Let’s be honest. A lot of us wander into the gym and randomly select exercises and weights. Basically, whatever catches our eye, or whatever we already know how to use and how to do. So, totally random and restrictive.
Reasons to keep a fitness journal
Keeping a fitness journal means you can plan ahead to achieve your goals, look back to see what’s working and what’s not, and have a clear idea of what you’re going to do today when you head to the gym. It takes the guesswork out of it and maximizes the results of everything you do, because when you keep a fitness journal everything you do has a purpose.
Keeping an exercise journal can also help to:
- Clarify and focus your fitness goals
- Break down goals into smaller, more manageable goals
- Track progress towards goals
- Plan future workouts
- Record workouts done and progress
- Record related non-workout information e.g. sleep, meals, overall energy levels & health
- Gain a better understanding of exercise habits, helping you to troubleshoot and make changes.
- Plan exercise rest days
- Increase motivation
- Prevent and manage injuries
- Provide a factual record of successes
A fitness journal means you have all the information you need to assess your current workout, make changes when necessary, track your progress and continually move forward in your fitness.
Not keeping a training journal is akin to going on a journey without a map (or GPS) – you probably won’t end up at your desired destination, and if you do it’ll be by luck and only after a whole lot of wasted time and effort. By recording your training and using this information to plan future workouts, you will eliminate pointless “treading-water” workouts and make sure that each time you exercise you do so with purpose.
