So I am thinking of deloading this week as I have been plateauing on my lifts, especially the pulling ones, and definitely feeling a bit fatigued, recovery times don’t seem to be great either, especially on legs, however I also have been feeling under the weather lately, and my finals are approaching as well, so I am a bit busy as well, so I was wondering whether a one week deload will be effective under these conditions, or maybe should i extend it to two, or even take some extra rest days (which I don’t like tbh, the gym kinda keeps the rhythm).
If it’s a matter of illness like a cold or the flu, definitely stay out of the gym till that gets better. Else take the 1 week deload, then you can either continue your program, or switch out your training block to a different periodization phase.
https://exrx.net/Sports/Periodization
You can also introduce variations to your lifts e.g more tempo squats or paused squats to work on your weaknesses or your form.
Don’t forget to hydrate, sleep and eat well!