Please note: This is not official 5/3/1 advice and is not associated in any way with Jim Wendler. If you want official 5/3/1 advice, buy the book.
A deload week is a planned easy week built into 5/3/1 to let you recover and come back fresh. You lift light, skip the AMRAP grind, and let fatigue drain off before the next block of hard training.
Table of Contents
What is a Deload Week?
It’s a recovery week run with submaximal loads. The original 5/3/1 programmed a deload every fourth week. In Beyond 5/3/1, Wendler shifted the recommendation to roughly every seventh week, after two three-week cycles. The point is the same either way: shed the fatigue you’ve piled up so the next cycle’s PR sets are actually productive. The related 7th Week Protocol builds on this idea, giving you the choice to deload or test your training max in that off week.
Deload Week Example
A standard deload uses three light sets of 5 at 40%, 50%, and 60% of your training max, with no AMRAP set. With a squat training max of 300 lb:
- 40% x 300 = 120 lb x 5
- 50% x 300 = 150 lb x 5
- 60% x 300 = 180 lb x 5
Keep assistance work light or skip it. The week is supposed to feel easy. If you finish a deload day feeling like you trained hard, you did it wrong.
When to Deload
Every seventh week is the common cadence, but listen to your body too. Deload when sleep and stress are working against you, when joints feel beat up, or when your rep PRs stall for a couple of cycles. The one rule that matters: don’t sneak extra work into a deload. Its whole job is recovery.
Deload Week Resources
Here are some helpful discussions of deloading in 5/3/1:
- How Often to Take a Deload (Strength Is First)
- 5/3/1 for Beginners (The Fitness Wiki)
- r/531Discussion (Reddit)
5/3/1 Glossary
Learn about other 5/3/1 terms in our 5/3/1 glossary.
5/3/1 Forever Book (Recommended Reading)
To best utilize the 5/3/1 training framework, the book is highly recommended. It’s a small investment for a lifetime of training knowledge.
The most up-to-date and complete collection of Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 programming framework. Contains dozens of templates to keep 5/3/1 fresh and adaptable.
