This is the final target of my new Maximize Your Muscle pro- gram, and possibly one of the most important.
As you know if you've been paying attention so far, Maximize Your Muscle is a sequence of four-week phases, each unique, each with a different goal and utilizing a different method or aspect of training. The reason for this is that our bodies adapt very, very quickly to a given protocol and when they adapt, gains stall.
Another important aspect of the way the program is de- signed is that it's built around a 3-1 cycle. By this I mean three weeks of hard work and one week of backing off a bit. You might think this is counterintuitive when you're on an advanced program for massive muscle gains, but that one week at the end of each cycle is just as impor- tant as the three weeks of hard training.
Not de-loading is a huge mistake that will result in you getting smaller from month to month, regardless of how hard you're working. In fact, the harder you work, the slower your results will be, unless you've got supe- rior genetics or you're taking drugs.
Let me explain why.
You might think this is counterintuitive when you're on an advanced program for massive muscle gains, but that one week at the end of each cycle is just as important as the three weeks of hard training.
The Reason for De·load Training
De-load training is a scheduled week of either backing off from your training or just taking the week off altogether. It's not a cop-out and it's not a vacation - it's solid science.
As all of you probably know, the recovery process is when our muscles are actually repaired and new muscle tissue is created. It's where growth happens. But recovery isn't just something you need right after a workout or for the following 24– 48 hours.
When you're working hard and lifting heavy, you're putting a tremendous strain on your muscles, ten- dons, joints, immune system, metabolic system and your Central Nervous System. That requires a period of recovery as well. Without it, you will eventually burn out your immune, metabolic and Central Nervous systems and you're going to run headlong into a plateau. This type of systemic recovery is just as important as post-workout re- covery, though not as frequently. How frequently depends on your fitness age.
How Often You Need to De·load
If you're a beginner or have been working out for a year or less, you can get away with de- loading only every 12-16 weeks. This is partly because you're not lifting as heavy, as frequently or working out with the intensity of a more advanced bodybuilder. Yes, you're working ex- tremely hard because you're just starting out, but the demands on your body are less. The other reason is that your body adapts more quickly the longer you work out. When you're just starting out, that adaptation takes a lot longer than it does for a guy who's been competing for the last ten years.
If you're an intermediate bodybuilder, with more than a year but less than four years or so under your belt, you'll need to de-load more frequently. I find that somewhere between 8-12 weeks is ideal.
However, if you're an advanced bodybuilder who's been working hard for more than four years, you need to de-load every four weeks. Not only do you generally become bored and complacent by this time, but your body is beginning