New Training Log :-D

After being out of the gym for so long, my training log has become a bit out of date. All the papers in it were dated and old, so yesterday, I finally got around to restarting mine and Sara's training papers. While doing so, I couldn't help but think how important the log is to training in the long run. Keeping track of your lifts, weights, reps and sets, gives you an invaluable resource to draw from later on down the road. It is a great tool to keep you focused and unfortunately not a lot of people have one set up. 

So I decided to take a few pictures of mine to give you an idea of how you might go about it. Of course, there's dozens of ways to keep track, from post it notes to journals to online exercise trackers like bodyspace.com. So if this works for you, great, if not, you can always set up your own system. 

I use a simple 1" three-ring binder to keep all of my records in. I make sure that it has the front and back plastic cover sleeves that I can slip paper into.

I put mine (or in this case Sara's) name in the top left corner. The margin on the left is used to mark weeks while the top margin is used to mark the core lifts that we perform each week. Here we've got Squats & Leg Press, Bench, Dumbbell Shoulder Press, and Dips, Deadlifts, Chin-ups, and Rows. 

Here's my side, set up the same way. I record the weight/reps for the top set of each exercise. These are the numbers that I'm trying to increase every week, be it in the weight or the rep column. 

On the inside, I keep my dated daily training logs in order from first to last so that I can look back and refer to what weights or rep ranges I've been using. On the back of this page I write down any notes that I need to take for that day. For example, I was made aware that I was letting my left side dip down a bit on the bench press, so I made note to focus on balance next time around. If something feels really heavy or really light and easy on a given day, I'll make note of it here.

Further back in the binder I have selected journal entries or study material that I've been writing or going over. There I come up with new ideas for articles or routines that I'd like to try out. I always keep a pen and plenty of paper in the back so I can write notes or what have you. 

This method has worked well for me for the last year or so, so I don't see myself changing it any time soon. I like that it's portable and versatile. I can throw it in a backpack and carry it around with me wherever I go so if inspiration strikes or I need to remember something, it's right there. Also, It gives me an excuse to walk around with a backpack, which may or may not be carrying a pair of vibrams, nunchucks, and a pack of beef jerky...