When it comes to tracking weight lifting progress, you have a plethora of options. But as you will learn in this article, one stands out more than the others.
You will find that there is a wide range of strategies and die hard fans of each strategy.
In this article, we will discuss what you should be tracking and what you should be using to track that progress.
What you should track
Before you even get started, we need to understand what we should actually be tracking. Yes, tracking weight lifting progress is the main goal. But what exactly should we be tracking? Hint, it’s not just your weight progression.
Here is a list of things that you should probably be tracking if you want to see progress:
- Weight lifting progress
- Your weight
- Arm size, chest size, leg size, etc…
When you track all of these things together, you will have multiple data points that you can reference to see where you are improving, or what you need to work on.
During your weight lifting journey, you are going to experience many highs and lows when it comes to motivation. I have found that looking at progress in all areas is one of the best things that you can do to continue your streak.
It is true that you need to do everything you can in order to stay motivated and keep up the habit of working out.
If you struggle with that to begin with, I recommend learning how to make exercise a habit.
One of the most important reasons to track your progress in multiple areas is because you need to understand that progress is not always linear. What does that mean though? It means that you aren’t always going to see progress every week in each area.
For example, if you are trying to build muscle and you simply weigh yourself every week, you might not see the scale go up as rapidly as you would like. But maybe you will see your lifts go up or your arm size go up.
This is the type of motivation that you need to keep going at it.
Classic methods of tracking weight lifting progress
Classic methods of tracking weight lifting progress include pen and paper, using your phone notes, or using an excel spreadsheet.
The die hard trackers of this world will laugh at you if you use anything else but a pen and a paper. But there are obvious downsides to using this method. You can lose your notebook, and it is difficult to visualize your progression.
And not to mention, using your phone notes or pen and paper are just as boring as can be.
You are taking a step up when you decide to go for an excel spreadsheet. This is what is really going to help you visualize your progress. Making charts with your progress can be super fun and rewarding.
At the end of the day, you can use just about anything to track your weight lifting progress.
Using an app
It may be no surprise if you are reading this, but there are many apps out there that are great for tracking your weight lifting progress.
In fact, we built one of those very apps, and it is called All Workouts: Personal Trainer (iOS | Google Play). You can get some great visual charts on your progress as well as check out our FREE workout plans.
The amount of work that we put into this app is mind blowing, and you will find that from a user perspective, ease of use was our number one goal. The only thing that you will need to focus on is lifting those weights.
I totally understand if you aren’t the app type, which is why I have given you plenty of examples of different ways of tracking weight lifting progress.
When you track your progress, you want to be able to come back and say wow, I can’t believe how far I have come.
I think about myself 10 years ago. I had almost no muscle, and I could barely curl 10 pound dumbbells. Now I look back and laugh thinking about how hard of a time I gave myself.
It is never too late to start, and it is never too small of weight to start with. Don’t let your ego get in the way of what you are trying to accomplish. Make your dreams happen by tracking your progress and hitting your goals.
Main Point: Tracking weight lifting progress
As you can see, tracking your weight lifting progress means more than just tracking the upward progression of the weights that you are lifting.
The more data points that we have, the more likely we are to follow through with our goals.
When one data point doesn’t fall in line with what we are expecting, maybe another one will blow us away with the progress that we are experiencing.
Weight lifting is the never ending pursuit of being the best version of ourselves. It never ends.
When we are in school, we can’t wait to get out. We think that our learning journey is over. But for those of you who are done with your schooling, you know that graduating is just the beginning.
And you never stop learning. The same goes for nutrition, fitness, and bettering yourself. It is a never ending question to make the best of your current situation and be the best you can be.
Don’t worry about comparing yourself to others that are in different situations. Compare yourself to your past self. Are you doing better?
That is the true measure of progress. Our society is obsessed with the stories of easy or quick successes. So much so, that we gloss over the hard work that it takes to get to the point of some of these influencers and celebrities.
Ignore the outside influences and focus on what you can do best.
Related Articles
High Calorie Breakfast for Bulking: Your Options
Is Coffee Good For Muscle Growth? Here Are the Facts
Lifting Weights But Not Seeing Results? Do This
1000 Calorie Protein Shake Recipe: Great for Muscle Gain
Leave a Reply