I (Personal Trainer & Owner of Energy Fitness in Memphis) need accountability of having my fitness program/plan written down ahead of time. Even on vacations when I lift weights I ask staff/attendant for pen and paper because I know I will be more likely to forget exercises I need to do twice or just pick my favorite exercises if I don’t write it down in advance. At the bottom of this blog post I have included a pic of my last vacation workout session. I didn’t write down all the sets, reps and forgot to write down the mile I ran on treadmill to warm-up but you get the general idea. When at home you can be more detailed.
Here are the benefits of writing down and logging your workouts:
- You are more likely to do it ! This one is a biggie and the key to better results.
- you are reminded of your Goals – that is if you have written them and circled at top of record keeping sheet
- write down the date: you may FEEL like you just did a set of exercises but if you are lifting weights 2 times per week (the average) and have 2 different programs you alternate between writing it down is proof it’s been a whole week since you completed that program.
- for cardio you can see exactly how much you are doing versus what you FEEL like you are doing (are you burning enough calories to lose 1 pound per week – 3500 calories. does your diet program support your weight loss or performance goal?
- switch programs/select new exercises every 4-9 weeks
- you can see how much stronger or how much more endurance you have compared to last week, 2 months or even 1 year ago
- you can track body fat (body fat scales are great and more accurate mid-afternoon) or weight (not a big fan of this method but most accurate in the morning)
- you can see what you did last time and go up in weight or do more reps
- you may have written other helpful notes such as it’s hot today, didn’t sleep much, sore still, upset stomach, injury, something hurts, etc…
- you can make it a game to see how fast you can complete the same number of exercises and even add more to top your record
- you can visually see that you seem to be always doing the same thing all the time and need to mix it up
- you can number the exercises and go in a different order or do cardio intervals or abs in between exercises
- you can see if your program has balance. Are you working too much chest and not enough back, or put another way too much pushing and not enough pulling?
- are you stretching the muscles being worked?
If the above reasons are not enough and you need someone else to write down your workouts and keep you on track then hire a trainer (like Energy Fitness) to keep you accountable, motivated and on your way to being the best YOU!
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