SD or de-load?

gbglifter

gbglifter

Member
I thought Id start a new thread för this question.

Im SDing currently and will be starting a new cycle on Monday. Four sessions per week so each muscle gets targetted twice. Should I stay away until monday or go in tomorrow and do a heavy low volume workout.

Im not wanting to lose too much strength but still want the benefit of SD.
The next cycle will only be three workouts on each compound lift as I plan on doing Upper A and B as well as lower A and B. Its a steep strength increase.
 
Since you are preparing to bulk for your next two cycles, I would take the SD this time. The evidence shows an increase in satellite cell proliferation after 9 days off, it would be a good idea to take advantage of this prior to beginning your bulking cycle. More satellite cells means more growth potential. Of course the research could be wrong or might not apply to heavily trained people, but I have found that an occasional 9 day SD seems to really help get over those plateaus.

I would be interested to see what happens if you do use a single heavy low volume day as a bridge during the SD between this upcoming cycle and the next one. Because the strength loss is a very real concern and after the first bulking cycle, you want to maintain strength going into the second, so I would try the idea out then.
 
My experience has been that I have zero strength loss during SD's up to 2 weeks long. In fact, inexplicably, I usually experience a strength gain during SD. I believe that is an indication that I would have been spinning my wheels had I not SDed. Perhaps it is a mental refreshness that I experience since I am raring to go toward the end of an SD. I have not tried a heavy day during an SD since it seems counter-intuitive to the rationale behind SDing. However, all that means is that perhaps I should give it a go and see what happens.
 
Ive already done one full bulking cycle of 6 weeks, Im up ca8kg. Thats why Im thinking about doing this one day right in the middle of my SD, which is tomorrow. As Im only doing three stages of weight for each compound, this time, Im not starting off the next cycle as "light" as I have done previously, so yes, loss of strength could be a real problem for me.

My concern is not to lift too heavy on that day. I feel that if Im using my 4RM it might cause too much stimulus. Do you know what I mean? Im thinking of using the loads on the panultimate session instead. They´re still heavy but not proper maxes. Just enough to maintain some level of strength.
 
Old and Grey said:
My experience has been that I have zero strength loss during SD's up to 2 weeks long. In fact, inexplicably, I usually experience a strength gain during SD. I believe that is an indication that I would have been spinning my wheels had I not SDed. Perhaps it is a mental refreshness that I experience since I am raring to go toward the end of an SD. I have not tried a heavy day during an SD since it seems counter-intuitive to the rationale behind SDing. However, all that means is that perhaps I should give it a go and see what happens.
Click to expand...

I suffer quite severe strength loss. I struggle sometimes with the first loads but, obviously, during the cycle I get stronger and stronger. The previous reply explains my reasoning.
 
One person's SD is not necessarily the same as another person's. We all work in the real world. Some of us have to do very physical work on a daily basis, some don't. Maybe that's why some find greater strength loss over the course of a 9-day SD?

For me, SD always meant doing as little heavy lifting as possible but there were always a pile of physically tiring jobs to do in renovating an old property. Back when I was doing regular HST cycles, I always found that the first few workouts following SD were really tough; but then my strength and stamina would return enough to get through subsequent workouts. By the end of a cycle I was back in PR territory again. I always felt SD was a well-earned rest and it gave my poor aching tendons and joints a chance to rest, recover and repair. It was also a chance to recall what it was like to walk around without DOMS!
 
My SD experience is similar to Lol's, though I find that:

a) I don't need a 14 day SD

b) The longer my SD, the better results will be in the short-mid(-long) term (ala, I'm not talking about my first two weeks back).

I vastly prefer micro-managing my load, volume and workout schedule to the cycle-SD-cycle-SD etc. alternative. That's not to demean anything about the validity of SD, but rather, I don't like taking that length of time away from lifting(gym, home, local park equipment - whichever and whatever I can manage to keep viable). I miss it too much, frankly.
 
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