Keeping a training log may seem like a bit of a drag or even a waste of time, but it’s actually an essential element in any good workout plan. Keeping a detailed log and tracking your progress can make a huge difference to the quality of your training. Here are my top five reasons to start and keep on logging:
1. It Makes Your Training More Efficient
It may seem like having to go and scribble down data on sets, repetitions and weights in between exercises takes a lot of time, but keeping a log will probably save you more time than it takes up. The reason for this is that you’ll be able to see right away which exercise to do next, how many sets to do and how much weight you used last time you did that exercise.
You’ll also be able to gage exactly when to increase weights, which will take out some guesswork and make sure you can progress more efficiently.
2. It’s Always Brutally Honest
We like to flatter ourselves (men in particular – it’s been shown that men tend to see themselves as slimmer and fitter than they really are). And our friends and relatives also tend to honey-coat their negative messages to us. That’s great for many social situations, but not something you need when it comes to training. Your training log will always show you exactly where you’ve been making good progress – and where you haven’t. It will make any training session you miss blaringly apparent, it will show you exactly where you were lazy and left out a set or two and it will give you a clear picture of which muscle groups you are neglecting.
3. It Helps You Keep Track of Cycles
If you’re taking Creatine or other supplements, you are probably cycling them on and off, to make sure that your body doesn’t get too used to them. And, especially for intense workout routines, it’s advisable to take a one week workout-break every two to three months. It’s also very important to change up you routines every few months, to hit your muscles from different angles and make sure that your gains aren’t all just based on improved inter-muscular coordination.
With a training log, it’s very easy to just add a comment when you’re starting a new cycle and even mark the point where the cycle ends in advance. Without a log, you’re almost certain to lose track of where you’re at, especially if you’re on several different cycles.
4. It Boosts Your Ambition
Looking at your previous entry for an exercise, you almost can’t help but think “today I’ll do one rep better than last time”. And seeing how you’ve progressed in strength during the last few sessions, you’ll form goals in your mind (“I bet I can get to X lbs times Y reps in less than three months…”). And as you certainly know, having clear goals in your mind makes success that much more likely.
5. It Keeps You Motivated
Seeing you progress is a huge motivation-factor. Your log will show you the progress your making much sooner than mirrors and scales can. While it can take a long time for your muscles to bulge noticeably, you strength increase will show up on the log within weeks or even days of starting regular exercise.
In short: Keeping track of your training is important in many ways and you’ll definitely benefit from it. All it takes is a pen and a few sheets of paper. If you want to go a little more sophisticated, put together a tracking-sheet in Excel or ask about tracking sheets at your Gym. Or, if you’re the techy type, check to see if there are good training log apps for your phone (more on those in a future post).
