App for logging strength training

Lietchi

There so many options out there to log (strength training) workouts, but my requirements are quite specific (I think)...

The thing is that I have two different barbells and two different sets of (adjustable) dumbbells. Since the empty dumbbells and barbells have different weights, I'd like to be able to distinguish them and not do a ton of math in my head each time I log my reps and weight (adding dumbbell/barbell weight to the weight of the plates).

So in my ideal world, I'd be able to select, for example:
- dumbbell bench press: short dumbbells +5kg each side
- barbell shoulder press: long barbell +8kg
- etc.
And then the app calculates how much weight I lifted in total (including dumbbell/barbell) based on the equipment I've entered (weight of my dumbbells/barbells) and, if possible, what muscle groups I've trained, training volume, etc.

Am I dreaming?
Is there anything (in Android and preferably free) close to what I'm dreaming about?
Just being able to create my own custom exercises (for example 'shoulder press long barbell') would be interesting.

So far I've been a paper notebook kind of gal, but it makes historical comparisons a bit tricky.
I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to have to resort to creating my own spreadsheet, but I'd love to be wrong If anyone has a spreadsheet they want to share, I'd be interested too!

yirara

I kind of get this in Garmin. I have to admit that logging strength workouts is rather *kitten*. Garmin tries to guess what you do and how many reps, and then you can add the weight and correct the rep number.

If you prefer to do similar workouts you can create them and send them to your watch. And then you don't need to correct the type of workout, and potentially the weight. But it's still far from ideal.

This is what the stats look like in the end:
edit: resting HR does look wrong. Hmm.. will keep an eye on that.

nossmf

I have been using a paper notebook journal since I began lifting in 2009. I have tried recording the results into online apps from time to time (I'm currently tracking a full year's total here in MFP). But the apps have come and gone, and my notebook is still here.

Admittedly, I am a math nerd, so doing the math in my head, especially after 15+ years of practice, takes me no time at all. That said, looking back at my early workouts, my notes often came in the form of:

Bench Press: bar + 11kg per side
Leg Press: sled + 20kg per side

The first page of my notebook includes a list of how much various equipment weighs:

BB: 20kg
Sled: 54kg

...and so on. If I want to determine how much I lifted any given day, it does require some basic math of (total weight) x reps x sets. But when I wanted to increase the weight used, my notes are chock full of crossing out "11kg/side" and replacing with "20kg/side" and so on.

nossmf

I should say that to assist in my year-long record, I put together a simple spreadsheet to do the calculations for me. For example, I'm recording bench press. I have already told the spreadsheet the barbell weighs 20kg. After a workout, I type in the weight added per side, the number of sets and reps, and the spreadsheet spits out the final total for that exercise. Repeat for the various other exercises I did, and not only does each exercise have a total calculated for me, but the sheet has one cell which adds up all the sub-cells for the grand total on the day.

Retroguy2000

Maybe there is such an app. Whether it's free or sub-based though...

A bit similar to noss, I use Google Sheets and the top of the page lists the bare weight of my barbell, EZ and loadable db's, for reference.

The same movement with a different tool would be a different exercise, e.g. you should be able to lift about 20% with say barbell bench press than dumbbell bench press, so they would need to be tracked separately as barbell bench and db bench.

Each new workout cycle I insert new columns at 4 and 5, fill in the plates weight only in column 4 and reps in column 5. I can see my history by simply scrolling to the right. For added emphasis, if I've moved up in reps or weights I color code the background in those cells.

This works for me because I am not interested in the total weight. I'm interested in the progression, so I only need track the plates weight and reps.

Btw, Myo-reps below means I'm starting the next set 15s after the previous set ended, and I track it as X,Y where X is first set reps, and Y is total reps of all other sets (until I can only get 5 reps).

e.g.