Every January, I watch as parking lots at local gyms burst to overflowing. I no longer train at a gym as I prefer to get my strength training at home, but I have no trouble remembering those early days of each year.
Each year, the same thing: everyone is taking Strength Training 101…for a while.
Lines in front of every exercise machine. What felt like a million out-of-shape guys waiting for the bench press. Treadmills as far as the eye could see, with gallons and gallons of perspiration being worked off. You could see the determination (sometimes it looks like misery) on every face. This is the year.
By February those gyms are empty. Well, not empty, but back to business as usual, meaning:
- Few if any lines for the machines
- The regulars who have been training for years get back to business as usual
- The gym owners smile to themselves as they count up the new memberships
These gyms are now ghost towns because people are too hard on themselves. They do not understand the many ways to make progress in the gym. They’re only measuring what the magazines say to. When those epic results don’t materialize, they are frustrated and burn out quickly.
There’s a better way. Below I’m going to outline a few additional steps for measuring that will ensure that you can always make progress and always feel like you’re marching forward to your goals.
Of course, this means you have to have goals!
Ways in which physical progress can be measured
There is no better way to maintain your fitness habits than to make constant progress. Try measuring any or all of these.
1. Body composition
Get some measurements taken. Reevaluate monthly. If your body fat is moving in the direction you want, feel good about it.
2. Losing weight
3. Intensity, i.e., you’ve put more weight on the bar than ever before
This is progress that is impossible to misinterpret. Stronger is stronger. It’s that simple.
4. More total reps in a workout
Let’s use the bench press for an example. Suppose that on Monday you did 50 reps. One week later, you did 51 reps. That’s progress. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. (You can also calculate this as the total volume or poundage for a workout. 135 lbs on the bench times 51 reps = 6,885 lbs moved during your workout)
5. More reps per set
Suppose your top set of bench press a week ago was 10 reps in a row. This week it was 11 at the same weight. Again, time to celebrate and keep moving forward.
6. More reps in less time (density)
If a week ago it took you 35 minutes to do 50 bench presses, but this week you did 50 reps in 30 minutes with the same weight, that’s an improvement in density. More work in less time is a reason to feel good.
7. Movement quality
A bit more subjective. Have you ever done a movement like bench press and things start clicking or your body just doesn’t like it? When the clicks diminish and movements start to feel better, that’s progress. It’s progress you earn with quality reps.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, too many people abandon their strength or fitness goals because they fail to make progress worth celebrating according to these fitness industry:
- I don’t look like the girl in the magazine
- I can’t bench 1000 lbs like that guy on TV
- I can’t see my abs
So what? There is nobody to impress but yourself. If you are having fun with your training, you’ll make progress. If you measure the metrics I’ve outlined above, you’ll make progress and never stop. You’ll get stronger every day.
Go have fun, lift well, and be happy.