How and Why We De-load Athlete’s Programming 

This was a mistake I made early on in designing my own training programs… Not de-loading, at all. With other BJJ athletes I’ve found this is a fairly common mistake.

De-loading is an important part of any athlete’s program. Why? It is an easy way to avoid over-training, physically and psychologically, leading to burnout. 

Here’s how we structure de-loading for our programming clients

De-load Every 4 Weeks

We include a mathematical de-load, which means we reduce the overall weekly volume by 50%. 
For example, if your weekly total volume (Sets X Reps X Weight) was 12,000 lbs. You adjust your de-load week to 6,000 lbs. 

De-load Every 12 Weeks

We include a full week off OR reduce the total intensity levels by 50%.
For example, if you’re focused on building strength, your lifts likely are programmed between 85-100% of 1RM. For the week, they would drop to 40-50% 1RM. Also, if you prefer to not take a full week off, this is a great time to perform re-testing to continue to track improvement. 

De-loading is an important part of any structured lifting/training program. Make sure to work de-loading periods in to avoid burnout and keep training long-term.