Yes, You Should Record What You Do in the Gym...Here's How

Yes, You Should Record What You Do in the Gym…Here’s How

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You walk into the gym, fire in your veins and iron in your sights.

But when it’s time to load the bar or choose your next lift, you’re relying on memory—foggy, biased, and half-focused on that guy curling in the squat rack.

That ends today.

If you’re serious about building a physique that commands respect—if you’re not just working out, but training—then you need to record what the hell you do in the gym.

Not tomorrow. Now.

Why It Matters

  1. Progressive overload requires proof. You can’t lift heavier, push harder, or get bigger without knowing what you did last time.
    → What gets measured gets built.
  2. Your body adapts to stimulus, not effort. Feeling “tired” or “pumped” isn’t data. Weight, sets, reps, tempo, rest—that’s the intel that drives muscle growth.
  3. Emotion lies. Records don’t. Motivation fades. Numbers tell the truth. Even when you feel weak, seeing progress in cold, hard ink will light your fuse again.

How the Musclebuilder Tracks

You don’t need a fancy app or a digital dashboard. Start simple, stay consistent.

Pick your method:

  • A rugged little notebook (battle-worn and sweat-stained preferred)
  • Notes app in your phone (Brickwall’s choice…just don’t let it become a distraction machine. No scrolling, swiping, checking messages, etc.)
  • A spreadsheet or training log template (if you’re the spreadsheet savage type)

What to track:

  • Date
  • Muscles hit
  • Tempo
  • Rest time
  • Exercise name
  • Weight used
  • Sets
  • Reps
  • Notes on form, effort, or mental state

Example Entry:

11/5/55 – Chest/Triceps

Tempo: 3-1-1-1

Rest Interval: 90 seconds

Incline DB Press (notch 2 on bench) – 60 lbs (ea.) x 10, 10, 9, 8, 8

Chest press machine – 170 lbs x 10, 9, 9, 8, 7

Rope cable triceps press down – 40 lbs x 10, 10, 9, 9, 8

Max out push-ups – bw (body weight) x 21

Notes: Abide by tempo, went a little quick on the eccentric portion of some lifts.

—

Simple.

Take the time. Pays dividends for decades.

Bonus: Record Your Wins, Too

Snap a pic every few weeks. Write down performance milestones. Celebrate the heavy PRs and the disciplined days you showed up tired but trained anyway.

Because this isn’t just about building muscle—it’s about building you.

Bottom line, brother:

Tracking isn’t optional. It’s a weapon.

Don’t wander into battle blind.

Step into the gym with a plan—and walk out with receipts.

Brick by brick.

-Brickwall