How to keep a training diary
A person who is interested in sports needs to keep a training diary, where he can record the load, his results and achievements. Read today in our article about how to keep a diary correctly and what data should be recorded.
Contents
Why do you need a training diary?
In order for your workouts to give the long-awaited results, it is important to consider several points. For example, the load on the muscles should be regular and gradually increase. During classes, you should work out all the required muscle groups, in addition, you need to set aside time for rest. It is simply impossible to take all this into account in your head. By following all the rules, you can quickly get your body in order. This is most relevant in bodybuilding, when each subsequent workout should be more difficult than the previous one. You need to know exactly the number of sets and repetitions of each exercise so that you can do even more this time. It is impossible to take into account the progression of classes approximately. Your results become blurred and your workout loses its meaning.
Having a training diary with you, you can always determine exactly how many approaches and how many times you performed this or that exercise, how many minutes you rested between approaches. Based on the recordings, you will immediately notice progression in your training.
By trying to surpass previous results, you make your workouts more intense, filling every movement with meaning. For example, you can speed up your progress during training by:
- weight gain;
- performing more repetitions or sets;
- reducing rest between sets.
Your increase in load may be minimal, but it should be there. Even increasing weight by 0.5 kg is already progress.
Keeping a workout diary is also essential for weight loss. Burning calories through exercise is quite difficult. In the schedule it is necessary to indicate not only the power load, but also aerobic, static and stretching. To form a beautiful body, all these directions are necessary. Therefore, before starting training, you need to plan it and gradually increase the intensity. This will significantly speed up your results. In addition, the diary records body parameters that change with each session. This is not always noticeable by eye, and often after a week of intensive training, some give up this activity. But if you take body measurements every 10 days, you can see positive results, which will become an additional incentive on the path to perfection.
How to create a training diary
Now we will tell you how to correctly compile a training diary. Decide which form is most convenient for you. Some work with a notebook, others with a tablet or computer. If you prefer the second option, try to find a suitable application and download it. If it does not suit you for any reason, develop your own version, collecting all the data that is important to you. However, electronic forms still have some advantages. Most of them allow you to calculate not only the calorie content of dishes, but also the ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. And this is a very important factor, everyone who leads an active lifestyle knows about it.
When compiling a diary yourself, determine the parameters that are important to you. Leave some space where you can describe how you feel after class.
Write down your results honestly, do not exaggerate, otherwise the meaning of your notes will be lost.
How to keep a training diary
There are no clear rules for keeping a diary. You yourself must determine the parameters that are most relevant to you. However, the following information should definitely be reflected in your reports:
- types of exercises;
- number of repetitions, sets and weights used;
- rest time between repetitions;
- time and dates of classes;
- individual weight;
- your volumes;
- nutritional information;
- warm-up features, what types of exercises you did;
- personal assessment of your efforts.
You can develop your own diary form and regularly fill out the fields manually or on the computer. Today you can download the desired application for free and work with it. It is important that you are comfortable. After all, the purpose of these posts is to stimulate you to achieve new goals. You may not even notice that volumes have started to go away, but real numbers will show you this.
Based on the diary, you can evaluate your training. However, this should be done no earlier than after 3-4 months of regular classes. By analyzing the records, you can create an individual program that is ideal for you personally.
Diary of nutrition and training
In addition to the training diary, you need to monitor your nutrition, which is very important for those who strive for certain results. Indeed, in this case it is necessary to take into account not only the calorie content of dishes, but also the combination proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It’s simply impossible to keep all the information in your head, so some people prefer to write it down and keep food diaries. In addition to the daily menu, you can collect recipes for your favorite dishes.
A food diary provides invaluable assistance to those who want to lose a few pounds. Often, at the end of the day, it is simply impossible to calculate the exact number of calories consumed. You won’t always be able to remember exactly what and how much you ate during the day, but if you wrote everything down in a diary, then it’s much easier to do. Sometimes it is such records that help analyze your diet, find the cause of weight gain and eliminate it later.
Food diaries are quite popular today; there are electronic versions that can be downloaded as an application to your phone.
Training diary: sample
