (12:09) there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.

 
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