You should usually deload every four weeks and after vacations and competitions. Think in terms of taking one step back to take two steps forward. Otherwise, the risk of injury goes through the roof. 

 

Before we go into the details of how often to deload in powerlifting, let me ask you a couple of questions: 

 

 

These questions are essential for your personal success and failure. Research shows that people who write down their goals and reflect on them are more likely to make them a reality. When was the last time you did this? If you can not remember it is time to get a pen and paper to start. Many people go about their lives like this:

 

 

This is a good way to get stuck and lost. What you want changes constantly based on what you see, hear, taste, smell and feel. Your body will react immediately and instinctively to the input of your senses. This is great to survive in the wilderness but not to get your retirement fund ready. If you follow what you want you will spread your resources thin and scatter your time between too many activities. Something interesting happens when you flip the running order of these questions on their head: 

 

 

This way you will focus on your life goals. Your actions and thoughts will become more connected and success will follow. If you want to know how this works on a psychological level read Daniel Kahneman's thinking fast and slow. Simon Sinek's Ted talk on the golden circle will change your life. 

 

At the core of getting better is changing your habits and rituals. A good way to do this is to keep a journal. I am using the self journal from best self for two years now. Since then my marriage and salary have dramatically improved. You can check it out via this link.

 

Powerlifting is the sport of the total. Your total consists of three lifts. These three lifts are the bench press, squat, and deadlift. For each lift, you get three attempts to lift the most weight possible. The best attempt for each lift will be counted towards your total. Based on your total you will be ranked against your competitors. 

 

A big difference in lifting weights in the gym is that you will be judged. Three referees determine whether you performed according to the standards of the federation you are competing in. Two out of three have to agree for your attempt to qualify. You need at least one qualifying attempt for each lift to make it on the board. 

 

Your total usually splits into 40/40/20. The squat and deadlift usually contribute roughly 40 percent each while the bench press adds up to 20 percent. 

 

To get to a good total you need to train hard without injuring yourself. This is where deloads play an important role.

 

A deload in lifting is the process of reducing the weight you train within a planned way. Think about it like taking one step back to take two steps forward. Deload weeks help to get rid of the fatigue that you have accumulated through your heavy training. Depending on what you want to achieve deloads can be more or less frequent and longer or shorter in time. 

 

Regular deloads are the ones which are already built into your program. Most beginner programs prescribe a deload when you have failed to complete the prescribed weight for three times in a row. More advanced programs usually plan a deload every four weeks. So it is three steps up, one step down. 

 

Exceptional deloads come into play after an injury or a longer vacation. You usually deload about 5 percent for every week you are at out of the gym. From there you climb your way back up. 

 

For beginners, you only deload when they fail to complete the prescribed program repeatedly. For more advanced lifters the deloads are programmed in every four weeks.