We all want to get the best out of our training and we all know the obvious answers that we can do practically to get there:
- Work out and follow a structured program.
- Eat well and consistently.
- Sleep volume and quality.
- And recovery tactics such as stretching, sauna, massage etc.
It’s now time to put your thinking cap on for a minute and realise the advantages of writing down your training and recording your results.
The other day a shire resident and client of ours came to us a little despondent after not being able to get the 100kg squat they wanted when we did our testing.
So we did what any quality coach would do, sympathised, created hope, then a plan and high-fived them.
We also took a quick look in our training log that showed their first squat result was only 70kg (and they had just done 95kg for 2) a little less than a year back.
This changed their mood dramatically and turned it into one of self confidence and joy.
Without remembering where you started, it can be hard to be proud of what you’ve accomplished!
It can work in reverse as well…
You can miss opportunities for making improvements on a WEEKLY basis, simply because you can’t remember what you did last Wednesday.
Dietitians get you to log your food to track it.
Employers ask you to log your hours and tasks completed.
You ask your kids to do homework to track their progress.
So why not start writing down what you have done in the gym each day and start seeing the big picture of your training!
Having said all that, how can someone like yourself record your results effectively?
These next few points can help you track and progress your results at a faster rate.
- Find yourself a notebook or an app you like the look and feel of, then keep it somewhere you can look at every day (or every training day).
- Write down the important stuff – 5 sets @ 50kg or 5km trail run 24:53.
- Bonus points for writing down the little stuff e.g baby kept me up last night so it felt heavier than usual.
- Look back each week, and assess how you can improve your training this week i.e add 2.5kg each set, or start the first 500m of your trail run a little bit faster and see if it decreases your time.
We hope you find this simple and effective.
If you need some help adding structure to your training whether it be a running program for an event or getting into Bodicomplete to improve your results. Please feel free to reach out via Facebook or here on our website.
Coach