A weight training diary can help you track your weight training progress, the types of exercises you are doing and more.
Fortunately, you can create one yourself or print one up from the Internet/computer.
There are benefits to each method, which we will discuss more in this article.
You first need to understand the benefits of keeping a weight training diary.
A weight training diary is not just a way to track the exercises that you are doing, but it is also an excellent way for you to monitor what you are eating, your weight gain or loss, and what you are eating during this time.
When you are exercising regularly, it is difficult to keep track of everything that you do on a daily basis.
Maintaining a weight training diary is an excellent way for you to ensure that you don’t forget what you are doing and what you have done and what you need to do in the future.
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What Kind of Weight Training Diary Should I Create?
As mentioned above, you have the choice of creating something yourself by hand or using a computer program or the Internet to create a weight training diary.
Many people choose to create their own diary by hand because they believe they have a lack of resources. Others simply enjoy the process of creating something themselves.
One of the misconceptions about using a free option online is that you won’t have control over what you will end up with.
Fortunately, more websites are becoming intuitive in terms of the free services that they are offering and you can control what you include in your weight training diary.
Whether you are creating your own diary by hand, creating one on your computer, or using an Internet source to create something from a program, there are some key things that you want to include in your diary.
This will ensure that it provides you with all of the elements that you need successfully to monitor yourself while you are weight training.
As to which kind you should create, that is totally up to you. If you find that you enjoy creating your own by hand, then feel free to do it.
You will find, however, that it is much easier to find something online and print it out because it will be faster and you may find some ideas that you had not considered before.
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What Should I Include in My Weight Training Diary?
Here are some of the things that you should include in your weight training diary:
- Date
- Time
- Location
- Warm-ups performed
- Exercise performed
- Body part exercised
- Reps performed
- How many pounds lifted
- Machine settings if applicable
In addition, you will also want to record how you felt during the exercise because this will help you to determine when you are ready to move forward in your training by increasing your weights, changing your movements and so on.
Your weight training diary is also an excellent place for you to keep a dietary record of your nutrition and any supplements you take.
You will want to include what types of foods you were eating, how many calories are in a serving, what a serving size is, and how much you actually ate.
You should also consider using your weight training diary to monitor your weight gain/loss as well as your measurements.
If you are weight training to lose weight, then you want to ensure that what you are doing is working; the same thing applies if you are trying to gain weight like so many men want to when lifting weights.
Keeping track of your measurements is important because you could gain weight as you increase your muscle mass.
This can be discouraging for those trying to get into better shape and keeping track of your measurements can show you where loss is occurring, even if you aren’t seeing it on the scales.
Do I Really Need a Weight Training Diary?
Yes! You really do need a weight training diary if you are serious about your weight training program. This is an excellent way to monitor your progress and to determine what is working for you and what isn’t.
You don’t have to get fancy creating a weight training diary.
While you can create some great options online, if you just want to keep a notebook where you jot down your daily information, that’s fine too; just as long as you include all of the pertinent information!
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