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by lapetitejort 847 days ago
Slightly off topic, but I got tired of looking for a good weight training tracker, so instead I bought a notebook and a pencil and I've been using it for nearly two years. If I want to change up how I long my workouts, I just write them in a different way. I've changed how I log number of sets/reps, weight per set, etc, a few times and I've never had to re-program how the info is displayed. I log how I feel after the workout and use that and the weight from last session to guide what I'll be doing in the current session. I don't need a graph as I can clearly see the values going up or stagnating. I honestly feel like the analog process has helped me keep consistent. It's motivated me to get more notebooks to track stuff like household chores. Sometimes the best app is a piece of paper.
3 comments

I have a Google Keep note where I record the results from the last workout. I figured out I really only need that. I don't need history, I just need to know how long ago was the last workout, how much did I lift / time under tension, so I can make a decision about today's program.

I love fancy graphs for my endurance work but for lifting, I feel like this is pretty much all I really need.

In a similar vain but with history and progression, I have a Google Sheet where I track all my lifts. Its easy to spot when I should increase my lift. Maybe every 5-6 weeks I need to make a new sheet so it doesn't get too unruly.

eg. Exercise | SetsReps | Feb 26 | Mar 1

----------------------------------------------------------

Dumbbell Chest Press | 3 x 8 | 65, 8 8 8 | 70, 8 8 5

Dumbbell Chest Fly | 3 x 8 | 16, 8 8 8 | 20, 8 8 6

Exercise | Sets x Reps | Feb 28 | Mar 3

----------------------------------------------------------

Knee Jumps | 3 x 8 | BW, 8 8 8 | BW, 8 8 8

Pull-ups. | 3 x AMRAP | 4, 3, 2. | 3, 3, 2

KB Swings | 10M EMOM | (216) 10M | (2*16) F@7M

Bent DB Row | 3x8. | (swap cable row) 60, 8 8 8 | 40, 8 8 8

I bought the starting strength app, no subscription and has a couple of quality of life improvements like a timer, plate calculator, graphs etc and some actually helpful no nonsense videos and book excerpts. very little distractions.

Agree with you though, pen and paper is hard to beat and cheaper.

Can I see your paper template?

What if you want to graph tonnage?