Do you Keep a Weight Journal?

[OCCFan023]

Title pretty much says it all.

Do you keep a weight training journal/bring it with you to the gym? If so do you find it helps you progress faster/make you push harder to break previous weights?

I have never brought a journal with me or really tracked weights with too much detail, but have recently contemplated making the jump to the "dark side" (I say dark side because a lot of people think of it as over the top for some reason).

[Delta Force]

Here's what I've been doing... I got one of those smart phones (blackjack) that runs on windows mobile and installed mobile office and prepared some spread sheets with my workouts/reps and weights and keep it w/ me at the gym to track my workouts.

this has been working out pretty well since the device is pretty small and I can edit my workouts on the fly easily, the draw back I see is that i haven't been able to track long term progress just track the current workouts.

I dont know about pushing me harder but at least i spend less time trying to figure out how much weight to load and does keep me more focus on training.

on a separate note: this device is by far the best handset I've had I'm very happy with it, I can sync it w/ my pc and with a full key board typing is easy. If you look hard AT&T is giving these things away for free.

[Rodja]

I don't have a journal, but I keep a log here on AM most of the time. It's kinda nice to see how much progress you have made in a given period of time.

[David Dunn]

Yes I bring a note book with me and it....helps me to plan my work and work my plan. There's no desire for or need for breaking Page Ranking's anymore. Of course it is used for chart progress as well.

Quite honestly I am more muscular and much weaker than ever.

Hypertrophy is not so heavy a thing if you approach it with strategy rather than brutality...if you get my drift.

EDIT: cool...look what P R's converts to when you post it. see above

[brandoppsx]

Definitely keep a journal...and luckily for me my gym is at home, so I don't have to look dorky/ocd .

[cokeholio]

I don't care what the ppl in my gym think I take a journal not only can I keep track of weight I get through my workout quicker cuz its all planned and written down and I get to look back at weight from the previous week just stared this a week and a half ago working good

[eggplant21]

I do keep a journal, but I record the weights outside of the gym because having to stop and write things down makes me lose a little of my focus and fire. Keeping a journal is pivotal in my opinion. I write out a pre workout goal for each of the exercises i am going to be doing. Meeting goals that you have set for yourself on paper (not in your head because I have found you can often manipulate your goals to make yourself meet them) provides even more motivation to improve upon every workout after that.

[jmh80]

My current notebook goes back about a year and 9 months. The one before it was full. Have been writing everything down since I worked with Bobo in 2005.

[TripDog]

No never.

[KLaw666]

ALWAYS, thats just me being OCD tho

[OCCFan023]

I started DC yesterday so it was the first day I had a notebook with me. Its the five star "Fat Lil' Notebook" (actual name). No issues I guess, but I guess the real test will be is if I keep it once the dire need to break lifts is gone if I switch from DC.

[jng]

i started using a journal about half a year ago. Helps greatly in organizing your workout and really aids in the idea of progressive overload. I think its a must

[jcp2]

i keep it on another site. I remember everyting and put it up when i get home. I have to be able to see what has helped over time and what has not. It is very important imo.

[BLANCO7]

i prefer logging my stuff on my phone and transferring those numbers manually onto my e-training journal when i get home.

[Frank Reynolds]

Yeap.. Gotta have my log book.. My lil key "tag" to get into the gym is attached to my log book, so i can't go in without it..lol

[OCCFan023]

Lol that will make it happen. I have recently started Logging for all workouts (no longer doing DC) and still find it helpful.

[Joshua86]

Sadly, I'm one of only a few who actually bring a workout journal to the gym I go to. Seeing how much weight I pushed last week, and how many times, and being able to best that the next week is a great confidence booster.

Plus it lets me track progress easily, and it's 100% accurate. I can look back a few weeks and see how much stronger I am, or if I've gained any weight, ect..