For those that don't use a PT.....

[golfGirl]

For those of you who train yourselves (or use an online trainer), do you actually take a paper to the gym with all the exercises you plan to do so

1. You don't forget any
2. You can track your progress??

I always thought those people were dorky but now that I'm thinking about venturing out on my own (no PT) I might reconsider my original opinion

Thanks!!

[sachiko]

Yup, I have a little notebook that I take to track my work.

[Sunshineslynn]

I get asked all the time what are you writing down? I say hmmm wouldn't you like to know. then I laugh and say oh I keep track of every set rep and weight I do. I have 5 years worth of journals........its fun to look back and see what I did back then....It helps me stay more focused in the gym, I went one time with out my notepad or my printout and felt so lost and confused.

[moon girl]

Me too! My notebook is just over 4 years old and badly due for renewal - it's falling apart after being carried around and touched with sweaty hands for that long .

I write down exercises, weight, reps and since I got my heart rate monitor time + calories + ave HR + max HR. I generally do the same workouts for a while so I can either refer back to the last time I did that workout or come up with something new.

I'd feel lost without my book... My brain is a sieve when it comes to remembering what kind of weights I did last.

[clovely]

Definitely! I feel into a trap recently of just going and doing whatever I felt like doing that day. I was burned out on the workout I had been doing and didn't get something new on paper to follow. I finally got back on track this week and I'm SORE. . . . obviously I'd been slacking pretty bad when I wasn't tracking it and planning it out.

[anandagirl]

And if you don't track it, how can you see if you are improving???? Every week when I lift I think "that was bad - I should have been able to do more" but then I look at last week's sets, and realize that I did more than I did the last week! It's defintiely motivating, and keeps me from being too hard on myself.

[jovinni]

I write down my workout for that day on a little post it. Then I stick it some where close by so I can reference it. I make mental notes if I change weight or reps and as soon as I'm back to my computer I update it on my log.

[elusivemsd]

I plan my workout each week on a monthly calendar. I don't usually specify what exercises I will do, but will plot out the body parts, days for cardio and what my off days will be. I keep my book at work and when I come in each day I cross off the day before with a highlighter. It probably sounds a little dorky, but there is such satisfaction during that moment of crossing off the previous day's workout. On Friday, I jot down the workout for Fri/Sat/Sun on a post it and bring it home with me.

You just gotta love those post-its...

[Jamie M]

I usually write it down after my workout and shake. I have a pretty strict routine with what order I do everything in.

[nockowt1]

I tried taking a journal to the gym before and I felt like it was slowing me down. On top of that the only progress I really care about is the progress I see in the mirror. I only track poundages for one exercise (deadlifts) because that's the only exercise I ever max out on. I can track my progress for that lift on my bodyspace profile. As for remembering exercises week to week, that pretty easy for me. I have a good idea of what I did the workout before. If I need to make adjustments, I do without throwing my workout completely out of whack. I do respect those individuals that are disciplined and dedicated enough to keep a journal. I'm just not one of them.

[Tifflex]

I started using a notebook in February and it's proven to be invaluable. I write down my workouts, sets, reps, weights. I also add things like how I felt afterwards or whether I need to increase/decrease weight, rest etc. I love it.

[Cherry]

Yes, I have a notebook. Even when I used a trainer I had a notebook because she wasn't affiliated with Gold's and couldn't train me there. I was prepping for competition, so we'd meet at her gym once a week and she'd tell me what to work on for the next 6 days.

I've been thinking about getting one of those nifty PDA logs, but haven't been able to get much feedback on them from serious lifters.

[Amanda76]

I carry a notebook too...since my workouts change quite a bit from week to week, I waste fewer sets knowing exactly how much weight I used on an exercise I haven't done for two weeks than having to feel it out all over again.

Great for tracking progress, obviously...and it's fun to look at journals from a couple of years ago and see how much stronger you've gotten (without having to give a round-about guess). If your journal is detailed, it can help you figure out what to do when you injure yourself, help you trouble shoot what types of things screw up your workouts and all sorts of things. Extremely helpful tool!

[golfGirl]

Wow!! Thanks for all your replies!!!

Of course I knew that I needed to keep track of progress. I just wondered if most people were able to do this in their head. I didn't want to be the only "dork" walking around with a notebook. Looks like I won't be alone

Thanks again everyone!!!

[Lauren730]

I just take a piece of paper with me. I usually change my workouts monthly, so I just type out the routine (exercises, pounds, reps) and fold it up. It fits in my pocket.

Of course, I won't stick with it strictly if I am really tired or really pumped up (i.e., I go under and over my written routine sometimes).

If I make progress on a lift, I'll just pencil in the new poundage over the old one. And I can see my overall progress when I change my routine.

[lindsay76]

I always plan my workouts and write them down.

Keeps the workout structured and on task.

Too easy to slack off if you don't have a plan . . .

And - you can keep track of your progress. It's fun to see how much more weight you can lift or how much more endurance you have over a period of time.

