De-Load Weeks: The Benefits Of Lowering The Intensity Of Your Workouts

When on a training regimen, it is important to note both the psychological and physiological effects it has on the body. Putting in great amounts of effort is a great thing; it allows your body to grow and change, along with your mindset which is a powerful asset to develop. When people discover that intensity is one of the biggest keys to great results, they tend to make the mistake that there is an endless supply of it housed within themselves.

I am definitely not saying that you shouldn't be very intense in your workouts or any other activity that you do; I simply suggest that you pick your moments to funnel all your energy and concentration into. This way, you won't have inconsistent results from the activities that you put intensity into because you will given it your utmost best and nothing less.

Lifting with intensity with heavy weights and tiring cardio for a greater number of days in the week than you rest, for a prolonged amount of time will certainly lead to either a plateau or decline in your results. This is where a 'de-load' week will serve our purposes very well; it allows both your body and mind to recover from the continual stress we've placed it under. De-loading is a method of optimizing results by purposefully lowering the amount of weight used in a workout for one or two weeks (depending on how you feel). This is typically done every twelve weeks in an intensive training program..

Here are a few benefits of incorporating de-loading weeks into your training:


Mental Recovery - This allows your mind to recuperate from the high levels of mental stress that is associated with intense training; it allows you to come back even stronger!
Physical Recovery - This allows your body to recover from the micro-trauma that comes with lifting heavy weights. By allowing yourself 'time-off', your body will indeed be stronger after the de-loading phase allowing you to grow even further by increasing the amount of weight that you lift.
Spiritual Recovery - Motivation levels can begin to ebb away when results are taking longer than you'd like, to arrive. Training with light weights for a week or two helps to build anticipation and motivation levels by having you look forward to the week after the de-load phase where you can soar to new heights by increasing your lifts.



If you've been training with intensity for a very long time; feel no shame when taking to time for your body to recover. It only works in your favour!


I do hope that this article increased your knowledge base and was truly helpful to you. For more articles, please visit my blog. It was written with you in mind. Thank you! http://thelifeguideblog.blogspot.com

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