Training log analysis

[ButcherPLer]

I am curious how people go about deciding what is effective for them and what isn't? I don't think it is always as simple as I did X and improved by Y, so X is good/bad. For example, someone who is primarily interested in strength may very well see slow progress on a high volume low intensity program and abandon it for a low volume high intensity program, where they see rapid progress. The knee jerk reaction would be high volume/low intensity suck and low volume/high intensity is awesome.

However, I think to look deeper into it, the lifter may have become very sensitive to the stimulus of high intensity by avoiding it. I this case, the high volume set him up to see rapid improvement when the high intensity stimulus was finally present. In this example the lifter may abandon high volume/low intensity saying it doesn't work when in fact it is necessary part of training to optimize the high intensity portion.

Which brings me to the question, how do you analyze your training? Personally I keep a combination excel/word log where the excel portion allows for detailed number crunching. Number of lifts, sets, average intensity, lifts by various percentage ranges, readiness to train, quality of session, RPEs. I am also starting to keep my training plans which I generally lay out 4-12 weeks at a time, noting any changes to the plan and then writing up my personal thoughts on how things went. In a nutshell, tons of detail.

At one point I went through an 8 week period where I saw great progress with my deadlift. The next 8 week period I saw little to no progress. I was able to pull up the numbers from both periods and saw during the first period I wasn't doing as high of intensity where I was in the 2nd period. I lowered my working intensities and went back to seeing progress. I think even with all this detail though it still becomes a guessing game, it is just with lots of detail you can make more intelligent guesses.

So what do you do to analyze your training?

[ironwill2008]

I simply work for gradual progression over a long period of time. Increased weight/reps lifted with good form eventually translate to the mirror.