Black Beard
@ X450 Gravity
I never ever went that far into it. I just record reps/weight.
Is recording your workouts necessary or excessive?
- Thread starter MobyDickFace
- Start date
I never ever went that far into it. I just record reps/weight.
gram of tren
so vain
i think its a waste of time. i think more of you would benefit from upping the intensity and stop worrying about the little details. get in there and hit it hard and intense, youll know if you're making progress or not.
halfwit
I like turtles.
How does keeping a log decrease intensity? I assure you I put 150% effort into every single rep of every single set. If I'm not dragging my feet while I make my way out of the gym, I didn't do it right. A log is a great tool to keep track of gains (you can't tell me you know exactly how much you've improved in the last 3 months otherwise) and to know if you're actually making progress.
Anyone that has been resistance training for any appreciable amount of time knows how it is to plateau, and a log helps to keep track of this and can aid in preventing them.
My .02c
gram of tren
so vain
It depends on your goal i guess.
I could careless how much I lift. Im in the gym purely for bodybuilding purposes and to break my targeted muscle down as much as possible. If i didnt sleep well last night and didnt get many calories this morning, i go into the gym and use as much weight as gives me resistance for 12 good reps. if thats 185lbs then so be it, the muscle got completely broken down. if i slept like a baby and crushed the food today and go into the gym, i may use 250lbs to get 12 reps, but the end goal was the same...the muscle got completely worked. Do you see what im saying?
My guage of progress is my physique so i dont care about numbers. if you are purely in the gym to lift more weight each week then go ahead and keep track, but poundages dont mean much when it comes to bodybuilding.
i just think every rep, every set, of every workout is way overkill. You're numbers are gonna vary daily based on diet, sleep, mood, etc. You'll end up fucking yourself up because you lifted a little less today than yesterday. It's not a big deal. Maybe every few weeks record your numbers, thats a better indication of progress.
I could careless how much I lift. Im in the gym purely for bodybuilding purposes and to break my targeted muscle down as much as possible. If i didnt sleep well last night and didnt get many calories this morning, i go into the gym and use as much weight as gives me resistance for 12 good reps. if thats 185lbs then so be it, the muscle got completely broken down. if i slept like a baby and crushed the food today and go into the gym, i may use 250lbs to get 12 reps, but the end goal was the same...the muscle got completely worked. Do you see what im saying?
My guage of progress is my physique so i dont care about numbers. if you are purely in the gym to lift more weight each week then go ahead and keep track, but poundages dont mean much when it comes to bodybuilding.
i just think every rep, every set, of every workout is way overkill. You're numbers are gonna vary daily based on diet, sleep, mood, etc. You'll end up fucking yourself up because you lifted a little less today than yesterday. It's not a big deal. Maybe every few weeks record your numbers, thats a better indication of progress.
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bigben66
New member
I can see both sides of this argument...
Personally, I keep a training log of sets/reps when I'm bulking, so I know exactly what I need to lift and for how many reps to attain the results I'm after...
However on a cutting phase, I'm a big fan of supersets, drop sets, going from machine to machine and banging out fail sets etc - when I'm on this, I'm not bothered about how much I'm lifting, or even counting reps for that matter... it's all about the intensity.
I would most definitely recommend a training diary for newcomers, and I would advise them to keep it up for the first 3 years minimum... it does help avoid or break through plateau's.
Personally, I keep a training log of sets/reps when I'm bulking, so I know exactly what I need to lift and for how many reps to attain the results I'm after...
However on a cutting phase, I'm a big fan of supersets, drop sets, going from machine to machine and banging out fail sets etc - when I'm on this, I'm not bothered about how much I'm lifting, or even counting reps for that matter... it's all about the intensity.
I would most definitely recommend a training diary for newcomers, and I would advise them to keep it up for the first 3 years minimum... it does help avoid or break through plateau's.
CanAmBrah
New member
BigBen66 actually has a great point. For advanced lifters, it may not be quite as necessary. You know what you are going to do. But yeah, for beginner and in between, I think it's a great tool. In fact for me, it's necessary.
And as far as losing intensity, I find it the opposite, it allows me to move without thinking, just doing. And really, even doing supersets, you usually have a break in between sets., even if it's 30 seconds. I have everything already pre filled out, so it's about 2 seconds to fill in the reps.
And as far as losing intensity, I find it the opposite, it allows me to move without thinking, just doing. And really, even doing supersets, you usually have a break in between sets., even if it's 30 seconds. I have everything already pre filled out, so it's about 2 seconds to fill in the reps.
If you can bench 275lbs for 5reps but only do 225lbs for 6reps one day bc of lack of sleep or lacking in diet you are not working completely working the muscle. Yes it may get fatigued but fatigue does not equal growth or progress...ever. I suggest some research into how the body works in this regard.
Quite the opposite, the more advanced a trainee the more important a log book is.
gram of tren
so vain
nah
Pitbull55
New member
I have done this since the beginning, I tried without it for a few weeks and it was frustrating, too much guess work.
I train DY Blood & Guts style and the whole system is built on forced reps and increasing the number of reps or poundage each week, without the notebook the system would fall apart.
I train DY Blood & Guts style and the whole system is built on forced reps and increasing the number of reps or poundage each week, without the notebook the system would fall apart.
Black Beard
@ X450 Gravity
Yeah, you can focus more on your workout and less on keeping track of the weights and the reps. I think for advance trainees it can go either way. I stopped recording my stuff for a while but i believe it is a very very useful tool. I like to just go in there and do what my body tells me sometimes. Eh fuck it, as long as i can get my ass in the gym idc
Are you trying to tell me that logging sets, reps, and weights for your lifts in between sets while you're changing the weight or resting between sets causes you to lose focus? If you're being serious you may have more issues than just logbooks. Not trying to poke fun of you but we're literally talking about jotting something down that takes 5 seconds or less.
Black Beard
@ X450 Gravity
Like i said, sometimes i like to just walk in to the gym and do some mickey mouse bullshit. This in itself is bullshit 
Like i said, sometimes i like to just walk in to the gym and do some mickey mouse bullshit. This in itself is bullshit
I get that part but I was talking about where you said "you can focus more on your workout and less on keeping track of the weights and the reps".
I am on the powerlifting side of the fence and I record every set and rep. I also make special notes on how well I performed each set. Nothing excessive, just a small memo pad.
The reason I do it is because there are so many different kinds of PRs for different types of strength. I do sets from failure down to max singles. It isn't simply about recording the weight, it is about constantly having a win. I may not have pushed up my bench 1RM, but if I added two reps to my 100lb dumbbell rep to failure set, then I have set a PR that means strength progress. I set 2-3 PRs per week. Even if it seems meaningless. It isn't. Constant progress. I cant stand the thought of grabbing the same weight for the same stale routine week after week.
The reason I do it is because there are so many different kinds of PRs for different types of strength. I do sets from failure down to max singles. It isn't simply about recording the weight, it is about constantly having a win. I may not have pushed up my bench 1RM, but if I added two reps to my 100lb dumbbell rep to failure set, then I have set a PR that means strength progress. I set 2-3 PRs per week. Even if it seems meaningless. It isn't. Constant progress. I cant stand the thought of grabbing the same weight for the same stale routine week after week.
Black Beard
@ X450 Gravity
I get that part but I was talking about where you said "you can focus more on your workout and less on keeping track of the weights and the reps".
Cause i go into animalistic rage mode and turn off all higher functions so i forget how to count
