Good morning. I’ve been a bit s*ck lately (if you don’t say it, it doesn’t have power over you). So this week’s article is aptly themed.

And when I say it’s shorter than usual, I think I actually mean it this time! 🤓 

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You probably need a deload week. 

If you read this newsletter, you probably at least attempt to live an active lifestyle. My guess is that you enjoyed the holidays but then hit it hard when January rolled around. 

Maybe you started a new program, picked up a new exercise, or worked on building a new activity habit.

Wouldn’t ya know, we actually benefit from scheduled, periodic rest?

In exercise science, there are fancy words for it. Periodization. Meso-cycles (the level between micro and macro cycles). They all revolve around the same concept: We benefit (not that there’s just a neutral effect) from occasional dips in training.

This generally applies to both major types of exercise: resistance and cardiovascular training! Generally, a training cycle is built upon progressive overload—the idea that you start off relatively easy, build a foundation, then progress week after week in volume/intensity until you breach some threshold and are “___er” (bigger, stronger, leaner, faster, etc.) than before. 

We can’t continue to increase intensity indefinitely. For a while, we can. But if we try to push for too long, we’ll end up in a state called “overreaching.” We can generally quickly recover from this. Go even beyond that, and you might reach “overtraining,” which can take multiple weeks or even months to recover and bounce back from. 

How long should we progress our training before taking a break? It varies and depends on multiple variables, of course, but general recommendations land somewhere in the 6 to 12-week range.

Coincidentally, we’re currently in the 9th week of 2024. So if you hit your training hard at the start of the new year, there’s a good chance you’ve made some gains by now! It might be time in the next couple weeks to back off your volume and intensity for a week or so, prioritize recovery, and then start a new cycle. It means prioritizing rest and recovery over work—just for a bit.

How do you do a deload week? Most recommendations suggest decreasing volume/intensity by about 50%. This doesn’t mean going completely sedentary for a week, but it usually means cutting back more than just a couple sets or miles. 

• As an example, if you’ve worked up to a running volume of 20 miles per week, maybe try a week where you drop that to just 10 miles, then jump back in and start progressing again.

• In terms of weight training, consider dropping your weights in half for a week. Or maybe just do half the number of total weekly sets you’re used to. 

Don’t just take my word for it. Evidence-based science has validated this method. Athletes at all levels use it. Sometimes just taking your foot off the throttle of training for a brief respite can allow your body to really focus on recovery and improvements. 

You’ll start your next 6–12-week cycle fresh and motivated. You’ll decrease your chance of injury and burnout. And heck, maybe you’ll even use some extra time to engage in another hobby you enjoy. Can’t go wrong with that.

If you’ve made it to the end of February without taking any brief back-off periods in training, it may be time to consider one. It’ll help you enter this Spring with just the vitality that the seasonal change invites. 🌷 

✅ Take Action

Every newsletter's Take Action section will invite you to take small steps to improve your health. Recognizing that we all have different capabilities, I'll offer three different levels of action you can choose to take.

Level 1: If you’ve been going hard for 4-6 weeks, take an easy week and see how you feel.

Level 2: 6-8 weeks of consistent training? Give yourself a slow down and back off the volume and intensity.

Level 3: 9-12+ weeks without a light week?? You needa chill bro! Take it easyyy. I promise it’ll be better for your gains in the long run 💪 

This newsletter is brought to you by… me!

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Know someone else who might be? I’d love to get to know you and/or your business and see how we can partner together. Reply to this email!

✍️ Drew's Picks:

• 👂️ Listen: I’ve listened to and enjoyed the first four episodes of this nine-part series from NPR called “Body Electric.” It’s all about how the rapid incorporation of technology into human existence is affecting our bodies.

• 😴 Snooze: This episode of Life Kit is all about how to take better naps.

Peace out, A-town (read in Usher-adjacent voice). Take it easy this week, eh? I’ll catch ya on the flippity flip. ✌️ 

Keep moving,

Drew

The content in Move to Improve is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. It is always a good idea to consult with a trusted health professional before making any major lifestyle changes that could have a significant impact on your health. This is not a medical resource, and any opinions and articles are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional. Please think critically and take what I say with a grain of salt (aka don’t sue me).