A Useful Tip On Gaining Muscle Mass

One of the most useful tips on gaining muscle mass is to write a training journal. A training journal gives you a valuable record of each of your bodybuilding workouts. Set aside a space for each bodypart, then write down the number of sets and repetitions you do on each exercise. Also, keep track of the length of your workouts. A journal allows you to appreciate the subtle changes in strength that occur over time. It also increases your motivation as you see these improvements and commit yourself to even-greater intensity in the future.

A training journal can make a major difference in the progress of your workouts if you use it correctly. A journal helps you to keep track of your performance on a day-to-day basis and maintains your training on its proper course. When the amount of weight you lift or the number of repetitions goes up, you get instant positive feedback. Without a training record, it is virtually impossible to remember and appreciate all of the subtle changes that occur in your training regimen over time.

Your journal does not have to be a fancy notebook. Any piece of paper will do. There are inexpensive spiral notebooks that can be turned into training journals with the addition of a few lines. (You can even store your pencil in the spiral!) Be sure to write down the length of each of the workouts. You can increase the intensity of your training by reducing the rest time between sets. When you record the amount of time between your first and last sets, you give yourself another tool to measure your intensity level.

Gaining Muscle Mass Is Helped By Using A Training Journal…

Set aside a space for each bodypart. Then write down the exercises you do, the order you do them in, the amount of weight you lift and the number of sets and repetitions. You will, of course, be stronger on the first exercise you perform, but you don't have to do exercises in the same order all of the time. Just make sure you increase either the weight or the number of repetitions compared with what you did the last time you performed the exercise in that order. This will ensure progressive resistance on an ongoing basis.

A training journal can help you select the type of exercise program that works best for you. By showing how you respond to a particular program, a training record can establish whether a new program is better for your purposes than the one you were using previously. For example, did adding more sets increase your strength and mass gains, or did it push you into overtraining so the improvements actually slowed down? Without a journal it is very difficult to make an accurate decision, since it's virtually impossible to remember what you lifted on a particular exercise three or four months ago (the minimum amount of time you should take before making a judgement on exercise programs).

Increase Your Motivation For Gaining Lean Muscle Mass…

A training journal can also be a valuable motivational tool.. You can see in black and white all of the progress you have made. This can be important in the long haul, because we never grow as rapidly as we would like. Sometimes, in fact, the progress may seem so slow that you think you're treading water. One look at your training journal may reveal, however, that your strength has increased significantly over the past few months. It just happened so slowly that you weren't aware of it. A training journal can recharge your bodybuilding workouts as you celebrate the gains you have made. The recognition that you have gained strength in the past will inspire you to make additional gains in the future. The past is prologue, as they say. A training journal can help you on your way.