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High Powered Journaling

Not long af ter I started lif ting, I began writing down my workouts in a training journal. T he date, exercises, sets, reps, and a f ew notes to detail the workout made up the bulk of my journal entries. As time went on, I was diligent about logging all these workouts, and I accumulated a couple of years worth of journal entries. But I really didnt know just what to make of them. I realized journaling held a lot of potential f or me, but I couldnt really f ind the key to unlock the potential. T he greatest use of my journal was seeing what my PRs were f or certain movements as well as checking the last weights and reps of an exercise that was being rotated back into use so I had an idea of what my previous capabilities were and what I should expect currently.

Journaling Direct ion

Eventually, I came across Reactive Training Systems and the Reactive Training Manual that really provided a lot of direction f or my journaling and really let me expand it into something that provided me with the f eedback I had been seeking. I started with a training template that had assigned exercise slots rather than specif ic exercises. My three squat slots are prime squat, squat assistance, and squat supplement, although the individual naming isnt important. Just use whatever labels make the most sense to you. Some might pref er terms like squat one, two, and three or f irst and second quad exercise. Use whatever makes sense to you. T he advantage of tracking by exercise slots is the slot stays the same regardless of what exercise variation is used. I f eel this makes it easier to watch the progression of the movement even if the exercise variation has changed. It is also easier to observe progression of that exercise slot over time when you have multiple weeks worth of inf ormation consolidated into one place. Because most lif ters organize their training around the seven-day calendar week, I suggest setting it up so that each slot is only used once per week.

From there I track inf ormation such as estimated one rep max (E1RM), total poundage lif ted, total reps perf ormed, total sets perf ormed, average intensity, and highest intensity. I also track the exercise variation perf ormed and the protocol f or the day.

1RM Accuracy
Regarding an E1RM, its necessary to know this in order to calculate percentages if you dont have a previous and accurate 1RM to go by. T here are many 1RM calculators online to determine this, but they arent always accurate. Two lif ters with the same 1RM arent guaranteed to be able to perf orm the same number of reps with 85 percent of their max. An individual isnt even guaranteed to perf orm the same number of squats at 85 percent of his max squat as he can bench at 85 percent of his max bench. Mike Tuchscherer of f ers an excellent solution to determining an E1RM that takes individual circumstances into account. T he rate of perceived ef f ort (RPE) mentioned in the article is as f ollows: 10 RPE: Couldnt have perf ormed an additional rep 9 RPE: Could have perf ormed one more rep 8 RPE: Could have perf ormed at least two more reps; bar speed isnt f ast any longer 7 RPE: Bar speed is f ast if maximal f orce is applied Adapting an RPE-based training system isnt necessary in order to utilize the E1RM calculator, although you should have an idea of how many more reps would be possible if youre putting a high level of ef f ort into the set. Once you have determined your percentages, youre set. From here, we take the reps perf ormed and the ef f ort applied and f ind the intersection and the resulting percentage. T hen we take the weight lif ted divided by the percentage and this gives us our E1RM.

For example, Joe works up on the bench press and hits 300 lbs f or f our reps. Af ter racking the bar, he thinks Yea, I could have done one more. With his RPE chart, he sees that f our reps and a 9RPE (can also be viewed

as a 5RM weight) intersect at 87 percent. T hree hundred pounds divided by 87 percent equals 344.8 or rounded to an E1RM of 345.

Ot her Tracking
In addition to the stats f or each exercise, I also track time spent training, total poundage lif ted f or the day, total reps, total sets, and the number of lif ts by intensity f or the workout. I choose to count 7079 percent, 8089 percent, and 90100 percent. For those who train with the conjugate method, you likely would want to use dif f erent ranges to include the lighter percentages that dynamic ef f ort work is generally perf ormed at. All these daily values can easily be summed into a weekly overview just as all the lower body slot data can be summed into a weekly lower body overview. T he same goes f or upper body slots. Regarding tracking poundage, the number of lif ts, and the number of sets perf ormed, I dont count my warm-up sets into these values because I dont f eel that the lighter percentage weights contribute anything to the training ef f ect beyond preparing me to lif t a heavier weight in the next set. You may choose to count everything f rom an empty barbell on upward or choose to count only af ter you reach a certain percentage or certain amount of ef f ort. With whatever method you choose f or determining your starting point, stay consistent with it.

