Training Journal

A Training Journal can be a useful tool in tracking progress, and ensuring that goals are set for continuous improvement. I have kept a training journal from time to time, but have had difficulty sticking to it, partially because I have often made the journal more tedious and complicated than it needed to be.

I don't believe it it is critical to track every single set and rep in a workout. My new training journal is far more simple and less tedious to use. I basically list all the exercises I perform from across all workouts on the same page. I then track only the best-effort working-set, which will be the benchmark to surpass in the next (heavy) workout.

Here is a sample of my journal:

Squats: 165 x 23
Calf Raises: 160 x 18
Leg Curls: 70 x 12
Bench: 225 x 12
Incline Smith: 185 x 12
Seated Row: 135 x 14
Pulldown: 150 x 12
Shrugs: 225 x 12
Seated Curls: 40 x 9
Barbell Curls: 95 x 7
Standing Press: 95 x 14
Side Laterals: 30 x 12
Kickbacks: 25 x 14
Lying Tricep: 60 x 14


Seeing all the exercises together, also gives a pretty good view of what my strong and weak points are, and where I need to focus and prioritize in my training.

Tuesday's Workout

Following Franks lead, I decided to try some higher-rep bench pressing today. Since I don't have nearly as strong a bench as Frank, I chose 125 lbs as my work weight. Here's how it went:

Superset:
Bench Press - 125 x 19, 11
DB Row - 60 x 19, 17

Superset:
Standing Press - 80 x 11, 75 x 11
Chinup - 11 (pronated), 10 (supinated)

Superset:
Incline DB Press - 50 x 10, 8
Wide Grip Upright Row - 75 x 10 , 8

High-Protein Pancakes

Here's my favorite Sunday morning breakfast. Much higher in protein than regular pancakes, but just as tasty and easier to make.

Ingredients
2 cups cottage cheese
4 eggs, separated
1 cup whole wheat flour

Directions
Preheat griddle to 350. Beat egg whites until fluffy. Lightly beat yolks. Mix yolks, cottage cheese, and flour together. Fold in whites. Batter will be thick, but if it seems too thick you can add a few teaspoons of milk.

Spoon batter onto griddle and flatten to about 1/4 " thick. Cook as you would regular pancakes. Makes about 12 pancakes, enough for about 3-4 people.

Time Saver - don't bother separating the eggs and whipping the whites. The pancakes won't be quite as fluffy but will taste just as great!