Workout Log: Why to keep one, what kind to keep, and two free templates!
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A workout log helps you record your achievements and helps you hit your goals faster. Here are two free templates.
A workout log: Why is it useful?
Whether you are focusing on strength, endurance, or anything in between, keeping a workout log can help you keep track of and compare your performance. For beginners, it also ensures you stay motivated since you can clearly see your progress from week to week.
But even if you have been exercising for some time, you’ll benefit from a training log. Especially if you have been training for a long time, in fact, and you’re not seeing much of a difference, a log can help you take a better look at your workout sessions. It can show you, for example, whether it might be time for a new routine.
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What should go in your workout log?
Basically, any workout details that seem important to you can be noted in the log. Some information, however, should definitely be included. It makes sense to record your current physical condition in detail to compare it in a few weeks’ time.
It’s just as useful to note down the dates of your workout sessions to keep a tidy record of how often and how regularly you’ve been exercising. For strength athletes, you should also be able to describe your routine in detail. Always write down repetitions, sets, and weights.
A log for endurance athletes looks a bit different. Here it’s important to record times, kilometers, speed, and type of sport. If you really want to get into the details, you can also measure your heart rate and include your BPM.
Types of workout logs
Every athlete has their own preferences and should organize their log accordingly. As a result, there are many different formats out there to help you document your own progress.
1. The classic notebook
The classic notebook is still very popular. It is small, handy, and does not take up too much space when on the move. The best thing is that you can always have it right there in your gym bag.
Often you can even find workout logs that have been developed especially for strength or endurance athletes and make the most important details easy to write down, making them very convenient and clear for you to keep track of your successes.
2. The PDF document
The PDF document has the great advantage that you can use it easily in both analog and digital forms. You can use it on your laptop, smartphone, or in hard copy and record your training successes.
3. The Excel spreadsheet
The Excel spreadsheet is simply user-friendly and clearly organized, and you can have unlimited freedom to enter all the important details. The only disadvantage is that it can be very tedious to enter everything on your smartphone to read again later.
4. The app
Fitness Apps are the most modern version of the workout log. In many cases, the app might already give you your workout, or you can enter it afterward like in a PDF document. For endurance sports, such as running, the app usually tracks your path directly via GPS and, if you have the right fitness tracker, it also measures your heart rate.
Workout logs for strength and endurance training
Workout log for strength training
Workout log for endurance training
Workout logs: Summary
- A workout log is suitable for beginners and advanced athletes (and everywhere in between!)
- It allows you to record exactly where you’ve made progress and where you are stagnating.
- Notebooks, PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, as well as apps, are all well-suited formats for your workout log.
Sources for this article
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