[skizbees]

I've got an old notebook with 9 months of progress. I started a new notebook a few days ago. It helps to write everything down, or to leave room for alternative workouts if things are getting stale.

[pitmommy]

i have never had a personal trainer. When i first started working out I would pre plan my work out and check it off. I still use the same workout now I just put a great big X on the calendar .

[golfGirl]

Thanks again everyone!

[Luvdogs]

I found a 5 x 8 clipboard and I plan the week out in an Excel spreadsheet with a column for notes and I love it.

In my "Sets" column I write out sets this way: 1 2 3 4 that way I can mark them off as I do them because sometimes I forget which set I'm on! I do a "file save as" each week and plan the next weeks training after each session so what I did is fresh in my mind for progess either with weight, reps or sets. And I change the color of the heading rows for fun! (color printer).

[TurbulentFluid]

Yup, I have a little notebook that I take to track my work.

Me too. I dislike solutions in the manner of Excel sheets, or any kind of sheets, because they contain only the CURRENT data.
With notebooks, it's different.

Each notebook contains data on (at least) 1-2 previous workout days which I use to induce progress - I read up what I did last time and do more. There's no way to be at a loss in the manner of:
"Um, ok, which exercise should I be doing now?"
"Um, how much DO I lift on this?"
"Um, how many sets am I supposed to do?"
"How much SHOULD I do to increase intensity THIS time?"
By writing down diet and workout in the same notebook, I can also track progress and see what I'm doing wrong. Couldn't increase this time? Hmm, what did I change in the diet? Oh THAT! OK, keep it in check next time.
Solved right there on the spot.
Also, there's the joy of ticking off each set, and the satisfaction when my bench press record looks something like: 1x7,8,7,8x50kg instead of 1x6,7,7,7x50 kg as it did last time!

By now, my pile of 20+ notebooks is a great database containing routines that worked, routines that didn't work, (in)efficient cutting/bulking diet plans, and all customized for ME. When I'm writing up a new w/o routine or diet plan, all I gotta do is look into that for guideance, and all the customised, specifically-for-me info is right there!

Do I look dorky with my notebook in the gym? Doubtlessly. But, I don't care: I'm too happy with my progress to let go of something that greatly aided it for what a bunch of strangers might "think" of me.

[cassie121]

And if you don't track it, how can you see if you are improving???? Every week when I lift I think "that was bad - I should have been able to do more" but then I look at last week's sets, and realize that I did more than I did the last week! It's defintiely motivating, and keeps me from being too hard on myself.

easy i workout at home and never take the weights off the bar/dumbbells...so when i add weight i know i'm doing more...oh and i keep my scheme of 3x12 for wrestling purposes and thus i always know if i'm improving...that and i take body measurments.

[egoatdoor]

Me too. I dislike solutions in the manner of Excel sheets, or any kind of sheets, because they contain only the CURRENT data.
With notebooks, it's different.

Each notebook contains data on (at least) 1-2 previous workout days which I use to induce progress - I read up what I did last time and do more. There's no way to be at a loss in the manner of:
"Um, ok, which exercise should I be doing now?"
"Um, how much DO I lift on this?"
"Um, how many sets am I supposed to do?"
"How much SHOULD I do to increase intensity THIS time?"
By writing down diet and workout in the same notebook, I can also track progress and see what I'm doing wrong. Couldn't increase this time? Hmm, what did I change in the diet? Oh THAT! OK, keep it in check next time.
Solved right there on the spot.
Also, there's the joy of ticking off each set, and the satisfaction when my bench press record looks something like: 1x7,8,7,8x50kg instead of 1x6,7,7,7x50 kg as it did last time!

By now, my pile of 20+ notebooks is a great database containing routines that worked, routines that didn't work, (in)efficient cutting/bulking diet plans, and all customized for ME. When I'm writing up a new w/o routine or diet plan, all I gotta do is look into that for guideance, and all the customised, specifically-for-me info is right there!

Do I look dorky with my notebook in the gym? Doubtlessly. But, I don't care: I'm too happy with my progress to let go of something that greatly aided it for what a bunch of strangers might "think" of me.

Excellent post.

The only difference for me is I keep separate diet and training books.

Golf Girl, every reputable personal trainer and any good book on bodybuilding and weight training says you HAVE to keep a training log.

It is a MUST to track what you are doing and as a motivation tool to keep boosting those weights and reps. Without, how can you remember what you did the last workout? What you did 3 months ago when you had a great ( or crappy) workout for legs?

So its "dorky"? Do you want to be dorky and buff, or be like most people in the gym: hip and jiggly?

[Titania]

I have phsyically written down every single workout I have ever done since 1995. I always write everything down as I go.
It was kinda interesting looking back at some of my early workouts. I was squatting less than I barbell curl for a warmup now!!

[~Lisa~]

I have a series of spiral notebooks that I've logged all of my workouts since the very beginning of my fitness transformation. I am SO GLAD that I have kept up with this. I keep the notebook and a pen in my workout bag and pull it out and it sits near me everywhere I go in the gym.

No one has ever asked me what I'm doing or writing, tho! LOL That would be weird. hehe