Planning = Success

Moving into the warmer months, many of us are feeling the spark for change. Whether you have a consistent workout routine, or you are just starting, understanding how to track progress is essential to any fitness goal. By the end of this blog, you will be equipped with the tools and ideas for tracking your progress both in and out of the gym.

The first step is establishing a fitness goal. Utilizing SMART goals (shoutout Movement Lab Como Instagram) is an easy way to think about formatting these goals. SMART stands for the following: 

  • Specific: a goal that is tailored and does not include broad statements

  • Measurable: easy to track and see if progress is being made

  • Attainable: something that will fit with your current lifestyle 

  • Relevant: a goal that matters to you and motivates you 

  • Time bound: there is a specific timeline that is realistic to meet the goal 

Once you have your goal, you can begin to think about how you will track the progress made toward achieving the goal. Tracking your progress can be viewed from a qualitative or quantitative perspective. Qualitative refers to non-numerical data. In fitness, this can be the overall feeling that you have after a workout or the reaction that you have to a certain diet. Quantitative, or numerical data, is absolutely essential when it comes to tracking progress. The number of pounds lost, the increase in weight used, or a reduction in mile time are all examples of hard data that are representative of change made.

Reaching a goal also requires systematic planning and progressive overload. Progressive overload places the body in a constant state of demand, requiring it to adapt and continue to change. While progressive overload is often thought of as increasing weight or resistance in a lifting setting, there are many ways to overload the body. Increasing the number of sets or reps,  decreasing rest time, or changing the modality used can challenge the body in new ways.

Living in the age where there is an app for everything makes tracking progress super simple! Writing down numbers hit, mile times, and new PRs can be logged for reference. Food and macros can be tracked on a number of apps to bring awareness to how you are fueling your body. If apps aren’t your thing, writing progress down in a journal or planner can also provide a reference point and log of hard work. 


Below is an example of progressing and tracking goals: 

  • SMART goal: Increase my squat weight from 135 to 155 by the end of four weeks. Given that I have been lifting, I should be able to manage this goal in a month. 

  • I will track my lifting progress on my notes app and track my macros on MacrosFirst

  • To reach my goal, I plan on training my squat twice a week to allow for adequate rest time in between workouts. To supplement my squats, I will utilize a variety of workouts to strengthen the glutes, quads and hamstrings. Given that squats are a knee dominant exercise, strengthening these movement patterns will be helpful in strengthening my squat. 

Alex Shrader