Track Workout
Progress

Monitor your performance and progress faster with intelligent tracking

Discover the guide

Training regularly but feel like you're plateauing? The secret to progress in bodybuilding lies in one often overlooked element: precise tracking of your performance. Without tracking your workouts, you're navigating blind and missing out on huge potential gains.

This complete guide explains why and how to track your progress, which metrics to monitor, and how to use this data to explode your performance and reach your goals faster.

Why track your progress?

Guaranteed progressive overload

Impossible to apply progressive overload without precise data. Tracking allows you to know exactly which weight or volume to increase each session.

Amplified motivation

Seeing your quantified progress (weights lifted, total volume, personal records) boosts motivation and pushes you to exceed yourself at every workout.

Identify weaknesses

Data analysis reveals exercises or muscle groups that are stagnating, allowing you to adjust your program accordingly.

Time saver

No more hesitation in the gym. You know exactly which weights to use and how many sets to perform for each exercise.

The golden rule: What isn't measured can't be improved. Elite athletes track every session without exception. This is what makes the difference between linear progression and stagnation.

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Essential metrics to track

1 Weight lifted per set

The most important metric. Note the exact weight used for each set of each exercise. This is the foundation of progressive overload.

Notation example:

Bench press: 176lbs × 10, 176lbs × 9, 165lbs × 10

2 Training volume

Total volume = Weight × Reps × Sets. This metric is crucial for measuring the overall intensity of your sessions and your work capacity.

Volume calculation:

3 sets of 10 reps at 176lbs = 176 × 10 × 3 = 5,280 lbs

3 Estimated 1RM (max strength)

Your 1RM (One Rep Max) indicates your maximum strength on an exercise. It evolves with training and serves as a reference for calculating your working loads.

Intensity zones

  • • Strength: 85-95% 1RM (1-5 reps)
  • • Hypertrophy: 70-85% 1RM (6-12 reps)
  • • Endurance: 50-70% 1RM (12+ reps)

Usefulness

  • • Program your cycles
  • • Measure your progression
  • • Adjust your loads

4 Body measurements

The scale doesn't tell the whole story. Track your measurements to see where you're gaining muscle or losing fat.

Body weight: 1× per week in the morning
Arm circumference: 1× per month
Waist circumference: 1× per week
Photos: Every 15 days

5 Feel and performance

Subjective data is important for adjusting your training and avoiding overtraining.

  • RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion)

    Note the difficulty of each set out of 10. RPE 8 = 2 reps in reserve

  • Sleep quality

    Poor sleep directly impacts your performance

  • Energy level

    Persistent fatigue = sign of overwork or under-recovery

BenchRep tracks everything automatically

Volume, estimated 1RM, personal records, detailed history... Our algorithm calculates and visualizes all these metrics for you. Focus on your workouts.

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How to track effectively

Workout tracking apps

The modern and most efficient method. An app like BenchRep allows you to:

  • Log your sets in seconds directly at the gym
  • Visualize your progression with clear graphs
  • Automatically calculate volume, 1RM and advanced statistics
  • Review past performances to beat your records
  • Save all your data in the cloud

Paper notebook

The old school method but effective if you prefer avoiding your phone at the gym.

Advantages

  • • No phone distraction
  • • Satisfaction of writing
  • • Works everywhere

Disadvantages

  • • No automatic calculations
  • • No graphs
  • • Risk of loss/forgetting

Excel/Google Sheets spreadsheet

Intermediate solution for those who like to customize. You can create your own formulas and charts.

But beware: tedious to fill in at the gym and requires knowledge of Excel formulas to fully exploit the data.

Our recommendation

Use a dedicated app like BenchRep. It combines gym-friendly ease of use with spreadsheet analysis power, without any effort on your part. The time saved and quality of insights are well worth the investment (which is free!).

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Progressive overload principle

Tracking workouts has only one purpose: applying progressive overload, the fundamental principle of all progression in bodybuilding.

What is progressive overload?

It's the gradual increase in stress imposed on your muscles over time. Without progressive overload, there's no muscle growth or strength gain.

Your muscles only adapt if you give them a reason to: an increasingly greater stimulus.

The 4 methods of progressive overload

1

Increase weight

The simplest and most effective method. Add 5-10lbs as soon as you reach the top of your rep range.

Example: 176lbs × 12 reps → 181lbs × 8-10 reps

2

Increase reps

Keep the same weight but do more repetitions each session until you reach your upper limit.

Example: 176lbs × 8, 8, 7 → 176lbs × 10, 9, 8 → 176lbs × 12, 11, 10

3

Increase volume

Add an extra set to increase the total work volume on an exercise.

Example: 3 sets → 4 sets at same weight/reps

4

Reduce rest

Progressively decrease rest time between sets to increase work density.

Example: 90s rest → 75s → 60s between sets

How BenchRep helps you

BenchRep automatically shows you your previous performances when you start an exercise. You instantly know which weight to beat and by how much. No more excuses not to progress!

100%

of your sets tracked

0

calculation effort

+35%

average gains

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Only tracking certain exercises

    Track ALL your exercises, not just the big movements. Your arms and shoulders also deserve to be tracked.

  • Logging after the fact

    Log immediately after each set. Your memory isn't reliable, especially at the end of a session.

  • Focusing only on weight

    Weight is just one variable. Volume, execution quality and feel also matter tremendously.

  • Giving up after a few weeks

    Tracking is a long-term habit. Real benefits appear after 3-6 months of rigorous tracking.

  • Never analyzing your data

    Take 10 minutes each month to analyze your progress, identify weak points and adjust your program.

Frequently asked questions

Is it really necessary to track everything?

Yes. Impossible to apply progressive overload without precise data. Athletes who track progress 2 to 3 times faster than those who train "by feel". It's the difference between an amateur and a serious athlete.

Doesn't it take too much time?

With an app like BenchRep, logging a set takes 5 seconds: you type the weight and reps, that's it. On a 60-minute session with 15-20 sets, that's 1-2 minutes of total tracking. The ROI is huge.

I'm a beginner, should I already track?

ABSOLUTELY. It's even more important for beginners who progress rapidly. You want to capitalize on this phase of rapid gains. Start with good habits from day 1.

What's the difference between BenchRep and a notebook?

BenchRep automatically calculates your volume, 1RMs, generates progression graphs, shows your records, and saves everything in the cloud. A notebook requires all these manual calculations and gives you no visualization of your progression.

How to stay motivated to track long-term?

Make it a non-negotiable habit like brushing your teeth. After 2-3 weeks, it becomes automatic. Seeing your quantified progress becomes addictive: beating your personal records is an inexhaustible source of motivation.

Ready to explode your performance?

Download BenchRep and start tracking your workouts today. Track every set, visualize your progression and unlock your full potential.

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