An Essential Training Tool: The Training Log

One of the most overlooked of training tools is the Training Log. This is simply a book, whether spiral bound or moleskine, and a pen. However these deceptively simple tools can mean the difference between victory or defeat in the gym.

So what goes in a training log? It obviously needs to have some structure, or it will be difficult to follow. And anything you write should at least be decipherable by others. The log can include anything you wish related to training: weight; food/calories; supplements; and of course your training. One must pick and choose what matters to them in their log. Some don't take supplements, or maybe don't care much about their weight, so those don't have to be recorded. However some, bodybuilders for instance, would want to be more precise with everything they do, and eat, and therefore might incude all of the above.

Why is the training log important? It is always a good idea to know where you've been, in order to know where you should go next. The training log let's you know what you've done. By knowing what you did last time, or last week, or last time you did this routine, you can better prepare for today's workout. Some say "I'll just remember", to which I would respond: "what did your workout look like, in detail, last Tuesday?" Most can't answer that in detail. I have a friend who I help plan his routines and he asks me all the time "what do you think I should do today?" (in reference to weights). I always respond with two questions: "what did you do last time?" and "how did it feel?". This helps me figure out what weight he should do this time.

So what does my training log look like? The picture above is mine. I use a moleskine notebook. Compact, durable and very high quality. I include a food log (calories too), supplement log, weight log, and training log. I structure my training log as follows:

Exercise- weight X reps X sets
i.e. Bench press- 135x5x3; 155x3

If I don't do multiple sets, I just leave off the sets. I also list them in order. Simple, consistent, and easy to follow. That's how a training log should be. It helps keep you from flying blind into your workout, and can help propel gains, and help keep you from getting injured (can, not will, a log doesn't prevent accidents or stupidity). For these reasons, no gym bag should be without one The pen truely is mightier than the sword.