Exercise and the Importance of a Plan
How do you measure performance and progress when going to the gym? When exercising? Is it by your weight or how much weight you lift? Working out with a plan and tracking your performance each workout is a phenomenal motivator. Simply seeing the time you’ve committed and the improvements you’ve made help you maintain a positive mindset about exercise.
Develop a plan before starting.
Determine your goals and how to track them to help you get motivated. In my own personal experience this can be challenging and may take some research. Your plan will also vary depending on your availability and goals. For instance if your goal is to run in a marathon you should focus primarily on cardiovascular exercise and strengthening your legs. If your goal is to become a power lifter then obviously you want to have a plan centered around different lifts. These specific examples aren’t for everyone but the general concept remains the same. If you want to lose weight then cardiovascular exercise and diets should be preferred and building muscle will primarily focus on strength training and less cardiovascular training. But what if you want something balanced? Allow me to provide an example based on my own routine:
There’s a lot going on here so let’s break it down a bit. Each day there is a different set of exercises based on that day’s goal: day 1 of each week is chest, triceps, calves; day 2 is back biceps, abs; day 3 is shoulders, traps, calves; day 4 is legs and abs. Each exercise on that day serves to strengthen any of the muscle groups for that given day. Over the course of the week you’ll end up hitting all the major muscle groups and maintain a good balance. The set of exercises will vary from person to person and the availability of equipment.
Progress Tracking
The above image also serves as an excellent example of how to track your progress. Every day you exercise make a note of what you accomplished. For instance in the image above you’ll note on 2/16 or day 4, an exercise called leg curls was completed. The weight used was 95lbs and it was completed as 10 repetitions over 3 sets for a total of 30 total repetitions. The next day 4 I was able to look back and increase the weight or repetitions based on what I completed previously. Tracking the specific day you completed the workout also helps determine which days you exercised and what days you took off. It also shows just how far you’ve come. Leaving small notes for yourself is also a great way to determine what went well and what didn’t.
Overall tracking your progress will help you gauge your progress and work as an excellent tool to motivate you.
Good luck in all your exercise endeavors!
Richard Mason
