Everybody who joins a fitness bootcamp will want to leave feeling fitter and stronger than when they started, but how much fitter and how much stronger will they actually be? Knowing exactly how much you have improved your health, and how much more capable you are of performing various routines is a big part of fitness bootcamp, but it is up you to track your progress so that when your bootcamp is over, you can look back, see clear improvements and have that sense of accomplishment.
Keeping a record also allows you to check that you are covering all the fitness areas that you were targeting without over emphasizing on one area. This increases your chances of reaching or exceeding your goals.
Photo courtesty of Alistair
All you need is a notepad and a pencil, take a look at our example below.
Section 1 – Week / Day
Note down which week you are recording nice and clearly so when you look back in a few weeks time you can quickly see how far your exercise routines have come on.
Section 2 – Exercise
In this column list the exercises that you undertake on that day. As the days go by, check back previous notes to make sure that you are covering multiple muscle groups. Also remember to vary the exercises slightly to work the muscles from different angles.
Section 3 – Weight
Different exercises will require different weights to fully work those muscles into a state of growth, so you’ll need to record the weights in this column. By the end of fitness bootcamp you should see an increase in this column as your muscles respond to the workouts.
Section 4 – Reps
Record the number of reps you are managing per set in this column. Remember that ideally you want between 8-12 reps for muscle growth. If you are managing 12 without breaking sweat, increase the weights and record the new weight in Section 3.
Section 5 – Sets
After the first few sessions you’ll form an idea of how many sets you can do comfortably, and start to increase then accordingly. Try not to increase sets and reps in the same day though, only change one or the other to maintain steady progress.
Section 6 – Rest
This is the amount of time between reps, not between workouts! Aim to keep rest periods below 90 seconds to maximize your results.
Your training diary will be your motivator and your accomplishment chart during your time at fitness bootcamp, don’t forget that. Keep it up to date and record your workouts every single day!
