Why Every Lifter Needs a Training Diary (And How to Start One)

Look around any gym and you’ll see people resting and relaxing between sets of intense exercise. This is part and parcel of strength training. In many cases, those resting lifters will be chatting with their workout partner, updating their social media, or just chilling out to pass the time.

Related: How Long Should You Rest Between Sets?

However, something you won’t see very often is lifters logging their training in a diary or notebook. That’s a shame because this old-school practice could be the key to making long-term gains and avoiding ruts and plateaus.

I’ve been a personal trainer for more than 30 years, and a dedicated exerciser for even longer. I record all my clients’ and my own workouts in notebooks and use them to keep our progress on track. In my opinion, keeping a training diary is critical for exercise success!

Research supports my point of view. A study titled The Athlete Monitoring Cycle: A Practical Guide to Interpreting and Applying Training Monitoring Data highlights how recording training data can enhance performance while minimizing the risk of injury and overtraining (1).

In this article, I’ll explain the power of keeping a training journal and how to start recording your workouts.

Why Many Lifters Don’t Keep Training Logs

Not so many years ago, keeping a training diary was common practice. Whether you were a bodybuilder, powerlifter, athlete, or just a recreational exerciser, you recorded your workouts with a pen and paper. In fact, it was considered an essential part of training—just like dusting your hands with gym chalk or cinching up your lifting belt.

Unfortunately, this practice has fallen out of favor, and very few of today’s lifters keep a training journal. When asked why, many don’t understand the benefits of keeping a training diary or think that it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

The reality, though, is that what’s old-school isn’t always outdated, and lifters who track their training are often the ones making the most consistent progress.

So why don’t many exercisers keep a training journal? Here are some of the most common excuses and why they don’t really hold up.

I Don’t Have Time to Write Things Down

Logging your workouts doesn’t have to be time-consuming. A few seconds between sets or exercises is all it takes. Plus, if you’ve got time to write a text, answer a call, post on social media, or update your music playlist, you’ve definitely got time to make a few notes in a training journal.

I Can Remember What I Did in My Last Session

Unless you have a photographic memory, it’s very unlikely you’ll be able to remember all the critical details of your last workout—let alone those from last month or last year. A training diary allows you to look back on all your past workouts so you can plan your future training and avoid making past—often forgotten—mistakes.

I Don’t Need a Training Diary—I Plan My Workouts in Advance

While following a pre-written workout is always a good idea, your progress won’t always follow your plan. Strength gains are seldom linear, and you may need to make adjustments to keep your training on track. That’s much easier when you can see your past performance and make notes for future workouts.

I Don’t Need to Keep a Training Log—My Workout App Records Everything

Most training apps only record a limited amount of data, usually just exercises, sets, reps, and weight. There are many other details that can provide valuable information about your workouts that can help maintain your progress.

I’m Not Training for Anything Specific

Even if you only exercise for health, general fitness, stress relief, or enjoyment, tracking your progress is essential. By documenting your sessions, you can ensure that every workout is moving you closer to your goals, no matter how big or small they may be.

So, enough paper-thin excuses for not keeping a training diary! Continue to the next section where we reveal the benefits of recording your workouts.

The Benefits of Keeping a Training Diary

Keeping a training diary isn’t just about collecting numbers—it’s about gathering data and using it to plan your future workouts. Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran lifter, here’s what consistent tracking can do for you:

Visible Progress = Lasting Motivation

Progress often happens very slowly, and that can eat away at your motivation. But just because you used the same weight or did the same number of reps two weeks in a row doesn’t mean your workouts are failing you. Having a record of past workouts lets you see how far your training has come, which can be highly motivating.

Identify Progress Trends and Plateaus Early

Keeping a training diary provides a visual record of your progress. It tells you when you’re consistently adding weight or reps—and when you’re not. Such insights mean you can tweak your training plan before your progress slows or stalls.

Train With More Purpose

Writing things down gives your workouts more focus and direction. You go into each session knowing what you did last time—and what you need to do today. You can also use a training diary to set and record goals and work toward achieving them.

Accountability Without a Coach

Missing workouts means blank pages in your training journal. Even without a trainer watching, your diary becomes a way to stay honest and consistent.

Learning From Successes and Failures

While there is no such thing as a bad workout, some are more productive than others. A training journal provides a record of what worked and, more importantly, what didn’t. Your log is your database of training experiments and outcomes.

Recovery Clues

Your diet, lack of sleep, stress, etc., all affect your training results. However, their impact may only become apparent when you compare past and current workout performances. Decreased or stalled progress may mean that you need to pay more attention to your out-of-gym habits.

As you can see, there are a wide range of benefits to keeping a training diary, but what exactly should you record? Check the next section and find out!

