deloading

[kovalaybolt17]

alright so i've been lifting harder and pushing myself more than ever with a 5-3-1 rep scheme on all major lifts, been eating like crazy and i've seen some great results in both strength and mass in the last 4 months. to give you a basic rundown, i've been lifting for 6 years or so now and i've always been a fan of training heavy with low reps and in the 6 years i've been lifting ive very rarely took a break longer than 2-3 days. i've been reading on different ways to help with recovery.. deloading, periodization, taking a week off every couple months (which i've never done). i'm starting to look into it more seriously now that im having joint problems in my shoulders and its actually starting to effect my performance on bench, i still get it done but after my 3 and 1 rep sets i definately feel it for a minute or so afterward and during the set.

so a couple questions for anybody reading this:
-deloading: i understand the principle of it but what is the point exactly if your not pushing yourself or making progress? why not just take the time off? i've always had the notion that if your not trying to beat PR's everytime your in the gym your basically spinning your wheels.. how could working out with 40/50/60% of 1rm for 8-10 reps help you acheive anything?

-joint support supplements: are they worth it? how well do they work? in your experience what are some good ones i can try?

any suggestions/ helpful comments or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

[L0uie]

Originally Posted by kovalaybolt17

alright so i've been lifting harder and pushing myself more than ever with a 5-3-1 rep scheme on all major lifts, been eating like crazy and i've seen some great results in both strength and mass in the last 4 months. to give you a basic rundown, i've been lifting for 6 years or so now and i've always been a fan of training heavy with low reps and in the 6 years i've been lifting ive very rarely took a break longer than 2-3 days. i've been reading on different ways to help with recovery.. deloading, periodization, taking a week off every couple months (which i've never done). i'm starting to look into it more seriously now that im having joint problems in my shoulders and its actually starting to effect my performance on bench, i still get it done but after my 3 and 1 rep sets i definately feel it for a minute or so afterward and during the set.

so a couple questions for anybody reading this:
-deloading: i understand the principle of it but what is the point exactly if your not pushing yourself or making progress? why not just take the time off? i've always had the notion that if your not trying to beat PR's everytime your in the gym your basically spinning your wheels.. how could working out with 40/50/60% of 1rm for 8-10 reps help you acheive anything?

-joint support supplements: are they worth it? how well do they work? in your experience what are some good ones i can try?

any suggestions/ helpful comments or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

You can't always achieve a PR day in and day out, its going to be too hard on the body. By deloading you allow your body to recover but yet remain active. Although physical rest is obvious, you also need psychological rest as well. Sometimes you need to take one step back in order to achieve 3 steps forward. (got this from boyd long time ago lol).

Think of it this way, how do you expect to hit PRs if you are constantly never at or around 100%. Hypothetically lets say each week drains 5% out of you, how do you expect to be at your best if you are always draining yourself and never allowing yourself to recharge.