Target setting and training diaries.
 

One way of measuring progress and keeping motivation up is to set yourself targets and keep records of what you do.

Its very easy to go in the gym day after day, week after week and wonder why 6 months down the line nothing has happened. YOu then get pissed off and jack it all in.

Keeping a training diary is a great way of recording what you do and also allowing you to set a target for the following week.

I kept a diary for years and religiously wrote down what I did, so that the following week I could add a little bit more weight.

One thing I will say is this. It doesn't matter if it is weights or cardio that you do, you will not progress by trying to add 10kgs a week to your bench or reducing your 5 mile run by 10minutes. It has got to be done in little steps.

Most gyms weights go down to 1.25 kg and this can sometimes be too much to add each week.

Also be aware that you will not have the same amount of energy each week and you will have bad days when even the warmup feels heavy. This doesn't matter. Try and understand why it happened (lack of sleep, out on the piss the night before, overtrained etc) and record it in the diary.

When this happens, rather than get in a huff, use it as an opportunity to try something different. DO the work out in reverse order or use different exercises, or even keep the weight low and not go below 15 reps. These are opportunities to shock the muscle by doing something different.

I find that when this happens it gives your body a boost and it also helps mentally by thinking you have got something worthwhile out of your time.

Paul.

Good advice paul, is the general rule to add weight each week then? these are the sort of little things that need finding out before people start (like i should of done :oops: )

It's alright training regular but if i dont know when and how much i should be increasing weight i dont think i'll get very far! Should i be able to tell its time to increase weight or is it a case of just doing it and making your body work harder?

Oh yeah and will you have a gander at my bench press post?
Cheers mate :top:

i found keeping a diary a superb way of challenging myself



its also a very good way to see how you are improving


:top: :top: :top:

Try and add a small bit each week. In reality you will probably go through cycles and I'm sure we'll soon start to talk about plateauing where you see little progress for a month or so.

so an example maybe

Bench press - you can do 60kgs for 10 reps. So you put 62.5 or 65 on the bar and you only get 5 or 6 reps. Spend the next few weeks trying to get upto 10 reps again. Once you can do 65kg for 10 reps, then up it.

This cycle may take 3 or 4 weeks even if you are in a good strength/growth spurt. Some week you may even go backwards, but as I said something else maybe wrong(diet,sleep etc).

On bigger exercises such as squats you maybe able to go up in 5kg or even 10kg steps as it is a bigger exercise. Also if you feel good don't be afraid of putting a little bit extra on and seeing how it goes - as long as you have a good spotter.

I don't personally do one rep maximums as the potential for injury is greater. The lowest reps I will do is on something like squats or deadlifts, where I might do just 2 reps.

I shall order a diary from Viking Tomorrow :clap: :top: