How to log your workouts: what to track and why

• The date
• The exercise, under the same name each time
• The weight you used
• The reps you completed in each set
• The number of sets

With those five fields you can answer the two questions that matter at the start of any session: what did I do last time, and what should I try today?

• Notes: a new grip, a pause, how the set felt, poor sleep, or pain.
• Body weight and body fat: only if they matter to your goal.
• The training day: Push, Pull, Legs, or whatever your split calls it.

Add a detail only if you will read it later. A log you stop keeping is worth nothing.

Log each set right after you finish it, while the numbers are fresh. Logging later from memory is where mistakes creep in. If you prefer to log at the end of a session, jot the weights and reps down as you go and enter them straight after. If you miss a session, log it for the day it happened as soon as you can.

The same lift under two names splits your history in two, so you cannot see a trend. Choose one name per exercise and stick with it. A library that lists variations by equipment, such as barbell, dumbbell, or machine, makes it easier to pick the exact one you did.

A training split tells you which exercises to expect on each day, so logging becomes filling in numbers instead of deciding what to do. Templates such as Push/Pull/Legs, Upper/Lower, and Full Body are a starting point you can edit. See training splits in IronBuddy.

A log only helps if you look at it. Once a week, compare your best sets and total volume with recent weeks; the progressive overload guide shows a simple routine.

A log is also only useful if it survives a lost phone. Keep a backup. IronBuddy can save an automatic JSON backup file in your Downloads folder, and you can export a copy yourself whenever you like.

1. Open a training day from the weekly view on the home screen.
2. Review the day's exercises and add or remove exercises if today's session differs from the plan.
3. Enter or adjust the reps and weight for each exercise.
4. Choose whether the change applies to this date only or also updates your plan for later weeks.
5. Tap Log workout to record it for that date.

Exercises without reps or weight are skipped, so an unfinished row does not clutter your history.