5 reasons why you should always keep a workout journal

Often times, you'll be working out at the gym and notice a few people writing in these small books when they finish a set. You might think they are writing some sort of story, but chances are they're keeping a personal journal of their workout progress.

Similar to a having a diary, many gym-goers like to record various aspects of their workouts like how many reps they managed to complete, the exact weight on the bar, and how the exercise felt afterward.

Using a journal is an excellent tool to track all sorts of personal progress. If you've never considered tracing your fitness path, we compiled a few reasons that just might make you reconsider it as a valuable option in your life.

---

Also Read: 7 of the most common mistakes you're making in the gym

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2FJHIs9ykOOSJ8I.gif&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fi.giphy.com&s=589&h=f5fdc8b7605c3189d33767500247c159e0e794171be2ab6ff8fce8b8e4a86e4d&size=980x&c=4164984744 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252FJHIs9ykOOSJ8I.gif%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fi.giphy.com%26s%3D589%26h%3Df5fdc8b7605c3189d33767500247c159e0e794171be2ab6ff8fce8b8e4a86e4d%26size%3D980x%26c%3D4164984744%22%7D" expand=1]

Document personal records

Whether you have a goal in mind, like lifting competitively, or just because you enjoy working out, accurately recording your gains is a stable way to track your improvements. Plus, if you're going to brag about how much you lift, it helps to have it in writing.

Track your workouts

This sounds obvious, right? It may be hard to believe, but sometimes people forget what muscles groups they've worked on earlier in the week. Sure they hit triceps on Tuesday, but did they do pull-down or extension movements? Although most people don't care about this type of record keeping, others find it to be a time-saving practice.

When most patrons enter the gym, they warm up, work out a specific muscle group, record the result, finish up, and then they leave. In the following week, they might check to see how many reps per set they were able to do during a particular exercise.

This week that weight may not feel so heavy. Because of recording that data, they know why: it's time to add on!

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2Fbtq3qTOq0pT8Y.gif&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fi.giphy.com&s=95&h=48d000047c7530363078fdbcdea067fe10354b18cdaf736cbe215cca8496830c&size=980x&c=193039998 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252Fbtq3qTOq0pT8Y.gif%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fi.giphy.com%26s%3D95%26h%3D48d000047c7530363078fdbcdea067fe10354b18cdaf736cbe215cca8496830c%26size%3D980x%26c%3D193039998%22%7D" expand=1]

Record weight loss

Fitness is all about continually setting goals and breaking them. Recording your weekly weight loss is an excellent indication that your workouts and diet plan are being effective. If you don't see improvements, you may have to look for flaws in your lifestyle and adjust them.

Debrief yourself

You know your body better than anyone else. By using your personal journal to debrief yourself, you can track what exercises you felt were the easiest and which ones you struggled with. This doesn't mean you halt doing those movements that you thought were too hard.

It's quite the opposite actually.

You should practice those physical motions you had a tough time with to strengthen your body. Fitness is all about setting goals and breaking right past them.

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2Fc7aiXUaT5MYDK.gif&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fi.giphy.com&s=279&h=a76b2a4f9b5211f2db69cc4aaf597c13b61fd330c4e10feb3bd62c153f696869&size=980x&c=1944672177 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252Fc7aiXUaT5MYDK.gif%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fi.giphy.com%26s%3D279%26h%3Da76b2a4f9b5211f2db69cc4aaf597c13b61fd330c4e10feb3bd62c153f696869%26size%3D980x%26c%3D1944672177%22%7D" expand=1]

Track your calories

One of the biggest fitness mistakes people make is eating too many calories per day. Then, when they go on a diet, they make the critical error of lowering their calories by too much. By tracking your calories, both in-and-out, you'll be able to manage your calorie intake more efficiently than just by simply guessing.