From 2 episodes
How often should I take a deload week?
Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated
The short answer
Nikkiey's default is a programmed deload week about every six weeks. Programs commonly use every four, six or eight weeks, depending on training type, intensity, volume and recovery. If your body clearly signals that recovery is falling behind before then, take the deload sooner. The schedule is a guide, not a rule.
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Nikkiey's default: a programmed deload every six weeks, with body signals as an override
Plays from 17:40 · Ep. 366: What Is a Deload Week and Do Women Over 40 Need One?
Why every four, six or eight weeks depends on your training intensity and plan
Plays from 29:26 · Ep. 131: What Is a Deload Week and When Should You Take One?
The specific signs that recovery is falling behind and you need a deload sooner
Plays from 16:12 · Ep. 366: What Is a Deload Week and Do Women Over 40 Need One?
What to do if you need a deload at week three, and how to resume your block
Plays from 23:28 · Ep. 131: What Is a Deload Week and When Should You Take One?
The full answer
On Ep. 366, Nikkiey recommends building a deload into your program every six weeks as the default, then using your body's signals as an override. If you need one at week three instead of week six, take it at week three. On Ep. 131, she frames the range as every four to eight weeks, placed after a build-up phase. Harder, higher-intensity training may call for a deload sooner. First, she says, make sure you are actually following a plan consistently.
She lists signs that point to an earlier deload:
- Strength flat or declining for two or more weeks despite consistent training and nutrition
- Workouts feeling significantly harder at weights that used to feel manageable
- Persistently low motivation, not just one bad day
- Soreness that won't clear with normal rest, lasts around 72 hours, or shows up in muscles you didn't train
- Disrupted sleep, waking up exhausted, brain fog, irritability, feeling drained
On Ep. 366, she says any two or three of these together is your body asking for a deload. Women who ignore them can end up injured, burnt out, or so fatigued that they need weeks to recover instead of one.
There is some nuance. Nikkiey says reading these signals well takes about a year of training, so leaning mostly on body cues is better suited to more advanced lifters. Everyone else should stick with the scheduled week. If you do take an early deload, Ep. 131 suggests getting back to your block and then going four or five weeks before the next one. During the week, keep protein a priority and adjust intake slightly for the lower energy output if needed. Prioritize sleep and hydration. As she puts it, a deload is not laziness. It is a planned part of training smart.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
Women also ask
More questions →Sleep, Recovery & Lifestyle
Should I eat less during a deload week?
No, not in any meaningful way. Nikkiey says your body is in active recovery during a deload and needs fuel, so protein stays the same and calories stay roughly the same. If you're in a cut, a slight trim is fine, but dropping something like 500 calories works against the recovery the week is for.
Read the answer →
Sleep, Recovery & Lifestyle
How can I improve my sleep?
Start with the basics Nikkiey returns to again and again: cut screens and bright light before bed, keep your room cool and pitch black with the phone out, and go to bed and wake at the same times. Then try Dr. Stephen Cabral's 3-2-1 rule: no food three hours before bed, no liquids two hours, no screens one hour.
Read the answer →
Sleep, Recovery & Lifestyle
Does alcohol stop you from building muscle?
According to Nikkiey, alcohol works directly against building muscle. It slows muscle protein synthesis, the repair process after strength training, and increases muscle breakdown, so tissue can be broken down faster than it's rebuilt. The result is slower recovery, harder muscle gain and a less toned look, even when you're doing everything else right.
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Watch or listen in full
More on this topic →
30 minWhat Is a Deload Week and Do Women Over 40 Need One?
Episode 366 · Jun 1, 2026
32 minWhat Is a Deload Week and When Should You Take One?
Episode 131 · Feb 19, 2024