The goal of any good workout program is simple: to get you fitter. It’s an investment, and with any good investment comes a return.
If you start a new skin care regimen, you would notice if your skin is clearing up, or not. If you took golf lessons, you’d know if your score is better or worse than before you started, if your drives are getting longer, and/or if you feel more comfortable hitting the ball. If you invest money in the stock market, it’s either growing or shrinking. It’s either this or that, there is no in between.
So how do you know if you’re getting fitter from your workouts?
When it comes to fitness, it may not be as clear, but wouldn’t you still like to know if your exercise routine was worth your time, energy, and effort?
As humans, we love progress. We’re wired for it. In many cases, if it’s not growing, it’s dying. If you’re working out and not seeing results—or know how to track them—you may end up quitting prematurely.
Below are some of the many ways you can track your fitness….some are subjective, some are quantifiable, and some are just compliments—but they all are ways that you can see and track your progress. Try one, or try them all, but don’t neglect tracking entirely.
Afterall, it has been said: Numbers don’t lie, and winners keep score.
Subjective/Intangible
Take a few moments to consider whether or not you’ve noticed improvements in the areas below as compared to when you first started your fitness journey.
Clothes fitting better
Sleeping better
More energy
Not as many rests during WODs
Daily activities feel easier
Overall mood
Overall enjoyment of working out – the better we get at things, the more we want to do them.
Quantifiable/Measurable
Increased Endurance (eg running longer distances without stopping)
Able to RX a higher percentage of workouts over a given period
Developing new skills (such as cool party tricks like handstands, double-unders, pistols)
Improvement in any of the Hero or Girls Benchmark WODS
Body Composition Analysis
Heart rate (eg decreased resting heart rate)
Increase in 1 rep max: back squats, deadlifts, shoulder press, etc
5k and/or 10k Run or Row time trials
1-mile Run time trials
Lower blood pressure
VO2 Max
Compliments
Even if you don’t feel you’re where you want to be yet, you know things are headed in the right direction with your fitness routine when you hear things like:
“You look great!”
“Have you lost weight?”
“You’re looking swole!”
“How much can you bench?”
“What’s your Fran time?!”
“You are glowing!”
Pick one or two from each category. Go with the ones that mean the most to you personally. If you’re a competitive athlete, you’ll want to lean more towards the repeatable feats of fitness that are measurable. If you want to feel the best you possible can, stick with the subjective/tangible and track things such as your energy levels and sleep quality. And finally, if your goal is overall health and longevity, make sure you’re getting regular check-ups with your doctor and that your biomarkers are all trending in the right direction.
If, after a few months of dedicated training you’re not seeing progress in ANY of these categories, then it’s likely a sign that you need a new routine or that you need to push through a plateau. If that is the case, contact us today for a free No Sweat Intro and we’ll get you back on track!