A recovery week is a down week of training, meaning we decrease overall volume and remove intensity for a week. These are necessary to allow our bodies to fully recover from the load of our training. Training puts stress on the body, especially if we are in a race specific training cycle (vs. a maintenance phase). But how often do you need to take a recovery week?

During Race Season

During a specific race training season, I advise a recovery week every 4th week of training. Push for 3 weeks and then cut back. Remember that a recovery week decreases overall volume AND removes intensity. This is different than a taper where we decrease volume, while maintaining intensity. A decrease in volume from 10-20% is appropriate for a recovery week.

During a Maintenance Phase

During a maintenance phase of training, you may not need to take a recovery week quite as often. I recommend every 4-6 weeks. This is simply because intensity and volume should be lower than during a race training phase. You also likely only need to reduce volume by 10% during a maintenance phase.

Strength Training

What about strength training?? You typically don’t need recovery weeks as often with strength training. These are called deload weeks in the strength world. Typically we only need a deload week every 3-6 months depending on the type of program you’re following. That being said, I usuallly program deload weeks during a taper and the week before a race, remove strength training altogether.

As always, all of this depends on you. How well are you recovering? If you’re feeling fatigued, you can absolutely build in more recovery. I would argue though that if you need a recovery week sooner than 3 weeks, it may be more beneficial to cut back on training volume or intensity. 

How often do you take recovery weeks? 

Remember: this post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.