Guide to have a training notebook

Training planning is one of the fundamental pillars that will ensure results. Why? It avoids wasting time, maintains motivation by observing progress, can be easily corrected and gives us a much broader approach to our training. Observing a routine we only see our plan for a few weeks, it takes away a totally necessary vision of the future when you want to get results.

In this article we will explain some guidelines that every training notebook should follow to fulfill its function. It is a publication in parallel with our #RetoEntreering   that will help us keep track of our evolution. However, it is useful for any athlete.

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Fundamental aspects of a training notebook

We will enumerate the fundamental aspects, in the following epigraphs they will be explained in more detail:

Notes of sensations and difficulties.
Projection of future in the medium / long term.
Representation of the progression from several different points (example: progression of marks, progression of body measurements, progression of sensations ...).
Important events.
goals
Of course it can include many more aspects, however these 5 are what make a normal notebook a good and useful training notebook. Keeping track of your training is not difficult and at Training.com we will always try to facilitate your task so that it is more comfortable and you get better results.

Notes of sensations and difficulties

It is likely that you remembered your training a week ago, however it is just as likely that you did not remember what you did one or more months ago. Those sensations and difficulties cannot always be corrected in the same training session, but it can be solved by thinking cold, meditating and consulting information from your home.

A simple note like "Today I had laces, I couldn't lift the established weight" turns into gold if you know how to handle a training notebook. How? Watching the training from outside, captured on paper. For example, if that note appears repeatedly on a Tuesday it means that Monday's training is weighing us down too much and that we should reduce its volume or intensity to perform better.

Does it support a single interpretation? Of course not, that same point could be given in this case: our athlete trains on Monday without having trained since the previous Thursday, on Tuesday he goes to his training and suffers from stiffness. Does this mean that you should reduce the intensity or volume of your Monday workout? Possibly not! If I didn't have a follow-up I would correct it wrong , thinking only about the training from the previous day when, in reality, the problem is not that. The real problem is that between two workouts there are 96 hours of rest, which is clearly excessive! The body adapts to rest and when training again it responds with a detraining signal: laces.

Summary: Notes are essential when correcting training plans. When the moment of truth arrives, the time to carry out a training, what has been planned on a paper is theoretical and not always applicable, the notes help us find those errors and find a way to solve them.

Projection of future in the medium / long term

Training for a "now" and improvising on the go is the best way to waste time in the gym or on the track. What's more, not even a one or two month routine will prevent this from happening, as there is no large-scale vision of the workout.

Training is not just based on a physical quality. For example, many people plan their workouts based on a hypertrophy routine for a month. When they finish the routine, they look for another one and continue training. Is this correct? Simply not.

Do not worry since I will never tell you that something is not correct without explaining why: both strength and weight training and that of any other sports discipline train different physical qualities for seasons . For example, in bodybuilding there are periods of hypertrophy, strength and power (to simplify), in cycling there are periods for one type of terrain or another, etc. If we simplify the training to do a succession of routines without rhyme or reason, we weigh down some of the necessary physical qualities.

It is mandatory to do a medium / long term planning on what to do if you really want to get decent results . Do not expect miracles by simply varying the exercises of your routine, without training strength you will never get a good hypertrophy. This planning must take into account all the necessary physical qualities and program them throughout the training plan. This is called periodization .

Representation of progression

We are not going to deceive ourselves, if we do not notice progress we abandon what we are doing, it is that simple. The progression and motivation always go hand in hand so it is extremely important that we measure our progress, but not in any way, but of different viewpoints.

If your representation of progression is based on looking in a mirror to see if you are better, you are making several mistakes: you cannot measure fluid retention, you cannot measure your strength gains, you cannot see your resistance to training, etc. Although this observation in the mirror is necessary, we do not have to stop there.

Our training notebook must always include our personal marks or RMs, that is, the largest number of repetitions with which we have been able to do with a certain weight in a bodybuilding exercise or time to perform a certain distance in athletics or swimming. It is a simple and highly effective way to measure our progress. Likewise, it is important to remember that not only must there be records of maximum weight, there must also be records of the maximum number of repetitions with a given weight, records of the maximum number of series with a given rest time, etc.

Still, this method fails in specific cases. In the bodybuilding world, the "aesthetic" result ends up being more important, seeing the changes in our body. The most reliable way to see this progress, without a doubt, is to take measurements regularly. I use a system that I recommend to all of you, especially those of you who are doing the #Training Challenge :

Before changing the routine : we weigh ourselves, take our body measurements (in the end I will comment on which are the most representative) and, if we have the necessary instruments, we measure our% of body fat.
During the routine : we weigh ourselves every 7 days, always on an empty stomach after going to the bathroom.
Every month : we take our body measurements again and measure our% body fat.
Which body measurements are the most representative of aesthetic progress?

All measurements will be taken in a state of muscular relaxation unless otherwise indicated.

Neck: surrounding the neck.
Shoulders: distance between both shoulders.
Chest: measured at the level of the nipple, surrounding our chest and back.
Arm: measured at the height of the highest point of the biceps when exerting force.
Waist: measured in the narrowest area at the end of the torso.
Hip: with feet together, measured at the widest area of ​​the hip.
Leg: measured mid-thigh, surrounding the leg.
Calf: measured in the widest area of ​​the calf, surrounding the calf.
Important events

Any athlete or athlete must know what events they want to compete in that season to plan training based on the given date. We must always have these events in our heads since they represent an end of our training and, therefore, the result obtained in it will influence our motivation.

In the specific case of bodybuilding there are no events as such unless you are professionally dedicated to bodybuilding. However there are some "dates" that usually mark a change in training. A date widely used in bodybuilding to change the diet and training is summer , where a few months before the definition period begins for aesthetic reasons.

Goals

All action is performed with a purpose . The same method can lead two people to different objectives and it is the fulfillment of these that ends up determining if a person continues doing what he does. For this reason, it is necessary to always set objectives for both the short and long term. In addition, important events are closely related to the objectives set (rankings, participation, etc.).

But do not be fooled by appearances, an unrealistic goal can be even more harmful than not having a clear goal.

What is an unrealistic goal?

The one that is raised before making a training plan is always an unrealistic goal. You cannot set a goal without even knowing where the path is theoretically going to go.
Those long-term goals that are taken as short-term goals (example: for someone starting out in the marathon world, wanting to make a good mark in the Madrid Marathon is a long-term goal. Taking it as a short-term goal. The deadline is to set an unrealistic goal.
Wanting to look like someone . Not only in the world of bodybuilding, but also in any other sports discipline. No two people are the same, each with their strengths and weaknesses, so we must know how to take advantage of our own strengths to achieve the final goal.
Set a goal without taking into account your own physical, social and personal limitations . Someone who studies at university and attends academies cannot set a goal on a large scale because they do not have enough time.
A long etcetera, however those are the most common cases.
Is there a "Best" format for a training notebook?

No, it doesn't exist. The format can be digital (in word, excel, notepad, specific programs, etc.) or non-digital (in sheets, notebook, folder, etc.) and there is no "best" because what is comfortable for some is uncomfortable for others. If the format is not comfortable, nobody will use a training notebook, it is that simple.

Choose the way that is most comfortable for you, since it will end up being the most effective . In my personal case I use folios with millions of studs for training schedules and excel tables for representations of progression.

Remember, having a training notebook is the easiest way to get better long-term results .