Do you keep a training journal?

[VooDoo Lady]

Everyone in my gym carries around tattered notebooks and furiously scribbles in it after every set.

Do you keep a training journal?

Did you ever? If yes, why? What did you benefit from it?!

Thanks,
VDL

 

[Gladiola]

Hey!

I record *what* I work-- i.e. if I lift & what muscle groups, cardio & what & how long, & if I do a really light muscular-endurance workout (BodyPump Class), but I've never recorded lbs, # of reps & sets.

I vary my workouts a lot, so I don't think it's even worth it to stress over how many reps I could do with which exercises... it's going to depend if the exercise was 1st, 2nd, last in my routine.

Plus I go to *failure*. If it takes me 8 reps at X weight, OK, another day if I can kick out 11 clean reps at that weight, great, but I don't record each rep & weight. I'd rather stop at 8 reps anyway if I"m at failure than to try to get to 10 & end up with lousy form since I don't work with a spotter.

Even without the journal, I know if I'm getting stronger. I remember how much weight, generally, I use for what exercises.

-Gladi

 

[VooDoo Lady]

With me - variety is NOT the spice of life. I do much better with consistency! I eat the exact same things every day, do the exact same workout every week, I wear the same frigging clothes to the gym every day (YES, I do wash them!).

So I am thinking it MIGHT be beneficial to be recording what I am lifting so I don't end up lifting the exact same amount...never increasing the lbs to see gains.

VDL

 

[FitFossil]

The training journal is my secret weapon! I first started keeping one when I still needed motivation just to get to the gym (can't believe that was ever me !) After writing up my planned workout, I felt like I had to go, because I hated the thought of leaving any blanks on the page (OCD tendencies being put to good use).

Now I'm nearly into my third year of journals and still enjoy it. It helps save time not having to remember what weight/reps to do for different exercises. Also for each weight, I'll put down how many reps I got last time, so then I'll try to beat that number - makes it like a game for me.

 

[luv2workout]

i CANT live w/out it...Ive too much on mind to remember what i worked last, how much weight, how many reps,etc...you get the point....without my lil notebook - IM TOTALLY LOST!! It is such a benefit - it helps me to see whats working and whats not working...I can look at the past months and actually SEE the progress Im making...which is a great feeling!

I do not keeep a nutrition log, I wish i did - i just eat too damn much to log it all

 

[BrickGirl]

No journal for me, I like instinct training, I know what I worked the last time I did a certain exercise so I don't have to write it down, if I couldn't remember though, I would probably write it down, but its just so in my head what I did, I really just don't need one

 

[poohbear]

keeping a journal gets tedious, but I use one when I can. I can find out right away if I've made any improvements.

 

[Gladiola]

Bump

What does your journal look like? Do you have a little regular notebook that you write in, or those special sheets on a clip board with slots ready to fill out?

I'm already a mess walking in with walkman, lifting gloves, straps on back & leg days, water bottle & towel.... add to it notebook & pen & I'll be needing a bag to carry my stuff from bench to machine to bench....

 

[Sassy69]

I have kept a journal for a couple of years now. I wish I was organized enough to look back at it and be able to look at what helped / what didnt', etc - most of that I do by memory. I"ve worked w/ a couple trainers in the past who would track the weights / reps, etc but then they'd leave the gym or whatever and then I have no record. I worked w/ one guy about 10 yrs ago who had me doing some stuff that gave me the best results ever and I just can't remember what it was. I also have a 3 month hole in my 2000 training journal from the last trainer - I paid him a shit load of money and I have no record to go from now.

The biggest value I get out of it is as a general reference: seeing what types of exercises work the best for me, what splits I like the best, what things hurt, and different exercises to change to when I need to be creative. The other is that I can track my day-to-day improvements or impediments and also check what was my last workout weight level or rep leve so I can try to improve on it for the current workout. (I hate when I can't improve either the total weight or the total reps or something for every workout).

The food journal I started, but like VDL, I thrive on consistency - I eat the same stuff all the time, but what I do track is the different general changes I make. I.e. if is start carb rotating or make a big change in order of meals or something. I"ll write down the general formula for one day and then follow it w/ some variations. This is also useful for going back to - i.e. i had great results from the cutting diet I followed for my first comp, but I personally felt that the total cal content was a little low because I constantly felt weak and starved for the last month. So I would like to go back and try it again, but with a little more food. Or, since I'm using a new trainer now, I can refer back to show her what I have done in the past and i can also write down what she is giving me for a diet.

I use those small, but thick note books (the size of a small address book). Anything bigger and it will get crushed in my gym bag or I'll just get annoyed with it and not carry it around.

 

[FitFossil]

Bump

What does your journal look like? Do you have a little regular notebook that you write in, or those special sheets on a clip board with slots ready to fill out?

I'm already a mess walking in with walkman, lifting gloves, straps on back & leg days, water bottle & towel.... add to it notebook & pen & I'll be needing a bag to carry my stuff from bench to machine to bench....

Mine is a small spiral notebook, about 4"x6" size. The spiral holds the pen. I write up my workout beforehand. I list the exercise with target reps/weight for each set like:

Exercise - 15/100 10/120 8/130

Then when I do the exercise, I write in how many reps I actually did beside my target rep number. I'll also make a little arrow if I should raise or lower the weight next time. I also keep a page where I record my PR's on various lifts. Even though every workout is not geared to setting PR's, I periodically refer to this to make sure I'm still progressing over time (even if it is baby steps!). If for some reason I am unable to do one of my planned exercises (some bozo doing ab crunches in the squat rack, say) then I improvise, but writing up beforehand saves me a lot of time.