I really don’t like to be controversial on the internet or spout off too much other than to be a sarcastic jackass to get a laugh. Yesterday I got drug into a debate on Facebook when a powerlifter friend of mine made this post:
“Disclaimer: Due to the fragility of ego in the online powerlifting community, this post does not apply to anyone stronger than me. So if you have a Raw No Wraps squat of 515+, a Raw bench of 430+ or a Raw deadlift of 600+, please ignore. Thank you for your patience in this matter. Stop reading now if you are susceptible to butthurt. Everytime I see someone mention deloading, other than the week before a meet, I feel my Estrogen levels creeping up. This is the softest concept to make its way into the Powerlifting world. Most people train, at most, 8 to 10 hours a week. If you can't recover in those other 160 hours in a week where you are not training, without taking a deload week, there is a problem. If you deload because your joints hurt, take better care of your joints and/or fix the technique issues which are causing the pain. If you deload because your muscles hurt, man up, buttercup. If you deload because of "CNS fatigue", just stop. I'm no Neurologist, but I'm pretty sure actual CNS damage would require hospitalization. People seem to forget that the CNS is responsible for much more important things than lifting weights.”
Of course some people really jumped down his throat for these comments, some of them were 135lb dudes who just read ‘Starting Strength’ (I could tell because when I stalked them they had pictures of themselves looking straight down at their own balls when they squatted) even some big wheels in the industry were in on this guy’s public lynching. Then because the guy that posted it knows me and I have trained him in the past he brought my name up as another guy that has the same opinions as him regarding deloads. Yes, I have stated many times that I personally feel that 90% of the people out there are deloading when they really should be dropping the hammer down and busting their asses in the gym. And spoiler alert, this is something that I personally talked about with MANY top lifters and coaches and they all agree. The guy that originally posted was blasted on and on by one person after another that pontificated about how he’s going to overtrain, snap all his tendons, break limbs and have no longevity in the sport. I tried to sort of help the guy out but then lost interest in the whole thing when I realized I just got drug into an internet war where no one ever actually wins. But I thought about it all night and here are my own PERSONAL thoughts.
First of all, much like my friend who made the original rant the people that rebutted him have NO ACTUAL SCIENTIFIC DATA to back up what they say thus making what they were saying just as audacious. They too are just spouting out shit they have read or going by their own PERSONAL experience. Personal experience can greatly vary so that doesn’t mean shit and it certainly doesn’t mean you win the internet. Deloading really is just a theory, and a theory that makes sense to a lot of people and has been used and coached by a lot of accomplished athletes and coaches. I agree that if you explain the theory behind it to a newb it would perfect sense to them as would a lot of things.
When I was just a newb and in my formative years of strength training, there was no talk of built in deloads yet. You trained hard and took a couple days off if you felt beat up. All I ever used to hear were these words in my head, “outwork the other guy”. “If you’re working hard he might be working twice as hard”. “He who lets up, gives up”. And that is what I had to go by. Even when I was teaching myself the very intricate events of the highland Games a long time ago I used to practice so long that it would be dark out, I was all alone and would think to myself, “I know none of those other fuckers are out throwing in the dark, they are all home right now getting weak”.
Arnold was always a huge influence on us when we started training and I never heard him once talking about backing off, going easy to preserve his body. All he ever preached was, do what others are willing not to, work your ass off and NEVER let off the gas. More, more, more! That all made perfect sense to me as well as an entire generation of lifters. Much like deloading makes sense to a lot of you now.
Then after I made a couple posts on the subject my name was brought up as someone who never deloads and has had a million surgeries and you should never listen to me. Let me just address that. I’m fifty years old now, I have had a FEW surgeries. None of my surgeries ever stemmed from an injury I got from lifting weights, they were all highland games related and stupid shit like falling on ice once, getting hit by a 16lb hammer, Etc. Highland games are a rough sport on your body, especially when you are a lot stronger than you are technically precise. So I beat up my ankles and knees pretty good in my career, but that’s what happens when you train your balls off and compete 20 times a year for years. So the few surgeries I have had fixed my injuries and I’m fine now, so the fuck what? It got me back out on the field so I could go out there and make money again. I never got into powerlifting, strongman and highland games to preserve my body, I was fully aware that you can get hurt doing this shit and totally accepted that fact. And don’t read that like I’m some hard ass, I’m not. I just wanted very badly to be an elite athlete and elite athletes burn fast and bright sometimes. Shit, Ed Coan, Dave Tate and Steve Goggins have all just had hip replacements, do you really think they would trade their lifting careers in not to have new hips now? And if you say, “well maybe they wouldn’t need new hips if they would have deloaded more”. Again, that’s just your theory and you can’t possibly prove it, no matter how much you cry on the internet or how many letters you have behind your name.
Then the subject of longevity comes up . . . News flash for all you pro deloaders. Not everyone gives a shit about longevity. When you are trying to win Olympic medals, win the worlds strongest man, or win the superbowl the LAST thing on your mind is tomorrow. Would longevity be nice, sure yeah if it happens but it was certainly not a priority or even a thought when I was younger.
But when it’s all said and done I really don’t care what anyone else does. If you want to deload, if you don’t want to deload. It’s all good, do whatever you enjoy.
The master of all, Dave Tate, states that deloads shouldn't be "built in" to a program. Deload training is meant to keep the progress made during a cycle without causing more damage an individual who may have over-trained. Personally, I have had very few "deload" training days ever and I have the nicest glutes in the lower 48 states.
Oh, and I have a question for you Steve...is it true you are looking to slim down to the 220 pound range? There's some rumors on the street you are going to get in "New Jersey beach shape" for the upcoming summer so you can sport a pair of Speedos for your wife. Cool dude.
And of course, I say this as someone 1 month post op from ACL reconstruction, haha.