Gym Question

[V8SplashMan]

Hey guys ive got another question.

If im not following a routine at gym am I just wasting my time? When I go to the gym I basically try hit the same pieces of equipment I normally use, but I never keep track of how much im doing or how much im lifting.

I feel my arms very pumped at the end of my work out and rock hard so does it still matter????

I really want to try gain muscle, but I guess I need to figure out if im even going anywhere.

[howardalex]

you'll probs overtrain if you don't know what you should be doing each time and isolate your muscles so as they can heal

http://bodybuildingforyou.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4

[hmmm]

Are you making gains?

Because you probably wont know if you never know how much you lifted in your last workout. Further without a routine you'll probably be forever doing the same workout and not training all your muscles equally (if training them at all).

No routine = limited gains.

[FoRuMbOaRdS360]

Technically you dont have to keep tract of what you do and how much. Its just to track progress.

However you should have a routein.

It doesnt have to be
monday- chest/tris
tuesday- legs
wednesday- back/bis
thursday- abs
friday- shoulder/traps
satuday-legs/rest
sunday-rest

But it should be like ok chest n w/e then after that i know tomorrow im gonna do w/e. You dont have to do it on the same days but you should NOT do
monday-arms
tuesday-bis
wednesday-chest
thrusdays-mix
friday-mix

Your going to overtrain

[X_puritan_X]

I keep a log of all my lifts. I think I'm the only guy at both gyms I go to that writes down everything. I get some funny looks but I'm making great gains. I have each excersise written down...Im not aimlessly playing with the weights...I have a purpose and I know what Im doing each day. I personally think you are wasting your time if you are not tracking your lifts.

[dannyboy9]

I'm with X_puritan_X on this. I go to my gym and write down all my stuff down too. Like Forum said, you don't HAVE to but it will only benefit you to keep track of your sessions recorded. Very good for the sake of progress. Feels good to look back on it a a month or so from now and see how far you've come. In a way it's like looking @ the scale every so often. It's good to see the numbers go up or down every so often depending on whether you're bulking or whatever.

[NiteHawk]

Why would you not want to keep a log of what you are doing??

How do you know if you are progressing or not? The key is to keep a log of your all your lifts, weight, sets, reps, etc. Then the next time you go in there, you want to beat that previous day.

You definitely want a routine. You dont want to keep doing the same exercises with the same weight. That is useless really.

[B4n3 0n3]

I do actually keep a log but I can pretty much remember all my lifts in my head.

[NiteHawk]

Originally Posted by B4n3 0n3

I do actually keep a log but I can pretty much remember all my lifts in my head.

What about workouts that were 3-4 weeks ago ??

[Cammo]

I used to keep a log in my head the 'remember' way, but now that I'm scribbling everything down I seem to have more of a focus of what I'm doing.

With the program I'm doing now, I worked out the weights I'd be lifting for the next 8 weeks - progressing each workout. Some of them have to be adjusted up or down of course, but it gives me a goal & also keeps me a bit more focussed as I've mentioned.

I would strongly recommend a training diary.
Setting up a journal on here and/or other forums is also a good idea - people can give you motivation & also a bit of constructive criticism (spot problems in your routine that you may have overlooked for example).

[B4n3 0n3]

Originally Posted by NiteHawk

What about workouts that were 3-4 weeks ago ??

That starts to get a little bit fuzzy.