Keep Track of Your Training

[drtbear1967]

Unsuccessful lifters fail to track and monitor their progress. When something is important to people, they track it. Think income and expenses, blood pressure, and scholastic grades and you'll get the picture. If you care about the results of your training, you simply must document and monitor not only your training, but also the results of those efforts. In other words, input and output, cause and effect.

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A while back, while looking through my training records for clues about why my deadlift had stalled, I noticed a trend. During the weeks leading up to good deadlift performances, I'd been doing very heavy back extensions. And during periods leading up to crappy pulling sessions, I'd been doing zero back extensions. My success had left clues, but I would have never noticed if I hadn't been keeping records.

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Not keeping a training journal is the most obvious sign of a novice lifter. Don't be that guy. There are plenty of good tracking apps available, and rumor has it that notebooks and pens are still available.

 

[henchbloke69]

Any tips on what to use to track? do you mean keeping a spreatsheet or is there specific apps for this?

 

[drtbear1967]

I just use a notebook. One of the small ones that I can just throw in my gym bag and roll. You can use anything you want to brother.

 

[The Survivor]

This is something I used to do but havent in long time, I used the spiral notebook and of course my handwriting was terrible cuz I was shaking so bad after intense set, I could barely read it myself. But it can be overdone, I have a member who logs everything he does, how he feels after each set, how long he takes between sets (which he grabs the gym clock to monitor seconds) he even asks me where his fricking pinky should be on a grip! He looks ok, pretty much ectomorphic. He drives people pretty much nuts! I honestly dont think the guy could walk in Wal Mart without analyzing the quickest route, the best way and the door closest to the check out counters. Hes a true head case

OK sorry for the hi jack, record keeping is important

 

[drtbear1967]

LMAO - that guy needs to relax a little that is for sure.