Training log |

Training log

Writing down what you did, what you ate, how you slept, and how you felt about those topics (and others) is an easy way to monitor, track, & measure your abilities plus effectiveness daily. Generally, most folks put those types of entries in a diary, journal, or training log and this paper will discuss training logs as a tool to help you in your quest for success.

Many times in life and in training, one thing affects another thing. Simply stated, how you slept could effect how you train. Or, what you ate could effect how you felt during sleep. To determine how one area of your life effects another, you could write down what you did leading up to exams, tests, competitions, etc. In this way, you will actually see in writing what lead you to your success.

What also could be helpful would be to write down what happened and how you felt during (before or after too) the test, exam, or competition. Again, this will give you invaluable clues to your success. When you start to notice what makes you feel confident and ready for optimal success, you can write down this recipe and use it again and again.

Speaking of recipes, have you ever changed a written recipe and it turned out not so good?
Have you ever changed a written recipe and it turned out better than you ever imagined?

If you have done either of the 2 above questions, you now may be able to envision the effectiveness of writing things down and change. (You can decide to change based on different outcomes, info, or clues scribed in your training log.) If you have not experienced either of the 2 above questions, can you imagine the idea of writing things down/change and see their collective effectiveness?

Another example: You notice by reading your journal entries the last month or so you’ve been getting only 35 hours of sleep per week (5 hours per night average). Also, your teachers have been waking you up in class and your coach notices you look sleepy in practice and asks you daily ‘are you getting enough rest and sleep’. Those 3 clues may lead you to believe…you need more sleep. The training log may have helped you determine how much sleep you are getting and how much sleep you need.

Here are some ideas (to monitor, track, & measure) for you to think about so you can create a training log for you liking. Remember, tools are only useful if used consistently and effectively: