The body needs a break from crushing workouts every so often so that it can get back up to 100%. Physiologically, this "break" will help your body super-compensate for all the hard work you've been doing and make you much stronger. Mentally, you get a break from pushing as hard as usual, which will allow you to attack the weights the next week with even more ferocity.
In general, a deload should include much less volume (meaning fewer sets than usual) as well as lowered intensity (meaning lighter weights than usual). At times some of the strongest guys in the world will take a week off entirely and do nothing more than some prehab/rehab and soft-tissue work (foam rolling, massage, etc...).
Some people (including myself) deload every 4th week. I personally have found it to be extremely effective for getting stronger and healing my body. Remember that your body gets stronger through rest and recovery. Others may only need to deload every 7th week. There's many options.
Deload weeks are not a free pass to be lazy. A good use of the deload would be to practice technique with the lighter weights so that your technique will be as close to perfect as possible with heavier weights. Another option is to focus on your conditioning. Beginners may not need to deload for months, but certainly older lifters and those with any pre-existing injuries should take full advantage of a week with less heavy lifting. Avoiding injury is one of the reasons that athletes strength train in the first place. An injured athlete is an ineffective athlete, so deloads are a great weapon for combating chronic fatigue that can lead to poor performance and getting hurt. Stay healthy and drink your whole milk. Enjoy your Thursday night. And here's a cool squat video to get you motivated to move heavy weights:
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