The Training Log

I don't understand gym-goers who don't use a training log. I was at the university gym a couple weeks ago and looked around and saw no one but myself with a log. Granted, some of these people may perhaps use a log on their phone, but I didn't see a lot of phones....which brings me to the point of this short post:

Training logs are important. How do you get to where you're going without some sort of written document (or smartphone document) your journey? The iron road is paved with good intentions, but if you don't know why you're suddenly stalling, or why you're not gaining progress, or why you're so tired all the time, the training log can be a huge resource. It can enlighten you to these troubles and help pin point any issues you may be having.

I have training logs from 2008 to present-day...some of them half half-years, some of them are filled up and some have PRs that I like to go back and look at. All of them have value.

These date back to 2008, 3 years after I started lifting and when I got serious about tracking

So, how do you keep a log? What do you keep it in? May be a silly question for some, but for others, this is important foundational knowledge to have. You have many options. I will go through some of the paper options, as I have tried the smart phone apps, but just never use them the way I do a paper log.

The next shots are the guts of my logs...please excuse the super pussiness of some of the training and the numbers. 

First up, my first log, the BodyMinder. This worked well for a while, but I found I was too cramped when I had to write in those tiny boxes. Some people may like this because it's pretty organized. There's a body stats page, a photos page, all the good stuff.

Next up, just a plain ol' ledger book. This can be very organized as well and there's tons of space for multiple workouts for any given week, which comes in handy when you're programming or going for a max.

Next up, just a plain notebook and how I used it. There are multiple ways to log things in a notebook, or even a ledger...it just takes some messing around to figure out what works best for you.

And what I have been using the last 2 years or so, the weekly calendar book. This is my preferred log choice, lots of room to write and mark notes on and easy to go back, plus the built in calendars for the months are very useful for documenting certain things.

The point is, just log. Take good notes like you're in a really hard science class and think of your log as your textbook. It can be very beneficial to making progress and knowing what works well for you and what doesn't work as effectively.

As for what to track: the basics always do me well, but sometimes I log when I start a certain stack of supplements so I can track if they are effective, or when I cycle off things. I track my composition changes like weight and bodyfat% so I know which direction I am headed. I sometimes write in my calorie breakdown or simply print my food log for the prior week and analyze if it I'm having trouble sleeping, hitting decent weights, or recovering in general. This also helps me know "what works" nutrionally and calorie-wise.

You could get more in depth if you'd like...hours slept, temperature when you awake, muscle soreness, illness, general feelings of well-being. It's up to you. But most importantly, log what you did that day in the gym, how long it took you and how you felt prior and after or even during. This is one key to success.

Remember the quote from Alice in Wonderland?

Knowing where you're going is half the battle...but if you finally get there without documenting anything, how do you keep going forward?

See you in THE DUNGEON