Every seventh week at the gym, the bars get lighter and the coffee gets longer. New members think it is a holiday. Old members know it is where the progress actually consolidates.
What a deload looks like
Same lifts, same times, about sixty percent of the load. Joints unstack, sleep deepens, and the itch to lift heavy returns on its own — which is exactly the point.
You cannot pour from an empty tank, and you cannot PR from one either.