Just thought about this while I read the rules thread by fat tony.
How many people do you see ever recording their workouts, what they lifted etc?
I record everything I do, cardio, weights, rest times, etc. I can be anal about such things. But I think I’ve seen 2-3 people other than me in the gym who record there workouts. This just seems inefficient to me, how can you ever compare anything you did from 1-2 months ago? How do you plan ahead?
I guess it also makes me wonder about the M&F crowd that has the muscle mag open to the workout and follows all 2.5 hrs of it religiously.
Yup, I’ve been writing down my workouts for about a year and a half now.
I just recently started adding a date to the workouts when I tried to look back and noticed that none of my workouts were dated.
I write them down on a piece of scrap paper before I leave, then record everything as I go, and transfer my info to my computer when I get home. My handwriting is too messy for keeping an actual log-book.
I write them down on a piece of scrap paper before I leave, then record everything as I go, and transfer my info to my computer when I get home. My handwriting is too messy for keeping an actual log-book.[/quote]
I keep a simple log in a notebook with the date, exercises, weight, sets, and reps.
If I don’t reach a particular goal in the time I want, I can look back at what my workouts were like and it helps me to make whatever adjustments I need to.
[quote]hardcore_balla wrote:
Just thought about this while I read the rules thread by fat tony.
How many people do you see ever recording their workouts, what they lifted etc?
I record everything I do, cardio, weights, rest times, etc. I can be anal about such things. But I think I’ve seen 2-3 people other than me in the gym who record there workouts. This just seems inefficient to me, how can you ever compare anything you did from 1-2 months ago? How do you plan ahead?
I guess it also makes me wonder about the M&F crowd that has the muscle mag open to the workout and follows all 2.5 hrs of it religiously.
Just curious,
[/quote]
I agree with you wholeheartedly, I have been logging workout stats since the beginning and I have had the same experiance in the Gym I am the only one doing this. I might also ad I beleive this contributes to the fact that these people always lift the same and always look the same.
I write them down on a piece of scrap paper before I leave, then record everything as I go, and transfer my info to my computer when I get home. My handwriting is too messy for keeping an actual log-book.
I do the same thing. Load everything into Excel.
[/quote]
Yup, I agree with you in regards to Excel. It's a hell of alot better than trying to read my scribble of weights after the workout is over. Plus it has that nice aesthetic appeal to it too.
[quote]mattwray wrote:
I’ve been recording mine since 95. Fun to look back and see how dumb I was back then, haha
What kind of template do y’all use for Excel? I’ve tried different things, but could never find anything I liked for it.[/quote]
I also put my info into a "handmade"spreadsheet not the world’s best by any means but works and its free. I have lottsa stuff on it also: daily food diary with C/P/F/C, treadmill activity, speed, HR, weight,and exercise, pounds, sets, reps, etc.
Email me here with your ‘real’ email address and I will send it to you.
I just keep mine in a regular note book,have been since I started. I have a stack of notebooks in my garage(where I lift) to look back and see where I’ve been.
[quote]K-Narf wrote:
I just keep mine in a regular note book,have been since I started. I have a stack of notebooks in my garage(where I lift) to look back and see where I’ve been.[/quote]
Same here. I use a regular notebook and record workouts in a format of 4 columns, one for each week of the month. My current notebook has over two years of workouts in it. I work out at home, but, if I’m traveling I jot down my workouts on a piece of paper and transfer them to my notebook when I get home.
Yes, the green ones. Each open face (back of left page and front of right page) typically used for 1 class I use for 1 month. Each row typically used for 1 student I use for 1 day. (For EDT style recording, I usually scribble on a blank page and then transcribe the summary.) Space at the top and bottom for extra miscellaneous notes. AND, the best part is that these things are durable … many rings hold it together with well laminated front and back cover. I can scan in a sample if anyone wants to see.
I have been recording for YEARS, and this is the best thing I have found. I see ‘training journals’ for sale. They suck. Too rigid. We all have our own training and thus our own needs for recording. Basically, the teachers log is like a loosely pre-formatted excel book.
Yes, the green ones. Each open face (back of left page and front of right page) typically used for 1 class I use for 1 month. Each row typically used for 1 student I use for 1 day. (For EDT style recording, I usually scribble on a blank page and then transcribe the summary.) Space at the top and bottom for extra miscellaneous notes. AND, the best part is that these things are durable … many rings hold it together with well laminated front and back cover. I can scan in a sample if anyone wants to see.
I have been recording for YEARS, and this is the best thing I have found. I see ‘training journals’ for sale. They suck. Too rigid. We all have our own training and thus our own needs for recording. Basically, the teachers log is like a loosely pre-formatted excel book.
Dan[/quote]
Very cool. I really like that idea. It would be great if you would scan a sapmle that we could see. I know I’m interested.
I go through phases, sometimes logging in a notebook, sometimes not. Lately, what I have been doing is not recording in the gym, but jotting down my best lifts of the day into a file.
so, just because you dont see everyone running around with a pencil doesnt mean they arent logging stuff[/quote]
You have a very good memory, then? If I do 4-5 exercises in a workout, there’s no way I’m going to remember the weight, reps, and rest time for the whole workout. If I’m following a 5x5, that would be 20-25 sets. Nope, I need my notebook with me!
I also like to flip to last week’s page for that workout and see how many reps I have to do today in order to beat last-week’s-Me. That man is my No. 1 enemy!
We use a chalk board and marker board. Record sets, reps, new maxes, and any other week to week changes.
I used to record everything and turn the weight/reps into a polynomial for graphic analysis, but that was just for kicks. not too usefull.