I know I should deload but I never know exactly how - drop weight, drop volume, both? For those who deload properly, what does your actual deload week look like in practice?
My standard deload: keep the same exercises, cut working sets by about half, and drop the weight to ~60-70%. Nothing near failure. One easy week, then back to it. The point is to shed fatigue while keeping the movement patterns sharp.
So mostly a volume cut with lighter loads, not total rest?
Right. Full rest works too but most people stay sharper keeping light, easy movement going. You come back fresher without feeling rusty.
I autoregulate the timing - deload when performance drops, sleep worsens, or motivation tanks for a stretch, rather than rigidly every X weeks. Usually that lands around every 4-8 weeks depending on how hard the training's been.
From a recovery view, a deload is also a great time to catch up on sleep, mobility and any niggles. Use the lighter week to address the stuff you skip when training hard. Come back fresher in body and mind.
Half the volume, ~65%, nothing near failure, timed by fatigue signals, used to catch up on recovery. That's a clear template I can actually follow. Cheers everyone.