Exercise Information

Use an Exercise Training Diary to Keep Your Workouts on Track


A road map is a very handy tool when you're setting out on a long trip. It helps point you in the direction you want to go and can be a lifesaver when you've strayed off course.

An exercise training diary can provide the same help as a road map when you embark on an exercise program. In many ways, it's a lot more informative because it's a daily record of your journey to your fitness goals. So let's take a look at how to get the most benefit from your workout log.

1. Record the Basics

Record the date, start and end times, body parts trained, and if you were joined by a training partner. Also be sure to record information about your cardio workouts.

2. It's more than just sets and reps

For a weight training log you'll certainly want to record the number of sets and reps you perform for each lift. Also be sure to indicate all warm up sets. This will help you prevent injury and may also indicate if you're doing too many warm up sets.

Of course you'll want to record the weight you use for each lift. Unless you have a pretty good memory, it's difficult to remember from one workout to another what weight you used the last time. A training diary takes away the guesswork.

Also be sure to indicate if you use any special training techniques such as forced reps, negatives, pyramids, or super sets. A training diary is a great way to uncover if any of these techniques actually work for you or if they're just making you over trained.

Also, recording the settings on exercise machines such as seat height and other adjustments can save you a lot of time during your workouts.

3. Details Matter

Details do make a difference! In the notes area of your diary page, be sure to record how you're feeling at the start of your workout. Are you tired or are you ready to tear things up in the weight room? Do your muscles pump up quickly as your workout progresses or is the pump avoiding you today?

If you workout to music it may be helpful to record the tracks you listened to. This can also have a subliminal effect if you associate a great workout with certain music.

4. Don't forget about nutrition

The other half of the fitness equation is diet. It's vital that you record everything that you eat and drink throughout the day. Record the item, amount in grams, and time consumed. You can look up the calories at the end of the day and record the total.

5. Record vital measurements

Once a week you should weigh yourself and enter this into your training diary. Putting a tape measure to your neck, upper arms, chest, waist, thighs, and calves is a great way to track your weight training progress.

6. Review your log before each workout

Before you begin your workout, take a look back to the last time you trained the same body parts. Take assessment of the maximum weight and reps you did for each exercise. This is the time to mentally challenge yourself to get an extra 2 reps or increase the weight by 5 lbs.

7. Interpreting the data

Once you've logged several weeks of training data look back over it to see what kind of progress you've made. Pick one or two major exercises such as the bench press or squats. Have you been able to increase the weights for these lifts on a steady basis or have you hit a sticking point?

This is a good time to look for any correlations. Did your body weight begin to drop off around the time you hit the sticking point? If so, then maybe you've begun to over train. Also look back over your nutrition log and make sure you're staying on track with your diet.

Maintaining an exercise diary is a little extra work, but it's a commitment to your training program that will pay big dividends by keeping you on the road to training success!

Rich Rojas
Elliptical Trainer Reviews and Fitness Ideas
http://www.ellipticalhome.com


MORE RESOURCES:

USA TODAY

Study: Tai chi helps ease symptoms of Parkinson's
USA TODAY
NEW YORK – The ancient Chinese exercise of tai chi improved balance and lowered the risk of falls in a study of people with Parkinson's disease. Fuzhong Li, AP The ancient Chinese exercise improved balance and lowered the risk of falls in a study of ...
Slow movements of tai chi helped with balance, reduced falls in Parkinson's ...Washington Post
Tai Chi Makes Parkinson's Patients Steadier on Feet, Study SaysBusinessWeek
Tai chi may help balance in people with Parkinson'sReuters

all 156 news articles »


BBC News

Bold Alligator: 19000 troops amphibious exercise
BBC News
Bold Alligator, an international training exercise involving upwards of 19000 troops, has been under way since the beginning of February and is taking place across Virginia and North Carolina. US military officials say it is the largest ...
Combat Cargo steps up for Exercise Bold AlligatorDVIDS
Libya Lessons Learned Drive Huge Amphib ExerciseAOL Defense
Marines storm US beaches in training exerciseCBS News
The Associated Press -Newsroom America
all 280 news articles »


Fars News Agency

Envoy: US Unable to Exercise Threats against Iran
Fars News Agency
Sajjadi said on Wednesday that Iran's response to any probable military adventurism will be very tough and far beyond expectations striking US targets worldwide. He told reporters that Iranian armed forces have full access to the US targets worldwide ...
Dwindling Time, Rising Tension Make Iran Top FearNPR

all 890 news articles »


NORAD to conduct exercise over Washington region early Thursday
Washington Post
WASHINGTON — NORAD is planning an exercise in the Washington region The North American Aerospace Defense Command will conduct a series of training flights on Thursday from 3 am to 5 am Exercise Falcon Virgo is designed to hone NORAD's intercept and ...
^..6530< AP-DC--NORAD Exercise,69WBFF/WNUV Baltimore
Training Flights Set for Early ThursdayPatch.com

all 3 news articles »


New York Magazine (blog)

Exercise-Video Giant Anchor Bay May Now Split With Komen
New York Magazine (blog)
Insiders tell Vulture that Anchor Bay Entertainment, one of Hollywood's largest producers and distributors of women's fitness, dance and exercise videos, is "submitting lists of new charities…to replace [long-time beneficiary] Komen," even after ...
Exercise Video Behemoth Considering Pulling Support from KomenJezebel

all 351 news articles »


MannKind Announces Exercise In Full of Over-Allotment Option and Completion of ...
MarketWatch (press release)
... including 4687500 units sold pursuant to the full exercise of an over-allotment option previously granted to the underwriters (with each unit consisting of one share of its common stock and a warrant to purchase 0.6 of a share of its common stock).

and more »


Earthquake exercise promotes awareness
Cleveland Daily Banner
by GREG KAYLOR, Banner Staff Writer Hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans took part in the critical exercise to raise awareness in case a catastrophic quake were to hit the Southeast. Millions of people in the Central zone also took part.

and more »


Senior leaders unite during seminar at Exercise Cobra Gold 2012
DVIDS
CAMP SURANAREE, Thailand – Senior officers from more than six countries convened at a Senior Leaders Seminar at Exercise Cobra Gold 2012 on Feb. 8 to discuss strategic topics and share lessons learn from real world experiences. According to Maj.
US-led Military Exercise Cobra Gold 12 Commences In ThailandBernama
Thailand to host US-led military exerciseChina Daily
Joint Thailand-US "Cobra Gold" DrillNTDTV
Marines.mil (press release) -GlobalPost (blog) -Channel News Asia
all 29 news articles »


CLR-17 utilizes railhead in exercise
DVIDS
Sgt. Kevin Myers, a landing support specialist with Landing Support Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, tightens a metal chain during an exercise held at the railhead on Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Feb. 2.

and more »


Short Breaks During Exercise OK for Diabetes Control: Study
U.S. News & World Report
8 (HealthDay News) -- Taking short breaks while exercising, or "intermittent" exercise, is an effective way to improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new British study.

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006