Sunday 3.04.12

This is an excerpt from Holly's first blog post on her online training log:
"I found my old training log from my past globo-gym days. Are you so impressed with my 3 sets of 18 reps of deadlifts @20 pounds on legs day? Or how about my set of 12 decline presses using...wait for it...THE BAR on chest/tris day? Wow, what a day I put in at the gym. I hope I adequately rewarded myself with a protein shake from the smoothie bar."

Recording your workouts:

This is a recent article on keeping a workout log called "Powerful Reasons To Use a Workout Log" from T-nation.com.  Everyone serious about their training and making gains should be logging what they did each session so they know what they've done and where they can improve. It helps with goal setting from session to session, as well as long term goals. If you don't keep track, how do you know you've gotten better, or stronger, or faster? And what is the point of working so hard if you don't know if you're improving?  Take a moment to read this article.

It is not difficult.  At The Compound, we give you several options and examples of doing it.  We post "labels" on each workout day that lists the workouts and exercises used that day and ask you to post to comments your efforts that day.  Use of this feature varies, from as many as 18 in the first half of the week, to as few as 2 comments in the last half of the week.  I know we have WAY more members than 18 coming in on any given day.  By clicking on the labels each day, you can get a list of all the days we performed a certain exercise.  

Most of the coaches have also kept online workouts logs and graciously post them and link them to the the gym's website so everyone can see different ways to post.  Here's mine from yesterday:

The different ways each coach posts his workouts, however wordy or lack of that they are, are ways that each one of them can look back at their workouts days, months or years later and know exactly what they did.  This helps them to continue improving, prevent injury and otherwise make the adjustments they need to balance out their program for the goals they usually write down in the same workout log.

Another tool available, we have many people writing their scores daily on the whiteboard.  This is important as it shows other people who train at different times what other members are doing.  This can be encouraging as you see other people succeed.  Or you can chase another member's numbers that you know you are compared to in fitness levels.  Competition is an important aspect of improving fitness.

Finally, a benefit of logging our scores, The CrossFit Games management is able to accurrately score the 60,000+ athletes participating.  I am proud of everyone participating from The Compound, it adds some fun and excitement to training.  Ryan S. and I have a side bet as to who's going to score higher in the open between us.  Most likely for "The Sheriff" at Cattlemen's or extra steak nachos at Los Reyes.  So far, the top 3 men and women from The Compound through two workouts are:

            TK                              Holly

            LA Ryan                    Melissa

            Ryan S                       Nicole

The Masters guys are scored seperately, not everyone has entered their scores, and even then CrossFit says it takes till Tuesday for all the numbers to settle.  So stay tuned and we'll keep you updated.

In the meantime, Games Competitors, finish your workouts and submit your scores by 5pm today or your scores will no longer be counted!