Start a Strength Training Log

Strength Training Log

Many people, including myself, have found that keeping a strength training log is motivating and extremely helpful for developing strength and endurance. It takes the guesswork out of working out! For example, last week you may have bench pressed 145 lbs, but do you remember how many you did? What exercise did you do before and after the bench press? It’s the little things that can make a huge difference in your workout program.

The first step is to get a notebook, legal pad, or something similar to write down some notes. If you work out mostly at home, you can also set up an Excel spreadsheet with the same information to help keep track of your progress.

Once you get accustomed to writing down everything you do in your strength training log, it’ll become second nature and, frankly, pretty motivating! You’ll be able to see in more ways than one (aside from your newly formed biceps) that you are, in fact, getting stronger.

Some people like to skip a week or two from writing down information in their log. This is acceptable especially when you take some “rest” time to lift lighter weights with more reps (to help develop those slow twitch muscle fibers!). Others like to use this technique as a sort of “reality check” to keep themselves on track.

I’m not sure I agree with this one wholeheartedly, though – it becomes so easy to write stuff down that it should become second nature anyway! Taking frequent breaks from it can cause you to slack off in both writing down the information and your workout intensity.

With all that said, what exactly should you be writing down in your strength training log?

What Should You Write Down?

• First and foremost, write in big, bold letters on the front of your notebook (or another highly visible location) your main fitness goal! This’ll keep you motivated and remind you why you’re training in the first place!

• Again with the goals – each week you should set a realistic short-term goal for yourself. Push yourself to achieving your goal by the end of the week! You can also write down your goals on a monthly, quarterly or a yearly basis! Remember, the more goals you set for yourself, the more likely you’ll be to stick with it!

• Do a little research and write down all the exercises you can think of on the first page of your log. This’ll be kind of an "index" from which you can choose your workouts. For example, make a table with the columns "chest", "back", "arms", "shoulders", "abdominals", etc. and write down every exercise you can come up with. This keeps you from doing the same workouts every time and avoids the inevitable weight plateau that’ll result from such a practice!

• On the first day of using your strength training log, make 6 columns all the way down the page similar to the following table…

• Keeping track of what you do and how you do them (high intensity or low intensity?) will be helpful for later when you work the same muscle group. Remember, to avoid a plateau, never do the same workouts in the same order! This’ll cause you to be tired in the last few exercises (which will always be the same ones!). Also remember to jot down your general feelings after finishing the exercises. Did you feel weak? Tired? Energetic? Make sure to note this so that you can adjust your eating habits, time of day, etc. for future workouts.

• If you do any cardio workouts, remember to jot down this information as well! Did you jog for 30 minutes? How far did you jog? How fast were you jogging? How did you feel? Was it more difficult than you thought? Really, anything you write down in your strength training log will help you down the road.

• You can also use your log to help track your stretching routine if that’s big in your mind. How did the stretches feel? Did you feel tight? Loose? Was it painful? Again, anything you write down can be helpful.

• Tracking what you do in your warm-up routine can also be helpful. For example, did it do the trick? Do you feel that you need a little more jogging-in-place before starting your lifting routine? Jot it down here! After a while you may not need to keep doing this, but it’s a good thing to do when you’re just starting!

Remember that a warm-up routine should always be on the top of your list, no matter what!

Working with the Results

You’ve written down all kinds of info about your workouts – so how do you use all this stuff? Well, one huge aspect of keeping a strength training log is the motivation it provides! Whether your keep your logs one week per month or every single workout, it’ll always provide positive feedback on how you can improve along with showing you the results you’re striving for.

Now, it’s important to remember that you may not necessarily see much of a result after the first few weeks. Keep at it! After a few months you’ll really start seeing yourself take off, especially if you’ve been eating right along with your new strength training program. You’ll be lifting more weight, you’ll have greater endurance, and you’ll start feeling great about yourself!

Another way to use your results is to analyze or find sources of a plateau. For example, you’ve been working out for 3 months and haven’t gotten stronger or seen any noticeable results. Here’re some common things to look for to make sure you’re not hitting a plateau or overworking yourself.

• Are you challenging your muscles? In general, the last 3 reps of each set should be difficult to complete with correct form. As I mentioned in other pages, the minute you feel you’re falling out of the proper technique, stop! Results will only come when you’re doing the exercises properly.

• When are you doing your cardio work? If you’re running on the treadmill for 30 minutes at 8 mph you’re probably going to be exhausted before you even lift a weight. You should start lifting when you’re fresh if you want maximal results. Some specific sports training programs, such as baseball, often choose circuit training which is a cardio and muscle-building workout all in one! But, some coaches make the mistake in making their team run sprints before heading to the gym. Technique and results in the weight room will suffer in this case.

• Are you working all your muscle groups? It’s important to understand that many exercises depend on accessory muscles that you may not be directly working. For example, the bench press requires strength from your shoulders, upper back and biceps aside from your pectorals. In short, weak arms will limit the weight you’ll be able put onto the bar. Work out all your muscle groups! Neglecting one can result in a plateau. You can pick up on this in your strength training log! Make sure you’ve got an even number of training sessions for each muscle groups, from your abs, to your chest, all the way down to your legs and thighs.

• Do you favor certain exercises? If you don’t add variety to your workouts, you can expect a plateau. In other words, your body will adapt to the repetitive motions you’re doing each time you head to the gym. Challenging your body in different ways forces your body to adapt to different movements. Change the exercises frequently and the order in which you do them!

• Are you resting? Give yourself an extra day between workouts. In general, you should take at least 3 days between workout sessions involving the same muscle group. This ensures your muscles have plenty of time to rebuild so that next time you use them, they’ll be ready to work!

Furthermore, if you decide to perform a one rep max (which should come a few months down the road once you’ve gotten comfortable in the gym), you should take a break completely from the gym for at least 3 days. You don’t want to compromise the strength of other muscle groups because you did a one rep max yesterday. It’s a slow, methodical process. Getting in great shape doesn’t happen overnight! Eat right, exercise and stay motivated - you’re bound to succeed.

So there you have it! Now you’re ready…

You’re ready to get on the road to success – tracking your progress with a strength training log is one of the most important tools for the avid weight lifter. Understanding where to go next, what to do and how to do it will take you a long, long way! Heck, why stop with strength training? Keep a log, in the same book, recording what you eat - eating healthy is the other half to your regimen!

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