Let's say you have been going at it really hard for a good 12 weeks in the gym. You have been
grinding hard day after day. But you notice mentally something is wrong. You don't feel your best self. You feel burned out and maybe a little snappy. You are starting to lose your drive and mental focus for the gym. By the way, this is very common. We all go through this many times throughout the year. You feel mentally that you are going backwards. But you say... "F#*k it, I will push on regardless of how I feel". You go straight to what is a common phase in the fitness industry, the beast mode mentality. Bad idea!!! You know what is bizarre? Everyone who we tell to take a week off, comes back recharged, mentally and physically ready to unleash the fury back in the gym! They are so excited to workout again. This is a great feeling!
You can not go all guns blazing 365 days a year. You have to take well planed strategic breaks. We advice every 12 weeks of intense training you should take a full week off from the gym. That is our opinion. The problem with most of us is we ignore our own intuition.
Let say if you do decided to take a week off, you will come back fired up to train and your body will thank you for it. Trust us on this. Pay close attention and listen to your body. Listen to signals of when you are feeling like things are going backwards. Do not ignore these signs. Recharge your mental batteries and enjoy your downtime. This way you can go back in the gym with purpose and you can begin to #flexyourmentalmuscle. This is all part of living that Apex Life.
In your down time from the gym you can give back more to your family. Spend some quality time with them as family is so important. Maybe you can spend a little more extra time working on your hobbies. Maybe do some extra study time. Or even try some other healthy activities like going for hikes or a bike ride etc.