Fit to Transform Podcast with Coach Nikias
Sep 11, 2026 · 17 min · 5 segments
In this solo episode, I’m going to walk you through how I used to think about deloads, proximity to failure, technique, and range of motion; what I do differently now; and why those changes have led…
Nikias TomasielloHostyo dear listeners youtube viewers hello and welcome back to the podcast in this solo episode i want to talk about three aspects of training that i've changed my mind about over the years and i want to tell you about my current approach compared to my old approach the first aspect is going to be deloads and to begin i want to give you a quick definition.
A deload is a temporary reduction in training volume and or intensity of effort or proximity to failure, which typically lasts a few days to a week.
Some people do fewer training sessions than usual, some people do fewer sets and train further away from failure, some people combine all of this, and some people also don't train at all during their deload week.
Finally another way of deloading could be what I call a targeted deload, where you only deload a part of your body, such as the lower body, and you keep training the upper body as normal.
And my old approach was to be pretty religious about planning them in advance every four to six weeks for myself and for every client who was training at least four days a week.
Of course, sometimes it wouldn't make sense to follow my plan to the letter.
For example, if a client was going to go on holiday the week after the planned deload, we would continue trading and take the deload to coincide with their holiday.
But overall, I used to plan them and I was also pretty... conscientious about planning them, specifically every four to six weeks.
And that's because I used to believe that deloads were important for recovery.
But I recognize now that I was probably more worried about recovery than is necessary.
The last time I deloaded recently was when I started working with my coach this June because he asked me to follow a four-day program for three weeks instead of my usual five-day program.
It was an introductory program where he wanted to assess how I moved and how I responded to it, essentially.
But you could think of it as a deload because it did include a temporary reduction in training volume and intensity, even though it was a bit unconventional because it was an actual training phase rather than a single week.
So on average, in the last six months or so, you could say that I deloaded twice, so once every about 12 weeks, or you could say that I only deloaded once if you don't want to count my starting program with my new coach as a deload.
I said in the last six months, I meant in the six months between January 2026 and June 2026.
In the past, I would have trained about four to six weeks before taking a deal, as I've said, pretty religiously.
And I have also gone longer than 12 weeks without deloading at all since changing my mind about deloads in the last couple of years, because I've been taking a more reactive approach and a more personalized approach instead of planning deloads ahead of time.
For example, if a client is about to go on holiday and they don't want or they cannot train during that time, or if they get sick or injured, or if they have accumulated enough signs of mental and or physical fatigue, suggesting that deload is warranted.
yo dear listeners youtube viewers hello and welcome back to the podcast in this solo episode i want to talk about three aspects of training that i've changed my mind about over the years and i want to tell you about my current approach compared to my old approach the first aspect is going to be deloads and to begin i want to give you a quick definition.
A deload is a temporary reduction in training volume and or intensity of effort or proximity to failure, which typically lasts a few days to a week.
Some people do fewer training sessions than usual, some people do fewer sets and train further away from failure, some people combine all of this, and some people also don't train at all during their deload week.
Finally another way of deloading could be what I call a targeted deload, where you only deload a part of your body, such as the lower body, and you keep training the upper body as normal.
And my old approach was to be pretty religious about planning them in advance every four to six weeks for myself and for every client who was training at least four days a week.
Of course, sometimes it wouldn't make sense to follow my plan to the letter.
For example, if a client was going to go on holiday the week after the planned deload, we would continue trading and take the deload to coincide with their holiday.
But overall, I used to plan them and I was also pretty... conscientious about planning them, specifically every four to six weeks.
And that's because I used to believe that deloads were important for recovery.
But I recognize now that I was probably more worried about recovery than is necessary.
The last time I deloaded recently was when I started working with my coach this June because he asked me to follow a four-day program for three weeks instead of my usual five-day program.
It was an introductory program where he wanted to assess how I moved and how I responded to it, essentially.
But you could think of it as a deload because it did include a temporary reduction in training volume and intensity, even though it was a bit unconventional because it was an actual training phase rather than a single week.
So on average, in the last six months or so, you could say that I deloaded twice, so once every about 12 weeks, or you could say that I only deloaded once if you don't want to count my starting program with my new coach as a deload.
I said in the last six months, I meant in the six months between January 2026 and June 2026.
In the past, I would have trained about four to six weeks before taking a deal, as I've said, pretty religiously.
And I have also gone longer than 12 weeks without deloading at all since changing my mind about deloads in the last couple of years, because I've been taking a more reactive approach and a more personalized approach instead of planning deloads ahead of time.
For example, if a client is about to go on holiday and they don't want or they cannot train during that time, or if they get sick or injured, or if they have accumulated enough signs of mental and or physical fatigue, suggesting that deload is warranted.
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