recovery week between 2 demanding programs

Question

That's already almost 2 months that I've started a body building routine that gave me good results (which is why I decided to extend it until now). The program is volume based, a typical 4 days / week routine with 6-10 reps / set, however I really give everything I can and I don't skip leg day, euphemism inside.

My question is the following: being intermediate in the discipline, what is the kind of recovery week you would recommend for me? I'm going to start another program which will be intense as well after that.

I was thinking of 2 options:

1. Full rest, with an every other day stretch/abs routine (my bad, that's right to say I'm not focused enough on my abs normally so I don't think these need so much rest)

2. 3 times a week full-body routine with lighter weights

Thanks for your advices.

Answer 1

Your core can typically take a beating and recover pretty quickly. There's no reason you can't do both. Basically, the goal of a deload is to allow your body to actively recover and rebuild a bit more deeply than it otherwise would. A successful deload has these qualities:

• The work feels easy
• Has a lot less volume/intensity than you normally use
• Is easy to recover from

As a power lifter, I'll usually use my three competition lifts plus an overhead press variation at about 50% intensity for 5 reps. That's it. My assistance work is also kept to the stuff that keeps me healthy.