With Coach Kelvin, offering Online Running Coaching for We Run and the We Run Virtual Running Club, and 1:1 Running Coach for Leeds and surrounding areas
Should Runners Take Deload Weeks?
In this little video, I’d like to discuss whether you should be taking deload weeks in your running or not – and what this has to do with time, budget, and connective tissue capacity.
Let’s shed some light on this, because that might seem a little bit confusing.
What Is a Deload Week?
First, let’s describe a download or deload week. It’s often recommended that every three to four weeks, we take a super, super easy week. Whether we’re keeping the volume and cutting intensity out, or whether we’re dropping both volume and intensity.
But whether we take a deload week or not – and how frequently we take it – does depend on a few things.
When Deload Weeks Are Necessary For Runners
If a runner’s limitation is connective tissue capacity – or let’s say mechanical capacity – it’s usually connective tissue, because it’s more susceptible to injuries than other systems. But it could be muscle damage or bone damage as well.
If those things are a runner’s limiting factor, then yes, periodically you need to take deload weeks, maybe every third or fourth week. This helps ensure that we’re absorbing the training that we’re doing and setting ourselves up for the next training block.
Why A Runner Might Not Need A Deload Week
Now, for those runners that don’t have the time budget to do as much running as they could – or as they could handle from a mechanical standpoint – there is actually very little reason to take a deload week. This runner almost can’t do enough anyway. They can’t increase the load enough where they’re at risk of injury, and they might not really be increasing the load enough to see a significant positive adaptation in fitness.
These runners might consider taking one extra day off every now and then, or maybe even skipping a workout. That way, they end up with quite a few days without a workout if they’re maybe doing two workouts a week.
Final Thoughts On Deload Weeks For Runners
So do make sure that if you’re deloading, you have something to deload from – and that you need that download week. Otherwise, you’re just going to have a step down in your fitness for no real reason.
I hope that makes some sort of sense. If you’ve got any questions, please just pop them in the comments below.
And for now – happy running!
