If you can't remember what you lifted last week, you're guessing. Logging every set turns "I think I'm getting stronger" into proof, or shows you that you've stalled.
// 01Why it works
- Progression drives results. The American College of Sports Medicine's position stand on resistance training names progressive overload, gradually increasing the demands on your muscles, as a core principle for continued gains.
- Volume is a dial you can track. A meta-analysis found a dose-response effect: more weekly sets per muscle led to more growth, at least up to around 10 or more sets per week.
- What gets measured gets managed. A log shows exactly when to add load and when a lift has flatlined for weeks.
How to do it this week
- Log every set: exercise, weight, reps and how hard it felt. A notes app or a lifting app like Hevy or Strong both work.
- Use double progression: pick a rep range (say 8–12). When you hit the top of the range on every set, add the smallest weight jump and start again at the bottom.
- Count your weekly sets per muscle and aim for about 10 or more for the muscles you care most about.
- Review every two weeks. If a lift hasn't moved in three weeks, change one thing: reps, sets, the exercise or your sleep.
Common mistakes: adding weight while your form breaks down, changing exercises every week (you can't track what keeps changing), and logging only your best set.
Sources
- American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand: Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2009. PubMed 19204579
- Schoenfeld BJ et al. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and muscle mass. J Sports Sci, 2017. PubMed 27433992