Spreadsheet Made Simple

So that looks like a whole lot of math, huh? Well youre right, but it doesnt have to be time spent hunched over a calculator checking and double checking everything. A well-designed spreadsheet as well as the appropriate f ormulas and the cut and paste f unction make this very simple. Now, my journal only takes a f ew more minutes out of my day than when I used to write everything down on paper af terward, yet it provides much more valuable inf ormation. So just what is the value of this? While no one statistic by itself (with the exception of an E1RM) is all that valuable, they can give a clearer picture of your training rather than simply relying on memory when combined. Have your lif ts stalled and youre going nowhere? Look back at your training and compare it to a time when your lif ts were going up. What were the volumes between these two dif f erent periods of time? What kind of intensities were you working at? What exercise variations were you using? T hese are all questions that can be answered by a thorough training journal.

Prilipens Chart
Most powerlif ters have heard of Prilipens chart. For those who havent, it was a chart designed by A.S. Prilepin that assigned an ideal range of reps to perf orm per set and an optimal range and number per workout based on a certain percentage range. T his chart was designed through research with Olympic lif ters and with some deviation at the 90100 percent range. Powerlif ters have also f ound this to be ef f ective f or their training. If detailed training stats are kept, an easy and quick comparison can be made between Prilipens Chart and your own training. It might be possible to notice long-term trends. Rather than rely on Prilipens chart, you can now begin to create your own chart of ideal number of reps at each intensity zone. While this serves as a f antastic tool, it requires the user to be able to optimally use it. I have come to f ind that reviewing my journal and determining what is ef f ective and what isnt as ef f ective works best if I keep a tight rein on the variables involved. We dont become stronger in a vacuum, and many f actors outside the gym as well as those in our control can inf luence the process of getting stronger. However, strict control should be maintained over the f actors we can control. If you were to modif y f ive dif f erent variables and got signif icantly stronger over a certain period of time, which variables led to you getting stronger? Was it just one? Or three? Or maybe all of them? What variables should you change f or the next cycle and what ones should you keep the same? T hese questions can be much easier to answer when youre modif ying one variable at a time and realizing the ef f ect of that one variable. Training variables could be the subject of another entire article, so Ill simply leave it at the f ewer variables in your training, the more likely you are to identif y ef f ective and inef f ective variables in your training.

Besides the above listed sections in my journal, I also dedicate sections to goals (perf ormance and ef f ort goals), personal records, f uture plans and ideas, test day statistics, and the all-encompassing miscellaneous section. I do use a computer f or spreadsheet f unctions and typing the inf ormation in, but I personally pref er a hard copy of all this inf ormation. Some people would much rather consult a computer or smart phone than a stack of papers. Determine what works best f or you and use that method. Realistically, I realize journaling isnt going to instantly add pounds to my lif ts, but I f eel its another stone overturned in an ef f ort to push the body to its highest capabilities. While getting stronger is the strength athletes purpose rather than compiling statistics, understanding what exactly lead to the increases in strength can help ensure f uture increases in strength. T his is where I f eel this style of journaling def initely helps. Give it a try f or a couple of months and you may very well have the same opinion. Until next time, may your PRs come quickly and steadily.

An example of eight weeks of my training. References Simmons L (2001) HITor Miss? Retrieved f rom: http://www.westside-barbell.com/westsidearticles/PDF.Files/01PDF/HIT.pdf . Tuchscherer M (n.d.) Customizing Your RPE Chart. Retrieved f rom: http://reactivetrainingsystems.com/articles/training-articles/636-customizing-your-rpe-chart.