Keeping track of your weight training

You know that muscular dude bench-pressing a small car in the gym and smelling of man-sweat? He probably keeps a diary (but for your own safety, you should call it an "exercise journal" when talking to him).

Keep a record of each workout, so you can track your progress and finetune your weight training program. A journal is a report card for your muscles. You can see if you are getting stronger or plateauing, so you can adjust your program accordingly. If you want to be stronger, you shouldn't be doing the same thing the same way every time.

To get started, download the great worksheet from Corrie Haffly.

In addition to Corrie's worksheet, your diary—I mean—your manly exercise journal should have another sheet for entering your feelings (the butch term is "state"). Was the set hard to complete? Easy? Or just right? If you're really serious about the whole thing, you could also write about your state before and after the workout. Were you enervated or energized?

We're not uniformly strong every single day, because our bodies, diet, and situations change. Sleep, stress, diet, biological rythms, emotional states, and that cute person looking your way affect strength and performance. Some days, you can do all your reps; on others, you are two reps short. That's OK. Each set should be a range of reps, not a precise number of reps, so no worries if you are within your target range.