Do you record your exercise results? Although there are a plethora of benefits associated with keeping a training journal, most people don’t bother. Without seeing figures indicating your strength, fitness and body composition, how can you possibly evaluate the results that you are obtaining from your training?
If you cannot accurately assess your training results, it is not possible to confidently determine how effective a training and/or dietary programme is.
Although we could discuss in detail the benefits of maintaining a training journal, this has already been discussed extensively within this blog. This article takes this discussion one step further by discussing the necessary approach to record your results in an objective manner.
Objectivity guarantees a measurable and more accurate method of assessing your progress. Almost any exercise can be measured and your job in recording your exercise results is to find a way to measure your performance.
Having said that, it is never possible to record your results in a completely objective manner. No matter what exercise you are performing, there are many variables that we cannot possibly account for – whether that be exercise technique, different machines, different terrain, temperature, stress, mindset, nutrition etc. Although these factors may affect your performance, it is still worth recording your results to remain goal orientated and to ensure progress toward your goals.
Measuring Weights Objectively
Measuring your weight training is so important to assess muscle, strength and endurance development. The most common form of objective resistance training recording is based on repetitions and weight lifted, for example:
x reps @ y kg
This is the most fundamental and universally accepted manner in which to record your weight lifting results. Of course, comparing results recorded in this manner assumes that the execution, equipment, exercise load and recover times remain fairly constant from week to week.
But what happens when you’re not using an arbitrary weight? If you consider the exercise, there is almost always a way to make it as objective as possible:
Pushups: Count the number of repetitions performed. If you’re unable to perform a full ranged pushup, use an object underneath you during the exercise to assess your distance from the ground. Record this height along with your repetitions.
Theraband standing rows (a Theraband is an elastic band used to for resistance): Measure the distance from the object to your body, along with your reps. The longer the distance, the greater the resistance.
Measuring Cardiovascular Exercise Objectively
If you’re chasing after a fitness goal, or just want to stay motivated with your cardiovascular exercise, recording your cardio results in an objective manner can be highly advantageous.
Your results are most easily recorded by noting down one (or a few) particular variables when using an exercise machine at the gym. For example:
- If you’re running on the treadmill for 30 minutes, you may record your total distance score.
- If you’re performing an interval training session on the bike, you may record your total calorie expenditure, or distance score as an indication of progress (assuming the levels remain consistent in between workouts).
This is fairly easy to adapt and can be very motivating when striving to set new personal best’s.
But what happens when you don’t have access to gym equipment?
A common scenario is when you’re going for a run – how do you compare your performance? Again, you need to minimize the number of variables. So, if you are able to maintain the same running track, focus on reducing the time taken to complete that circuit.
It is important not to rely on your heart rate monitor’s calorie expenditure to gauge the effectiveness of a workout. The calorie score provided here is calculated as a result of your heart rate. Because your heart rate can be affected by a number of factors apart from your exercise intensity (stress, sleep, nutrition, time of day etc.), the calorie total will not be an accurate figure to assess performance.
So the key concept is to isolate one variable and use it to measure your measure progress. This can be applied almost universally and will serve you well when evaluating the effectiveness of a training approach.
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