Planning/Logging your Training

I am wondering how every one keeps track of their training. Do you use a free online tool, paid software, journal, or just keep track intuitively based on how you feel that day?

If you are logging your notes somewhere what are you keeping track of besides the obvious specific training? Skin condition, mood, stress, well-being, sleep quality, soreness ect.?

I would love to hear from anyone.

Just a basic Word document. Used to use a spreadsheet, but anything works, you don't need anything special. Handwritten in a notebook or on sheets you add to a 3-ring actually works very well as long as you don't loose the notebook! Makes recording in the gym easier, and that's what I was used to from training weights. When I'm doing other stuff, I just list it by the day, e.g. 45min stairmaster, level 4, HeartRate Zone 127-145, 200 floors...or road bike, 10min warmup, 45min worktime, 15mi, HR 120-135. And will note anything else that needs noting..."windy ride" or "really suffered the last 10min", "too much too soon, dial it back next week", "didn't sleep well last night", "still tired from prior workouts", "very hot (hangboard is pretty critical to have similar temps for a good comparison)", "feeling down/depressed, not psyched"

basically whatever is out of the ordinary (those are all actual entries on my file).

Also try to take and chart my pulse upon waking (before getting out of bed) in the a.m.

Here's a cut from my last HB phase, just a word processing doc, I cut and paste the prior entry on each new workout and change the weights/reps as applicable. At this point in that phase, all I was doing was hangboard with easy biking or soloing on off days wasn't tracking the other stuff. I don't list out the exact cycle ahead of time, but I do try to determine when I'll want to peak (typically in a weather window for a specific place, e.g. first week June for Yos, or mid Oct, late Feb for Josh, etc) and work backwards to see when I need to start, then adjust as necessary as the phase goes on. I've used hangboard phases as long as 12 and as short as 6 workouts, bouldering/campusing phases as long as 8 and as short as 3 workouts...but it generally 12 weeks including the taper to peak.

So you can see for the HB I'm listing the workout number within the phase (HYP 2 for hypertrophy phase workout #2), which hangboard I'm using..the Manta (I've gone through a few and changed boards mid-phase on that cycle) what weight I started the phase with in relation to the last time I did an HB phase (same wt as #3 from the prior cycle), bodyweight for each workout and how that differs from bodyweight in the prior cycle, hang regime (10sec on/5 off=1 rep), grips used, reps achieved, any notes at the end

spreadsheet. allows you to graph things and get a better visual idea of how you are doing.

I use iCal synced between my phone, iPad and computer. I can color the workouts to get a multi-month quick view overlook.

I'm low tech and just keep a binder with a calendar page for each month. Been tracking it all for the last 6 years.

Roots wrote:I'm low tech and just keep a binder with a calendar page for each month. Been tracking it all for the last 6 years.