Feel as though you’re doing everything right with your workout program but still aren’t quite seeing the results you were hoping for? Despite their best efforts, many people still come up short as far as their progress is concerned. Often, this lack of results can be attributed to just one or two different factors that is causing the issue.

Today, we’re going to talk about one missing link that gets overlooked time and time again. That link? Journaling.

Neglecting to journal is one of the biggest mistake you could make. Yes, it does take some time each workout to do it, but it’s time well invested.

Here’s why.

Motivational Improvement

The first reason to start journaling is because it’s a great tool to help you stay motivated. When you journal after each workout, you’ll be basically creating a storyline of the progress you’ve made.

Even better is if you also take progress pictures once every two weeks or so to add to this journal. If you do this, you’ll be able to reflect back on your journal on those days where you may feel like you just aren’t seeing results.

Then, it’ll become crystal clear that you are in fact moving forward. Remember, when you look at yourself daily in the mirror, it’s hard to see real changes taking place. But, when you look at yourself over time – say two to three months, you’ll see a transformation unfolding.

Assurance Of Constant Progression

The second reason that journaling is great is because it helps ensure constant progression. Many people won’t remember what they did last time they were in the gym, so if you’re relying on memory to carry you forward, this could fail you. It’s vital that you ‘beat’ your last workout, so to speak, performing more sets and reps than you did before.

By looking back through your journal, you can easily achieve this. If you see you did 10 reps on bench press last time for instance, this time, aim for 11. If you succeed, you know you are one step ahead.

One of the biggest reasons that people hit a progress plateau with their training is because they are failing to do anything different in the gym. They go in, day after day, doing the same workout over and over.

By changing something, you change your body. Having that journal will help you make that change.

Feedback For Future Use

Finally, a workout journal is also excellent to have to provide you with feedback for future use. For instance, you can look back on the journal and see how a particular workout assisted you in reaching your goals. You may find that one workout really catapulted you forward, while another workout didn’t yield much progress at all.

You can then use this information as you go about creating and designing new workouts into the future. Doing so will ensure they are as maximally effective as possible.

So there you have the main reasons why you should be adding workout journaling to your routine. Take 10 minutes, jot down what you did, how you felt during the workout, and the progress you are seeing. This information will be invaluable down the road.