I couldn't lift the weights.

Three days straight at the gym. Same exercises I'd crushed the week before. But my body just quit on me.

I thought it was sleep. Maybe the weather. Just an off week.

Wrong.

What My Body Knew (That I Didn't)

The term: deload week (here's an article that talked about it more).

If you've been lifting consistently, your muscles need systematic recovery every 3-6 weeks. Not when you feel like it. Not when you burn out. Systematically.

The protocol: Drop your weights 30-50%. Cut your reps by 3-5. Same routine, lighter load. Or take the full week off.

I've been lifting for two years. First time I've hit this wall.

And it hit me:

This is burnout. Physical edition.

If my body needs planned recovery, why doesn't my brain?

I thought I was just having a bad week at the gym, but it wasn't

The Mental Deload We All Skip

I burn out 1-2 times per year. I can feel it coming - the work I love starts feeling like work. I get overwhelmed not by the volume, but by the weight of it.

My body just forced a deload week on me. The math is simple: rest 5 days now, or lose 90 days recovering from injury.

But mental work? Nobody does this. We don't even talk about doing this.

The Performance Theater Problem

I know founders who brag about 4 hours of sleep. Finance people who shame anyone clocking out before midnight.

It's theater.

For employees, working late usually just means you couldn't finish during normal hours. For founders? Worse. No boundaries. Your bedroom is your office. Work never stops.

Everyone defaults to weekends. But weekends aren't rest anymore. You dread Monday. You catch up on chores. You think about next week's problems.

When was the last time you fully enjoyed a Saturday without work guilt?

I can't remember mine.

Everyone should do a mental de-load week in their life every 3 weeks or so

What Nobody Does (But Should)

I don't know a single founder who systematically takes a deload week every 3-6 weeks.

Not a vacation. Not when they're already burned out. Planned, recurring mental recovery.

Why not?

Because we treat mental capacity like it's infinite. We'd never train for a marathon without rest days. But we'll run businesses for years without planned recovery.

It's stupid.

What I'm Testing

Every 6 weeks, I'm taking a deload week:

  • 30-50% less intensity (fewer decisions, fewer meetings)
  • Fewer reps (3-5 fewer commitments that week)
  • Same routine, lighter load (still show up, just do less)

Not disappearing. Not checking out. Just giving my brain what my body demanded—time to recover before I break.

The Question

When was the last time you systematically rested?

Not reacted to burnout. Not took a vacation because you had to. But planned recovery into your rhythm?

Your body will force rest eventually. Mine just did.

You can plan for it, or it'll plan for you.

I'm choosing option one.

What about you?

Meet the Author: George Pu

George Pu

George Pu George Pu is a technical founder building AI-powered companies across three countries. At 27, he's bootstrapped multiple profitable businesses without VC funding, including SimpleDirect (embedded financing) and ANC (global venture studio).