The importance of an unload week

I was coaching one of our members at Phoenix Pro today who had just returned from holiday and was worried that she hadn't trained for a few days and might have lost strength and fitness and put on a few pounds. On the contrary however, her weight was the same despite a few holiday splurges, and we were able to continue her load progressions, which she blitzed through.

This highlighted the fact that it is actually important to schedule both unload and active rest periods (low demand recreational activity) into your training schedule. They allow for both muscular and neural regeneration, and subsequent gains in both strength and cardiovascular capacity, thus leaving you in a better physiological and psychological place to really give your all.



The picture above gives a simple representation of one of the most basic forms of periodisation, using a step loading progression with an unload in week 4.

At Phoenix, our programming system integrates a natural unload week during what we call 'intro week', which is the first week of any new phase, usually occurring every 4 or 5 weeks depending on each individual client. By unload, I mean a reduction in stress through load (weight), volume and intensity. Adaptation still occurs during this first week thanks to the new stimulus provided by the changed routine, which usually involves more demanding exercises than the previous phase. Likewise, we actually recommend a week's break from training every 12 weeks, to allow the body to rest and repair and reboot the immune system. Without a scheduled rest, the likelihood of injury and illness increases due to prolonged overload. It goes without saying that during unload weeks and rest periods, maintaining a supportive diet is paramount to goal achievement. Whether you are aiming for fat loss, performance or simply stress relief, you will optimise your results by following a clean diet compromising lean protein, plenty of fruit and veg, carbohydrates of primarily low GI variety (sweet potato, legumes and oats are good examples) and lots of water.