How do you plan your work outs???

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GamecockFan14
GamecockFan14 Posts: 154 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How do you plan your work outs and how do you keep track of what you do? it seems a bit overwhelming... I want to keep track of my weights/reps/ etc, so I can see progress- I've brought a little book with me to the gym but its such a pain in the *kitten* to stop and write everything down after I'm finished.

Any suggestions on how to A)streamline the process of tracking and B) Organize what I'm going to do so I don't just go into the gym and "wing it" without a plan?

Replies

  • david081
    david081 Posts: 489 Member
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    You can take things too far. I just wear my Polar FT4 in the gym and record the calories burned under 'circuit training'.
  • Proudmumofboys
    Proudmumofboys Posts: 73
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    The book is a good idea, it is a pain in the *kitten*... But why don't you sit down the evening/week before you are going to work out and plan out what machines you will do, how many reps and how much weight... That way it's all filled out when you get there, if you add anything different then just adjust it later on.

    I norm do, Abs and legs together.
    Then Biceps and shoulders,
    then back and tri's together all on different days.

    I do cardio everyday, either 30-60 mins depending on how much time I Have.. It's not good to do everything on the same day,or the same thing everyday, so Switch it up as much as you can...

    Good luck..
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
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    If you really want to track the specifics, you should plan ahead. Then you don't have to write anything down while your at the gym. Take a look at all the days in the week, and pick the day that you have the least going on. (your days off from work etc). Sit down and plan a whole weeks worth of exercise, including your rest days etc. And then stick to it! This is a good idea for food to if you struggle with that. Its amazing how much time and headache taking a few hours out of 1 day a week will save you the other 6 days.

    If you want to "copy" some work outs. Try googleing cross fit schedules. You could probably print a months worth right off the computer and follow it!
  • MThurs
    MThurs Posts: 42 Member
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    I have a notebook that I keep track of my weights/reps etc - and I fill out the "Type" of move I'm going to do before I get to the gym - then all i have to do is write "1 x 10 - 45" or tick marks "III x 10 - 45". It really saves time for the next workout - it makes for a quick glance to refresh that I did 4 sets at 45 so this week I will do 3 sets at 45 and 1 set at 50.

    Also, the time you take to write is the "rest" time between a rep or a move.
  • deja_blu
    deja_blu Posts: 359 Member
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    You should probably have a game plan going into the gym. That way you'll know what to record without having to carry that book around. Remember.......accountability. =)

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  • MThurs
    MThurs Posts: 42 Member
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    I forgot to mention that there are apps for smart phones and iPads as well.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
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    You can take things too far. I just wear my Polar FT4 in the gym and record the calories burned under 'circuit training'.

    This is a good idea also. :) Sometimes less is more.
  • fitsaxon
    fitsaxon Posts: 57
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    My plan:

    I'm doing the Hal Higdon training plan for a half marathon: http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm

    On my strength training days, I'm trying to follow the Warrior dash "Ultimate Warrior" plan, they've got a pretty nice table: http://warriordash.com/faq.php#

    I've got both on my 'fridge, and check off each work-out after I finish.

    Hope that helps - Good luck with your plan!
  • nygiantschick
    nygiantschick Posts: 289 Member
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    I plan my workouts ahead of time. I plan a 2-3 week workout plan (including my rest days). If I notice I do more reps or something, I jot it down after the workout. That way I start in focused and ready without having to start/stop/start/stop.
  • much2gain
    much2gain Posts: 42
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    It doesn't answer your question completely but here is what I personally do. I have a little "stick man" sketch sheet with all the strength training stuff I do. It helps me remember what to do and the areas it works. I keep it in my car and look at it before going into the gym. It's a refresher to me without having to look/feel foolish by doing it standing in front of the free weights. When it comes to the weight and/or positioning of machines, etc., it's just something I've come to remember. Since I prefer strength training over cardio, it's easy for me. I'm a task master and I used to be one that kept track of every rep, every set, every everything. I still count reps and don't slack off but I stopped tracking. It made my experience much more enjoyable but I know it's not for everyone also.
  • dragonflytwt
    dragonflytwt Posts: 49 Member
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    Invest in a HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) - be sure to research before you buy and "IS there an App for that?" I'm a tech girl and have everything on my phone, even my workouts, it's a great way to keep track of your progress.
  • hsquared87
    hsquared87 Posts: 73
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    I tend to do sets. Here is what I did today. 10x box jumps 10x dips 10x incline push ups I did this 4 times with a quarter mile run in between. So I know I did 40 of each work out. Or i will do Pyramids so start at 10 do all three moves then move to 9 all the way to 1.
  • mlwestbury
    mlwestbury Posts: 17 Member
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    Hi Mrs Cornbread,

    I think its a good idea to track weights and reps if you want to look back and know how far you progressed over time. So doing a fit test every 4 weeks is a great idea for tracking progress. The book will be difficult to keep up with in the gym unless you workout at home. You can opt to use your phone.

    I have a bodybugg www.bodybugg.com and I can check calories burned on my Android (works on Iphone too) this is cool if you just want to calculate calories burned during any type of training. When the bodybugg data is uploaded to my PC it allows me to look at a block of time to see how many calories were burned during any activity as well as when I'm resting.

    If you belong to a gym the strength training group classes are fun as well. Every week you can challenge yourself to pick up a heavier weight.
  • Adzriel
    Adzriel Posts: 6
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    Hi hon,

    It's been a long time since I went to the gym regularly, hopefully this will help me get back into it. However, I used to go a lot, and I'd always have a plan, a sort of circuit of what I wanted to do. If you know what you want to do before you get there, you're more likely to push yourself to achieve it, rather than just nambling about doing 5 minutes on this or that.

    For a cardio workout I'd do something like this:
    I'd start with a warm up, say 10 minutes at moderate intensity on a cycle.
    Then I'd do whatever I particularly wanted to work on that day, so 10 minutes on the rowing machine, or hand cycle.
    Then I'd go for my main cardio burn, 20-30 minutes at high intensity on the stepper (my preference, some people prefer the cross-trainer, I find they break my knees!)
    Then I'd do 10 minutes on the treadmill at a brisk walking pace to cool down a bit.

    For a strength workout I'd do something like this:
    Still start with a warm up, 10 minutes on the cycle was always my warm up.
    Pick an area to work on - arms, legs, abs, whatever - and go do say 3 sets of 15 reps on every machine that covers that area
    Stretch to cool down, if you know yoga then 3 reps of a full sun salutation is good for this.

    Usually I'd do one strength workout and one cardio workout per week, plus 1 yoga class and 1 dance class. Obviously that's a bit intense if you're not used to it (I certainly couldn't do it now!) but I do reccommend mixing it up a bit, even at my peak I could find the gym boring!
  • trelm249
    trelm249 Posts: 777 Member
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    I have a plan I do every time I go to the gym. I track the calories burned in the cardio section and log sets/reps/weight section of MFP here. The android app on my phone makes this easy.
    Every couple of weeks I throw it in a spreadsheet to track the progress for my records. This helps me plan increases and see what I need to change up.

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