Training Logs

The Why and How

Mark Brown

May 26, 2022

Training logs are important for a variety of reasons and can be handled a variety of ways. The best way to do them is the way that works for each individual lifter. It’s all about finding what ways will help the lifter to remember to keep them. I didn’t log my training until I started this blog. For me, they are both content and ways to track my training from week to week. I want to help illuminate why they are important and what information to put on them. I honestly can’t believe it took me this long to get to this topic.

First why comes from the fact that the human memory is limited in the scope of things it remembers and often times fails to order events that happened correctly. Human memory has been proven to be unreliable at best. Tracking training makes it easier to understand the steps that have been taken by a lifter over the period of time that has been documented. It allows for audits to be made of the training to make sure one is doing what they intended on doing. It’s very easy for goals to get lost in moments under the bar. For those training for competition, that’s something that cannot be allowed. I can recall general things from years of session’s past but all of the details blend together, even the memories that stick out.

The second is that it futureproofs unexpected changes to the overall plan. Competing at meets for Strongman, Powerlifting, or Weightlifting isn’t always in the plans for a long time. While the decision to do so probably isn’t done by the seat of the pants, it might happen sooner than one has initially planned for. That means a few different things: Training becomes more sport specific, everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) becomes more dialed in and one becomes much more likely to hire a coach or personal trainer than before. Having complete, detailed logs of training prior to committing to competition will make it easier to plan and any competent coach will want to see the log to get a better understanding of the the lifter behind them. They will ask questions and the logs will show if one is being honest or not with the answers they are giving the coach.

The third is that it’s just a good practice to have. A log is primarily for the lifter who made it. Lifters hold themselves accountable with them. Eventually the log will become useful for when they start to work with others. In that way it’s not different from documenting changes done to one’s house over the years for when they decide to sell it. For those with blogs like mine, a training log shows readers how serious I am about this subject and helps build the author-reader relationship towards a positive outcome. Trust is earned and can be damaged faster than it can be repaired. The essay series The Road to Discipline or the single topic essays, like this one, are the most important things on this blog to me. The training logs help build that trust between the readers and the author. Without that trust, there’s no reason to take me seriously.

Now that the why’s have been covered, it’s time to work on the logs themselves. There are many methods to log training. I have personally witnessed lifters bring pencil and journal to the gym and write out what the did. I have heard of people using spreadsheets to put down that they did. I did that, myself, when I audited my early 2022 training, which I posted a couple months ago. I dislike spreadsheets for the task of training logs because they are restrictive. I don’t like bringing a paper journal or notebook with me into the gym so my methodology is what it is. There are a few basic rules I follow when doing training logs:

1: Be as detailed as possible in describing the lift that has been done. Dave Tate and Sam Samuel Brown joke about lifts being conjugate based on how many adjectives before the name of the lift in their videos and podcasts. While it is amusing how many adjectives are used sometimes, it helps the lifter by not having to remember what exactly they did on a given day a year ago. This becomes increasingly important as one gets deeper into strength training. Remember, this log is primarily for the lifter’s future self. Be as specific as possible.

2: Use weight x reps x sets to document how much was done. This is important because it is the most accurate way of documenting the information. It also makes future audits of the plan easier to calculate the workload. That term will become crucial when lifting capabilities increase. That’s why I prefer to use Pages to type out logs. There’s more space for all of this information. Take note of failed reps, also known as zero reps, especially. On my logs this is noted by “x 0.” Be sure to write where in the lift failure occurred and how.

3: Make notes about anything out of the norm. This doesn’t just mean writing about injuries or soreness, although those are probably the most important thing to take note of. A coach or private trainer would use this information in helping determine what a lifter’s injury history actually is. Answering questions about it is important but the logs will be the best place beyond official medical reports, which they won’t have access to unless the lifter gives it to them. Documenting the kind of progress made during a particular week will help plan future lifts by illuminating plateaus or when they were broken through, also.

4: Date the log. This seems obvious but it must be stated. First, if I didn’t say this I couldn’t take this essay seriously. Second, the date will give a decent clue to the weather conditions because the day and month on the sheet is generally associated with specific atmospheric conditions, especially if the location is also known. If one lifts outdoors or in outdoor type conditions, it’s really important information. Also note significant time changes to the lifting sessions if they occur. If one is normally an afternoon lifter and they do a morning session or vice versa, that is a significant change to the condition of the lifter prior to lifting. It needs to be noted for future reference.

5: Put anything else worth documenting on the log, no matter how small. Steps and miles is worth noting for me because I take a lot of them thanks to my job. It’s a major clue to my physical condition. Sudden shifts in this information has significant meaning for anyone looking at the logs for planning or programming. For others, steps and miles isn’t as important as it is to me, but other circumstances are. Each lifter is unique. As a result, information that is important to them is going to be equally so. Another one for me is if a lifting session was done at Genesis because I do most of my lifting in Pete’s garage. Anytime I see specific machines on the log I know it was done at the gym, not the garage because I don’t own many machines.

Logs are a key piece moving forward towards more strength, muscular and fitness development. Remember what they are there for and what are not there for. They aren’t any different from a loaded bar when it comes to losing sight of purpose. They can become a key piece of content for a blog or YouTube channel. Therefore, it is a doubly important that the information in them is accurate. Inaccurate logs damage credibility and that cuts the effectiveness of the message in the essay or video down significantly. As long as a lifter remembers that the log is primarily there for their future self, the temptation to lie on it should be completely negated.

If you take strength training seriously, you should have a log. This is especially true if there is even a scant thought in your head about competing. It will be the best tool the coach or private trainer hired to help prepare you for it has to make your past lifting sessions influence future ones or meet prep. Ultimately, it’s the best way to hold yourself accountable.