What to Track (And Why It Matters)

Tracking your workouts isn’t just about jotting down a few numbers—it’s about capturing the details that drive progress. The more useful data you record, the easier it will be to spot trends, make informed adjustments, and stay on track.

So, what should actually go in your training diary? Let’s break it down!

Exercises, Sets, Reps, and Load

The foundation of your workout—what you did and how much. This information will reveal your progress and whether you are ready to increase the difficulty of future workouts.

Rest Periods Between Sets

Rest periods can have an impact on your performance and progression. Recording how long you rest between sets will help keep your workouts on track and reveal whether your rests match your training goals.

Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

Some exercises, sets, and workouts feel harder than others. The number of reps and the weight only paints a partial picture, and tracking your RPE reveals the truth about how hard the session felt.

Exercise Tempo

The tempo or speed at which you lift and lower your weights matters—especially for hypertrophy and power training. Recording your movement speed will remind you to lift with control or explosiveness according to your goals.

Notes on Form or Technique

Did you have to cheat your way through those last few reps? Or did you crush your set in perfect form? Notes about your technique will tell you if you are ready to add more weight, keep it the same, or even reduce it until you are a little stronger.

Stance, Grip, Equipment, etc.

Your workout can often change at short notice. Maybe you had to use a plate-loaded machine instead of a selectorized chest press, or you switched from a wide grip to a close grip for bench presses. Record those details—they can significantly impact your performance and help explain why a set felt easier or harder than expected.

Physical State and Energy Levels

How did you feel at the start of your workout—neutral, energized, or already tired? And how did you feel at the end? Trends in energy levels will tell you a lot about your recovery and sleep and whether your workout matches your abilities.

Wins, Struggles, and Adjustments

Today’s workout should determine how you train next time. Record what went well, and what didn’t go to plan, and adjust your future workouts accordingly.

Now that you know what to track, the next step is to start doing it! In the following section, we explain how to create a training diary and how to keep using it long enough to see real results.

How to Start and Continue Using a Training Diary

To experience the power of keeping a training diary for yourself, the sooner you start the better. Here are some pointers for starting a workout log and maintaining your new habit.

Choose Your Tool: Notebook, App, or Digital Notes?

While I am an old-school pen and notebook kinda guy, I understand that other people prefer to embrace technology and use a spreadsheet, app, or digital notes. Find the method that fits your style and keeps you consistent.

Record What Matters to You

Some people love data and enjoy number crunching. They obsess over every workout detail, and some even go so far as to produce progress charts and graphs. Others prefer a more barebones approach, recording only essential information. Either approach is fine, so long as you capture the details that matter to you.

Create Your Own Shorthand

I’m probably the only person who can decipher my training diaries. Over the years I’ve developed a quick and easy shorthand that saves me from having to write lengthy notes. For example:

Leg Press: 3 x 15 @ 150kg > 🙂 160kg means I did three sets of 15 reps with 150kg which felt pretty good and that I should increase the weight to 160kg for my next workout.

Develop a simple system of symbols, abbreviations, and cues to make logging quick and easy.

When to Log: During or After Your Workout? 

It’s generally best to log your training in real-time, i.e., after you complete each set. That way you won’t forget any important details. Rest periods are the perfect time to do this as it won’t interrupt the flow of your workout.

However, you can also write notes at the start and end of your session, especially reflections about your energy levels, previous night’s sleep, motivation, etc. 

Use Your Logs to Plan Ahead

Your performance today should shape your next session. If a weight felt too easy, add more next time. If your form broke down, adjust the load, tweak your stance, or change the rep range. Small, deliberate changes based on your notes will help keep your training effective and personalized—without guessing or going backward.

Keep It Simple, Stay Accountable 

The easier something is to do, the more likely it is to become a long-term habit. So, avoid overcomplicating things and make logging your training as quick and simple as possible. Start with a barebones approach logging only essential info and only add more if you feel doing so will be beneficial.

Closing Thoughts

Keeping a training diary isn’t just for geeks and elite athletes—it’s for anyone who wants better results from their workouts. It doesn’t need to be fancy or time-consuming. Just consistent.

Personally, I’d never dream of training without logging it. I’ve got dozens of notebooks going back years, and I often flip through them when planning my next phase of training. They remind me of what worked, what didn’t, and how far I’ve come. It’s my personal training history—and seeing all those completed workouts is incredibly motivating.

So, grab a notebook, fire up a notes app, or open a spreadsheet. Start simple. Be honest. And keep showing up.

Your future self will thank you for it!

References:

1. Gabbett TJ, Nassis GP, Oetter E, Pretorius J, Johnston N, Medina D, Rodas G, Myslinski T, Howells D, Beard A, Ryan A. The athlete monitoring cycle: a practical guide to interpreting and applying training monitoring data. Br J Sports Med. 2017 Oct;51(20):1451-1452. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-097298. Epub 2017 Jun 23. PMID: 28646100.

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