To deload: taking time off, a week spent recovering from exercise, to give your body and mind a rest, to prevent overtraning and increase your chances for progress.
You get stronger through recovery. One week out from competition your lifts will not get bigger by pushing your body through more training, in fact, it will hurt more than help. And you risk going into a competition at 50% or less than what you are capable of by hitting the gym hard, or garage in my case, every day leading up to the event.
I understand this concept 100%, but that does not mean I have to like it. Coming from an athlete that has ADHD and is in a constant battle with depression, I more or less hate these weeks. I use lifting, whether it be powerlifting or strongman lifting to combat these issues. For me, it becomes a mind game of...what if I did this with light weight or maybe I need to work this one more time. Even though I know I am more than ready for every event.
My deloading week usually looks like this:
Sunday: finishing touches on strongman lifts/working skills/events that are weak
Monday: dynamic upper lifting
Tuesday: dynamic lower lifting
Wednesday: active recovery such as mobility
Thursday: pull my hair out
Friday: try and find anything and everything that will keep me out of the garage
Saturday: game day...back to normal
Following a competition I rarely take any time off before prep begins for the next competition...that is unless I am to sore to move. Will I be back at the barn Sunday night for strongman training? Even if I have to train alone, I sure as hell will be there!!!
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