Tracking Bodybuilding Progress

tracking progress 70 Tracking Bodybuilding Progress

Have you ever driven a thousand miles to a place you’ve never been before? It’s kinda nice to know where you started from, where you currently are, and where you plan to end up.

Why then do so many people neglect tracking bodybuilding progress? It makes NO sense.

Failure to reach fitness goals is a direct result of not knowing where you started from, where you currently are in relation to where you started from, and where you plan to end up. In other words. How can you end up as a successful bodybuilder if you don’t know where you are in the grand scheme of things?

Tracking bodybuilding progress is essential if you intend on reaching your fitness goals successfully.

Tracking Bodybuilding Progress: What should you track and How should you track it?

What should you track when it comes to bodybuilding progress? A second question would be, How should you track it?

Without going into too much detail I’ll give you a list of basic things that you should track.

Weight

Using weight as a progress indicator for bodybuilders causes problems, because, as you lose fat you increase lean muscle mass simultaneously. Since there’s a good chance that the scale won’t fluctuate much it won’t do you much good to track your weight.

On the other hand, if you are grossly overweight to start with, then watching the weight drop from week to week would certainly be wise to track.

Fat loss

Most bodybuilders at times carry too much fat around their belly to look good in competition. Therefore, the fat needs to go.

Measure your body fat with a body fat caliper. They are cheap enough and easy enough to use.

Lean Muscle Gain

How do you know if you are gaining in the lean muscle department?

It’s fairly easy to know. Are your biceps getting bigger, your chest expanding, your legs getting thicker? Then it’s likely you are gaining in lean muscle weight.

Get yourself a cloth measuring tape and measure the muscles on your body from time to time.

Another simple way to check up on your muscle gain progress is by using a digital camera.

Take pictures of your physique frequently and compare them as you progress. Pictures don’t lie. If your muscles are growing you will notice them.

Strength Gains

Strength gains are fairly obvious to measure. Can you lift more this week than last week? If you can your strength has increased.

The problem for many bodybuilders is that they don’t keep track of these gains on a workout to workout basis.Out of all the things you track, what happens during your workout routines is the most important.

Tracking the details of daily workouts can warn you when you are stuck in a weightlifting plateau. By keeping accurate records see more quickly when you are stuck in one.

If you don’t already have a workout log you are welcome to download my free workout log book. Just click on the image at right to begin the download. No strings attached.

Time Element

What should acceptable bodybuilding progress be?

The simple answer is, I don’t know. It will be different for each individual. At times you will progress rapidly because you are doing everything right. At times your progress will grind to a halt.

The point I want to get across is that you need to track how long it takes you to reach your goals. If you know when you started on a goal you can tell if it’s taking an inordinate amount of time to achieve it.