How to track progress with weight lifting

RoyalMoose11

After a pretty cardio-heavy fitness routine for 5 months and building some confidence I have been doing the strong lifts program for the past month. I've hit my goal weight and I've updated my calorie goals. I'm wondering about how to track my progress with building some muscle with my new fitness goals. Before it was easier with just seeing the scale numbers go down. I have some last few vanity pounds to lose but are there some other ways to charts strength training progress? I would imagine taking measurements would be one way but I'm not sure. Thanks, all!

DavPul

getting stronger at your main lifts would be an objective measure. beyond that, measuring at several places on your body would give you a general direction of which way things are going. lastly, the mirror (or the selfie) will tell a few tales (albeit subjective) as well.

michellekicks

Photos are your best bet... and tracking the weight you put on the bar

YouHadMyCuriosity

Measurements, photos, keeping track of how much weight you can lift... I am just starting strength training over the last month and I have been doing photos, will do measurements once all of my stuff comes in from overseas (I just moved back to Hawaii). I can tell you that I have not lost NEARLY as much weight as I would normally lose eating at 1200 cals a day and maybe some cardio, but I have been eating 1700 cals a day average, enjoying life, and my body is already starting to transform much quicker than it ever did when I was starving myself, and just shrinking. It's hard to get away from the mentality of watching the scale to gauge success, but once you do, it is awesome. I've only lost 11 lbs so far, but the difference I see in my "before" pics and "now" pics is tremendous. The number on the scale is less important to me than how I feel, look, and how healthy I am am.

Good luck, take photos and measurements, and feel proud of the great things you are accomplishing!

j75j75

I keep a journal, do a visual check from time to time, and weigh myself about once a month

RoyalMoose11

Thanks all. I've always eaten my calories in full but you're right- training my mind to gauge success in a different way is a big transition. I'm doing a periodization routine of some of the stronglifts workouts 4x12 for a month, then 4x8, 4x6, then 4x4 and adding 15% weights each month. I can feel a difference though I feel like my gym sessions are so short with only doing three workouts.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

Thanks all. I've always eaten my calories in full but you're right- training my mind to gauge success in a different way is a big transition. I'm doing a periodization routine of some of the stronglifts workouts 4x12 for a month, then 4x8, 4x6, then 4x4 and adding 15% weights each month. I can feel a difference though I feel like my gym sessions are so short with only doing three workouts.

I agree with photo's and logging your workouts so that you can track the weight on the bar. Did you mention that you are new to lifting? If so, with a program like SL, you could probably progress in your weight on the bar a bit quicker than once per month, doing this could also help you to see results quicker as well.

RoyalMoose11

New to lifting- 30 days Into weight lifting after consulting with a CPT some and working on a plan. Think adding weights every 2 weeks may work?

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

TBH I think you should follow SL the way it is written. You will see the best results that way because you will be taking advantage of your "newbie gains", progressing per workout and not worrying about periodization and whatnot. Given that you are a month in, keep it simple, focus on your form and adding more weight to the bar every workout.

tigersword

TBH I think you should follow SL the way it is written. You will see the best results that way because you will be taking advantage of your "newbie gains", progressing per workout and not worrying about periodization and whatnot. Given that you are a month in, keep it simple, focus on your form and adding more weight to the bar every workout.

This. Stronglifts has an entire program laid out, which will give great results, why would you not do the program as it is? As a newbie lifter, you should be adding weight every session, not every month. Lift on Monday, on Wednesday, add weight, Friday, add weight, etc. Stick to the 5x5 to maximize strength gains, you should have at least 6 months of lifting behind you to have a solid strength base before you go off on random routines. If you don't like Stronglifts, do Starting Strength, or even 5/3/1.

As a beginner, stick to a program, get the fundamentals down. Frankly, periodization doesn't really matter much until you progress out of the untrained and novice stages of lifting, which will probably take a year or two.

RoyalMoose11

Appreciate the feedback folks. I'll go back to the basics and see how it goes. Only thing that stinks is that I don't have access to doing regular squats- my gym only has the smith machine. Thanks people.

SLLRunner

After a pretty cardio-heavy fitness routine for 5 months and building some confidence I have been doing the strong lifts program for the past month. I've hit my goal weight and I've updated my calorie goals. I'm wondering about how to track my progress with building some muscle with my new fitness goals. Before it was easier with just seeing the scale numbers go down. I have some last few vanity pounds to lose but are there some other ways to charts strength training progress? I would imagine taking measurements would be one way but I'm not sure. Thanks, all!

You have gotten some great advice, but I dropped in to say congratulations on reaching your calorie goal!

RoyalMoose11

Thank you! Just in time for thanksgiving.