If you’ve lifted weights for any amount of time, then you know that progressive overload is the thing you need to be pursuing. This is one of the fundamental tenets of strength. If you don’t lift heavier weights or do more work over time, you will not get stronger.

The Problem

Sounds easy enough. However, when I ask most people what they lifted on any given exercise in the last few days or weeks, they always have a hard time telling me. Not that they need to have their numbers memorized, but they don’t even have something they can reference in order to check their progress.

If you’re squatting 200 pounds for 3 sets of 5 today, you need to be using heavier weights or do more reps/sets next week or month. But if you can’t remember if you were squatting 185 or 225 last, how are you going to make intelligent decisions in the gym?

You can’t.

The Solution: A Fitness Journal

Here is a simple solution: write it down. You don’t need a crazy detailed workout log or even a fancy training “journal” that you find all over Amazon and Etsy. I’ve seen people just use a plain notebook or even the Notes app on their phone. Just maintain some sort of fitness journal or training log.

I myself use a lined steno notebook because it’s small enough to not be a pain in the ass to transport but just big enough for me to fit a week’s worth of lifting onto a single page.

What to write down in your fitness journal

You don’t need to write out every detail. The minimum is the date, each exercise, and the weight x reps for each set. I add in notes about any pain, injuries, and if I’m super tired or stressed on a given day.

A sample entry for a lower body day may look like this:

8/1/2023 – Lower Body. Forgot preworkout at home.
1. Box Jump: 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
2. Pause Squat: 295×5, 295×5, 300×5
3. Pull Through: 105×5, 105×5, 105×5
4. Step Up: 50×10, 50×10
5. Toe to Bar: 15, 15, 15

A sample entry for an upper body day on a bad day may look like this (missed and failed lifts will be slashed):

8/3/2023 – Upper Body. Slept poorly, super tired. Stress high (boss thinks bikini carwash will send the “wrong message” *eyeroll*)
1. Incline Bench Press: 225×5, 255×3, 275×1 (failed)
2. Row: 185×8, 185×8, 185×7
3. Lateral Raise: 20×12, 20×12, 20×12
4. Parallel Grip Lat Pull Down: 155×8, 155×8
5. Rope Tricep Push Down: 70×8, 70×8
6. DB curl: 35×7, 35×6

You can start to appreciate that there are a lot of numbers involved in a single training session. There is almost no way to remember everything that you do. If you’re the type to just “go by feel”, you still run the risk of never making any progress. The simple act of starting a log on your phone or throwing a notebook into your gym bag will pay dividends on your results.

Other reasons to keep a log

• Training is a long term process. There will be times in your life that you continuously break PRs and feel unstoppable. It’s helpful to have a log of what worked for you and what didn’t.
• You maintain accountability when you write down what you did. You can no longer skip exercises or sets without having evidence of your laziness (unless you lie in your own journal, but why the f*** would you do that??).
• You take things more seriously when you start keeping detailed logs of your training.
• Most of the serious lifters keep a fitness journal. Emulate your heroes.
• If your program calls for the use of specific percentages, you need to maintain accurate records.
• When you feel burnt out, you will have a record of your grind. Keep grinding.

Bottom Line

The entire point of lifting weight is to do a little more each time. The easiest way to ensure that is to just write things down in a fitness journal.

Start with simple entries and figure out what’s important to you.

Let’s get to it.