I created a spreadsheet that has all my exercises including the parameters (sets, reps, etc.) for each cycle. It has blank space under each to write down what I actually did. In addition I takes notes on how things went, so for example if it says “Trap Bar Deadlifts 5x5” I can look back at the last workout and see how much poundage I did.
If the notes from last time say something like heavy, then I stay at that weight, if it says nothing or ready I go up some weight, if it says tiny I add a micro-load. If I notice it says heavy for more than a few weeks I figure I’m stalled and change the exercise in some way. Taking notes has really helped me fine tune the process.
ok kids, i have a couple of samples in .pdf format … PM me again to request 'em via email.
(i’m attempting to attach a .jpg file here.)
i bought this at the regular grocery store two years ago. try a teacher supply store though. got that idea from … ummm, a teacher. 10 year old kids can get a dime bag by 9 am, and yet grown men can’t find a notebook? come on. it is amazing what you can find in this world if you just look for it!
I have been using a freaking yellow sticky pad for five years now. I then transfer this info into Excel. I honestly can’t see how I could not record my workouts and expect to get bigger. At least for me, it helps to track where I have been and where I expect to be.
When I get back from the gym, I record weight and reps (approximate) for each exercise in excel. I normally only do two exercises per workout so this is not hard to remember. Helps keep me focused on upping the weight.
My first journal, probably 7 years ago, was one of the Musclehedz Training Journals. Yep, yep. After that, I had the “Official Weider Weight Training Log”. One of them had a small blank square, where I decided to ::hold your breath:: draw a little stick figure and accentuate the bodypart I was training that day.
Anywho, now I’m more practical (and more frugal) and use a basic spiral notebook. I record: Date, time started, exercises, sets, reps, weight, time finished. Usually, I’ll write out the exercises and sets I want to do, then I note the weights and reps after each set. Recently, I’ve been jotting down the time I finish each exercise, so I have a [/i]general[/i] idea of how quickly I’m pacing myself.
This year, I’m trying something a bit different. I’m using 90-page notebooks, so I can keep my quarterly mesocycles grouped together. Not that I have my entire year’s worth of training thought out, but still.
[quote]Minotaur wrote:
One of them had a small blank square, where I decided to ::hold your breath:: draw a little stick figure and accentuate the bodypart I was training that day.[/quote]
HAHAHA
Dude, thats a great story!
Seriously, half the fun in learning new stuff is seeing how far you came from.
