The Importance of Tracking Progress for Bodybuilder

There are millions of people taking the first steps towardfitness and muscle building. After deciding it is time to change your physicalshape, there are tools to help you reach your physical goals. Before startingyour path towards your dream body, you should utilize these tools to help yousucceed. Like the gym is an imperative part of muscle building, there isanother aspect of physical fitness that most people overlook; trackingprogress.
We all see the commercials for weight loss and fitness showing thebefore and after pictures to sell us products. What we don’t realize is theimportance of tracking progress. Here are some ideas for how to track yourprogress and keep you on track to reaching your goals.

Once you have decided to start your long road to perfectphysical conditioning, you should begin a log. This simple way of tracking yourprogress will be essential to your success. This will allow you to see what isworking and what is not working. Track your weight, muscle mass, body fatpercentage, and your workouts. Some find this hard to do in the beginning butsoon it will become a part of your workout routine.

Once a week weigh and measure your body, and track theprogress your workout is making. If you feel your workouts aren’t working thiswill be a great tool to provide insight into why and what needs changing. Whenyou are attempting to find a workout routine that works for you it can be trialand error. By tracking the progress from each attempted routine you candetermine which workout you will want to pursue and which workout needs to beomitted.

Diet is just as important as the workout itself. If you aresupplementing and dieting throughout your workout you will want to track yournutrition. If your diet is compromising your workout results, you will be ableto see what you need to add or subtract in order to get the results you desire.With so many combinations of supplements and nutrition, you will be able toeasily find what works to increase muscle mass and decrease body fat.

In your log you will want to track any supplements you take,your calorie intake, vitamins, and even the calories you burn throughout yourworkout. This will give you a positive view on how your exercise plan isbenefiting your goals. You will also be able to chart your progress easily ifyou are familiar with spreadsheet software such as Excel or OpenOfficeSpreadsheet.

In the beginning I mentioned before and after pictures fromcommercials. This is not just a sales gimmick but it is also a great way totrack progress. By using photos you can see where you started, where you areand where you end. Use a good camera to take pictures of where you arestarting. If you are not happy with how you look, which is why you decided toworkout, this can be an inspirational tool to keep you going to the gym.

Taking pictures during your path to your goals will alsohelp you see your progress. It is a fact that change is gradual, sometimes so gradualwe can’t see it. By taking pictures and tracking those changes you can compareyour current body to the body you started with and visually see your progress.This is a great way to dispute any doubts that you’re actually making anyprogress. There will be times when you feel it’s not working just because youcan’t see the difference. A photo log will help you see what others do.

Whether you are just starting your workout, or if you arelooking for a way to track your existing workout routine, taking a log willassist you in reaching your goals. Don’t let the unseen changes deter you fromcontinuing on to your perfect body. Take the steps needed to start logging yourprogression and keep your morale up.