Every weight workout for the past 8 days I have felt almost sick as I lift.  I dread the next set. I dread the thought of having to push myself yet again.  I kept thinking that this was just a mental block and so I pushed through it, even making some personal bests in the process.  The idea that it is just a mental block just can't be true because I wake up pumped to go to the gym and workout.  I am still focused on doing it right. 

At the same time, my body seems to be telling me something.  About 4 days ago I felt like my right ankle was a little weaker than it has been, so I thought "I better watch that on the treadmill tomorrow."  Well, no problems during my cardio workouts, but yet when I walk around, that ankle feels sort of weak.  I then noticed that I haven't seemed to have fully recovered from that workout earlier in the week where I thought I had the right weight, but I didn't.  I know my body and it should be fully recovered from that workout at this point.  I then analyzed my training to see if I am overtraining (I'm not).  I just couldn't put a finger on it until I was at the gym today.

As I stepped into the squat rack for my 4th set it dawned on me.  I wasn't sure if I was right, so I put the thought out of my head and continued the workout.  When I was done I decided to take a look back in my records for when I last took a week off from lifting.  It has been 54 days, or almost 8 weeks.  I think my body is telling me it needs some time off from lifting.  Therefore, I am going to take off next week.  I will be doing my cardio workouts, my push ups and my chin ups, but the rest of the weight training will stop for a week to give my body some much needed recovery time. 

Until later...GET BACK TO LIFTING!