The Study
Gaining more from doing less? The effects of a one-week deload period during supervised resistance training on muscular adaptations
This study is like a fair race between two groups of people who lift weights — one group took a week off in the middle, and the other didn’t. After 9 weeks, we measured how much stronger and bigger they got. The results say: 'They grew about the same, but the group that kept going got a little stronger.' We can’t say for sure the break caused the weaker strength — maybe they just didn’t try as hard after the break — but it’s the best kind of evidence we have for this kind of question.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Two groups lifted weights for 9 weeks — one took a week off in the middle, the other didn't. Both got equally big and equally strong at endurance and power, but the group that kept lifting got a bit stronger in squats and felt a little more motivated.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 584 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The strength difference is small and likely not noticeable in real life; muscle growth and endurance were identical — so taking a week off doesn't hurt gains.
- 2No difference in muscle growth (0% change), endurance (0% change), or power (0% change).
- 3Strength gains were 5-8% higher in the group that didn't take a break.
- 4Psychological readiness was slightly higher (+3-5%) in the continuous group.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
PeerJ
Year
2024
Authors
Max Coleman, Ryan Burke, Francesca Augustin, A. Piñero, Jaime Maldonado, James P Fisher, Michael Israetel, Patroklos Androulakis Korakakis, P. Swinton, Douglas Oberlin, B. Schoenfeld
Related Content
Claims (10)
In untrained young men, reducing resistance training volume by 18% through periodic deload phases does not impair muscle hypertrophy or strength-endurance gains over an 8-week period.
In young adults who regularly lift weights, taking a one-week break from training during a nine-week program does not change the thickness of muscles in the lower body compared to those who train continuously.
Young adults who stop resistance training for one week during a nine-week high-volume program experience lower motivation and higher muscle soreness than those who train continuously, resulting in reduced subjective readiness to train.
In young adults who regularly lift weights, stopping all resistance training for one week halfway through a 9-week program results in smaller increases in lower body strength compared to those who train continuously.
Taking breaks from intense workouts every few weeks doesn’t reduce your overall training volume or stop you from building muscle in the long run.
If you take a one-week break from lifting weights halfway through a 9-week workout plan, you might lose a little bit of your strength gains in your legs, but your muscles won’t shrink any more than if you kept going, and your endurance and power won’t be affected.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.