You’re started working out to firm up and lose those last ten pounds, and you’re anxious to see the fruits of your labors. Most people turn to the scale to measure their progress, but the scale isn’t always a reliable indicator since you’re building muscle if you’re strength training. You need another way to measure your fitness progress. So hide that scale, and use one of these ways to measure how well your workout is working.
Measure Fitness Progress by Keeping an Exercise Diary
Keeping a regular exercise diary is a way to chart your progress and see how your fitness improves over time. For each workout, write down the exercises you did, the number of reps, how much weight you used and how long your workout session lasted. Then write down how you felt when you started and after you finished. By doing this, you’ll see if you’re making progress and whether you’re lifting more weight and doing more reps. If you’re still lifting the same amount of weight three months after starting your program, you may be slacking off. By keeping an exercise diary, you’ll be able to monitor your motivation and mental attitude too. A drop off in motivation may be a sign you’re overtraining or need to change your workout. Our free online Workout Manager can make it easier for you to record and track all of your workouts and progress.
Measure Your Body Fat
Remember, the scale isn’t a good indicator of how you’re progressing since you’re building lean body mass. Your body fat measurement is a better measure. Track your body fat using a bioelectrical impedance scale, a scale that measures body fat. You can get one of at an inexpensive price online. If you don’t want to purchase one, use calipers instead. Neither of these methods is extremely accurate, but they’ll show how your body fat is changing over time. Always measure first thing in the morning since your level of hydration can alter the reading on the bioelectrical impedance scale.
Measure Your Resting Heart Rate
One of the best ways to measure your fitness level is to see how your resting pulse rate changes over time. As you become fitter, your pulse rate will drop. Measure your pulse rate every morning before getting out of bed, and record the result in your exercise diary. It may take several months to see a drop in pulse rate, but this drop means your heart is pumping oxygen more efficiently. This is a good indicator of cardiovascular fitness.|
Take Before and After Pictures
It’s hard to see yourself objectively when you look in the mirror every day. Take a photograph in a bathing suit at the beginning of your fitness program. Then take another one every three months, and post them in your exercise diary or in our Workout Manager. Make sure you’re wearing the same bathing suit in each shot. Are you seeing changes? That’s a good sign.
Measure Your Fitness Progress Using a Benchmark Exercise
Choose an exercise such as pull-ups or push-ups to serve as your benchmark. Keep a record of how many you can do them when you start your exercise program and again after 3 months. If you can do more, you’re building upper body strength. Retest yourself at 3-month intervals.
Measuring Your Fitness Progress Will Keep You Motivated
Use these fitness progress measures to see how you’re progressing and stay motivated. It’s better than stepping on the bathroom scale.
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