Nov 2, 20211 min
When you think about tracking your workouts, do you think of calorie burn and heart rate?
I hate to break it to you, but the calorie burn listed on your watch or your exercise machine is incorrect, and isn't the best way to track progressions of your workouts.
Better markers of your workouts are volume, effort, outside factors, and other notables (we'll get into these).
1. Volume
Track your sets, reps, and weights used to encourage progressive overload and to see how you progress over time. Progressive overload will be identified by seeing your volume increase throughout your program.
2. Effort
Track your effort based on how you feel during each lift, as well as how you feel throughout the entire session. I recommend using the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) scale. You can check out this scale on my email sent 9/14 or on my IG post here.
3. Notables
Track your aches and pains. What did it feel like? Was this new or recurring? What was the intensity of the ache/pain? And, track your form improvements. Did your range of motion increase? Were you able to keep your back straighter, core tighter, etc.?
4. Outside Factors
Track what factors could have influenced your workout (stress, sleep, energy, hunger, hydration, etc.). If you slept for 6 hours instead of your usual 8 hours, it could have affected your workout. If you're hungry and haven't eaten in 5 hours, it could have affected your workout.
Without noting these four markers, how do you know you're on track with your goals?