Hail to the Dinosaurs!
There are plenty of simple things that
distinguish someone who's serious about
their strength training, and someone
who's just playing around.
One of those differences is keeping a
detailed workout log (aka training
journal).
Serious keep keep them.
The ones who are playing around don't
bother.
If you're seriuous about getting bigger
and stronger and better conditioned, a
training journal is your secret weapon.
A couple of folks who kept detailed
training journals for their entire
career:
2 time-Olympic Gold medalist and 6-time
world champion Tommy Kono
Mr. America and multi-time Mr. universe
Bill Pearl
Multi-time Mr. Universe Reg Park
Something that worked for men like Tommy
Kono, Bill Pearl and Reg park is probably
something worth doing, don't you think?
Your training journal can be a simple
steno notebook, a spiral notebook, a
3-ring binder or a perfect bound journal.
Before you train, sit down and outline
your workout. List your exercises, sets,
weights and reps. (By the way, this is a
good form of pre-workout visualization.)
Writing everything down before you go to
the gym helps ensure that you do a scheduled
workout as opposed to some sort of haphazard
"float from here to there around they gym"
workout.
After every set, check off the set to show
that you did it. If you don't it's awfully
easy to get mixed up. ("Was that my third
set with 225 for 5 or my fourth set?")
I like to use two different colors of ink.
I usually write the workout in black ink,
and check it off in red ink as I move
from set to set and exercise to exercise.
Make note of things as you move along. If a
working wt felt light, make a note of it.
"225 x 5 -- felt good. Go up next time."
Tommy Kono used to grade his lifts when he
trained. A perfect lift got an A, an okay
lift got a B, and so on.
Of course, you need to be honest when you
grade your lifts or when you make a note
that a particular working weight felt light.
Over time, your training journal will become
the best coach you ever had. It will show you
what worked -- and just as importantly, what
didn't work.
Bill Pearl saved all of his old training logs.
If he wanted to do any kind of special program,
e.g., an arm specialization program, all he
had to do was look back through his journal
and find one that had worked well for him in
the past.
So the next time you train, take your training
journal with you -- and get into the training
journal habit!
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. It's the little things -- like keeping a
training journal -- that make all the difference.
For more tips, techniques, workouts and training
ideas, see my books and courses at the Dinosaur
Training bookstore:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
