My Favorite Workout Partner

Everyone who is involved in strength training knows the value of a good workout partner. A workout partner pushes you, holds you accountable, and can serve as a trainer, reminding you of specific techniques while lifting. A good workout partner is also with you while you train. They are on time, never late and keep the same schedule that you do.

Since I started training in 1980, I have always had the same workout partner. My partner has an excellent memory and can recall what I did last week or even last year. My partner also reminds me of how I was feeling during specific workouts where I underachieved. Maybe I had a headache, a tweaked muscle, or some personal things going on and wasn’t fully engaged.

I am referring to my training notebook or journal.

It is the most important accessory you take to the gym with you. It is also, BY FAR, the most underutilized piece of equipment. As a trainer, I require everyone I train to write down what they do. Not everyone likes it, but if you do not have time (or discipline) to write down your reps and weight with each workout, you are not giving yourself the best chance to achieve your goals.

If your desire is to go to the gym for fun and a bit of exercise, then that is not a problem. If, however, you wish to make measured and sustainable improvements, you need to track your workouts. Each workout, I review the last time I did that sequence and try to improve by adding weight, reps or time. These small improvements add up over time. Imagine if you are a competitive lifter and you add one pound to your deadlift each week. That would be a 50lb improvement over the course of a year. My journal motivates me to do just a little better than I did last time.

I see so many lifters doing the same weight (or just randomly changing weight, exercises or reps) for weeks or even months on end with no real plan or improvement. At The Pit, we have always provided a place to store your training journals. With modern technology, you can even store journals on the cloud. There is no reason to not take advantage of one of the simplest improvements you can make.

The Pit has always prided itself on helping serious people achieve their goals. That goal might be walking 50 steps or squatting 700lbs but if it is important to you, it is important to us! If you have any questions, as always, just feel free to stop me and ask. I believe in fitness!