Using an App, or Not, to Record Sets

Remember that “what gets measured gets managed” paradigm we mentioned in the preface—the measure first mantra? It’s often a good idea to keep track of your sets and reps over time, as well as the subjective aspects of weightlifting (e.g., “I was maxed out by that last set, even though last week I got through it no problem.”). The data is not only motivational, but it shows you what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong, when you need to rest, and what type of rest works best.

The purpose of resistance training is to increase muscular strength by gradually increasing the resistance or weight you are lifting. This action stimulates the muscles and other physical systems to adapt to an ever-increasing load or level of weight. If you want to be scientific about your weightlifting, it can be difficult to remember the weight that you used for various exercises, and thus to manage the sequential incrementing of that weight as you develop strength, if you don’t keep records.