"Should I cut my calories back during deloads?” This incredibly common question pops up all the time online, and there are a few things to consider when answering it. First, the purpose of a deload, technically, is to recover after an overreaching phase. What do we expect after an overreaching phase? Are these expectations compatible with a reduction in calories? Secondly, we need to consider the differences in total energy expenditure between a deload week, and the preceding training, which again, consisted of an overreaching phase. Finally, in this episode, we discuss other cases, for example “deloads” that don’t occur after overreaching, deloads following strength/intensity-based overreaching, tapers, and intro weeks. While the question is simple, the answer has a bit of nuance, so join us to learn these details!

00:00 Intro: addressing the “alliance” with Stronger ByScience

12:07 Eric’s damage control apology and appeal to the Iron Culture HR department

17:05 The effects of deloads on muscle hypertrophy: should you cut calories on a deload?

Bjørnsen 2018 Delayed myonuclear addition, myofiber hypertrophy, and increases in strength with high-frequency low-load blood flow restricted training to volitional failurehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30543499/

Vann 2022 Effects of High-Volume Versus High-Load Resistance Training on Skeletal Muscle Growth and Molecular Adaptationshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35360253/

39:22 The differences between deloading and tapering for competition and

Damas 2019 Myofibrillar protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy individualized responses to systematically changing resistance training variables in trained young menhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31268828/

Travis 2020 Preparing for a National Weightlifting Championship: A Case Serieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31373973/

53:55 Change in energy expenditure during deloads

Lytle 2019 Predicting Energy Expenditure of an Acute Resistance Exercise Bout in Men and Womenhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30768553/

Iron Culture Ep. 66- Cardio for Lifters: Everything that Matters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpjZCp6lX24

107:58 Closing out