When you start working out, you set goals. While some of us are looking to lose weight, others are trying to build muscle. Whether you’ve been following a regular fitness routine for years, months, or days, you probably started on your fitness journey with the intention to make a change. Our team of experts came up with a list of effective ways to track your progress.
- Measure Your Body: Measure your body’s muscle vs. fat composition. As you work out you may be gaining muscle and shedding fat, which will cause your body weight to remain the same. Measure your chest, hips, waist, and any other body parts you wish to change.
- Make a Workout Journal: A workout journal is not only fun to maintain but is also a great way to track your body’s progress. There is no universal workout plan for all kinds of bodies. The journal of a person trying to track weight loss will be different from someone who aspires strength gain. It is important to jot down all the nitty-gritty details of your workout for a proper assessment of your fitness progress.
- Take Progress Photos: Click post-workout photos every now and then. Compare your latest pictures with the ones you clicked when you had first started working out. After all, pictures never lie! This is ideally suited to check the visible muscle growth one experiences over time.
- Test Your Rep Max: Rep Max is the shortened form of Repetition Maximum. It refers to the maximum weight that one can lift for a specific number of reps. Rep Max or RM is a measure that is used to determine the strength level of an individual. Measuring your RM from time to time will help you understand your strength gains.
- Measure Body Weight: If you are on a weight gain or loss spree, the easiest way to do so is by measuring your body weight periodically and keeping a record in your workout journal. As you start to track weight loss or gain, mention your diet and your workout plan alongside.
- Track Your Workouts: Jot down the gradual progress you have made by measuring how the weights you lifted per exercise each week kept increasing, how you grew more and more comfortable with doing more reps, and so on.
- Mirror: This is an easy and accessible way to measure your fitness progress without having to go through the hassle of calculating numbers. It can give you a rough “guesstimate” whether you are coming closer to achieving your goal. The visible muscle growth or the beautifully toned body after weight loss will motivate you to push yourself further.
- Consistency: For any work you do, consistency is the key to success.
