[CJ160]

Does anyone have a good log format for tracking multiple exercise programs such as exercise bike/tread mill/weight training, etc. which incorporates dates/ time/ distance/ cal burned/speed, etc. I want to track on a daily basis at home and was going to develop one for me but thought someone probably has a great one already. CJ

[jamsk8r]

CJ, if you mean a computer program, I can't help, but I keep track in a composition notebook, for myself. Because these notebooks are bound, they last longer than something like a spiral notebook or pages in a 3 ring binder.

In the front, I just use it like a workout diary, chronologically, I write the date, the workout, what weights I used or how far I went, etc, plus any other notes I want to keep. When I'm done, I draw a line across the page, so I can write 2 or 3 days' workouts on a page.

In the back of the book, and working in reverse, that's where I keep notes for different types of exercise that I do frequently. This helps me to have a quick reference, next time I'm doing that particular exercise in a workout. For example, I have a "running" page where I track my times for 400 meters, 800 meters, 1 mile, etc, whenever we do timed runs. I have a page for each type of lift that we do frequently at my gym, so I can track what weights I'm using for how many reps. (ex: deadlifts, cleans, push press, etc. each have their own page) I also have a page for rowing, strongman stuff, ideas for my warm-ups, etc.

I like the pages in the back, especially for individual types of lifts. When deadlifts come up in the workout, I can quickly turn to the back of my book, find the deadlift page, look at the last few entries, see when was the last time I did them, what weight I used and for how many reps, and I have a short notes column on that page, so I will write something like "good weight for reps" or "up next time, too light!", so that gives me an idea what weight to use that day. I also have the date there, so I can turn back to the chronological section in the front, if I need more detailed info. The single pages in the back also make it easy to track progress. I can see my times getting faster on the runs or rowing, my weights going up for my lifts, that sort of thing.

I hope that helps give you some ideas!