Deload week calculator
When your block starts and how long it runs. You get every week with its dates, and which ones to make lighter.
Why these weeks
Every fourth week is lighter, as long as at least two hard weeks follow it before the end. The last week of a block is lighter too, so the next block starts fresh. A block that builds to a trip or a comp ends with a two-week taper instead.
It's the rule the free plans and the Blok Sessions plan generator follow, so a plan from either lines up with these dates.
What to do in the week itself, and what to drop, is in how to take a deload week without losing your strength. Deciding how many days to climb in the hard weeks? Try how often to boulder.
Something hurts? Don't wait for the calendar: take the light week now, and see a physio if it doesn't settle.
In the Blok Sessions app
Light weeks, already in the plan
The plan generator in Blok Sessions (Pro) puts the light weeks in for you, and every week carries a note on what to change. Building a plan by hand is free, with Deload as one of its training periods.
Get it on the App StoreOr plan in your browser
Planning and logging are free with an account. See what Pro adds.
Questions
How often should you take a deload week?
Every fourth week is the usual rhythm for climbers: three hard weeks, then a lighter one. The free plans and the app do that, and make the last week of every block lighter too. If you recover slowly, try two hard weeks and one lighter one.
What do you do in a deload week?
The same sessions at about half the sets and time. In the plans' own words: "Light week: the same sessions at about half the sets and time, just as hard, so you recover. Keep it light even if you feel great."
How do I taper for a climbing trip or comp?
Make the last two weeks lighter. Taper: the same hard attempts at about half the volume, so you arrive fresh. Pick "a trip or a comp" above and the calculator marks them.
Is a week off the same as a deload?
Close enough when you're run down or ill. A deload keeps you climbing, so your movement and skin stay used to it. Either way, make the first session back a moderate one.
Find out what to train in the hard weeks
Seven questions about your climbing, then a plan built from your answers. Free.
Seven questions · about a minute