Time flies by really fast… and suddenly, I find that it’s been two whole hazy months that I haven’t hit the gym! And… how do I know that?? Well, thanks to my trusty little Workout Log which I keep pasted on the fridge!
For those of you not into an exercise routine, you may wonder what’s a Workout Log. Well, it’s simply a chart that you tick off each time you go to the gym to keep track of your progress. Well, sorta like a silent personal trainer who keeps track of your going to the gym, a glaring reminder of how often (or less frequently) you go to the gym. Also, with so many things going on in my life, my brains are jam-packed with other important things that I need to remember, and I’d rather tick off on the Workout Log what exercise classes I’ve been going to, else I’d be gravitating towards those easier classes and neglecting the tougher ones.
(We always tend to avoid pain … and seek pleasure. – according to Mr. Anthony Robbins)
For those exercise buffs, each of us would already have a set of routines that we stick to. A workout log just tracks our progress, and makes sure that our exercises are balanced on the whole, and not just concentrated on one part of the body. (You don’t want one part of your body to be disproportionately bigger than the rest, regardless what part that is!)
I have friends, like Eleen, who swears by Body Pump classes to keep her body in shape. I have guy friends who love weights, and those bench presses, dumbbells and curls. A specific exercise routine targetted at specific muscle groups. (Ouch.)
Personally, I prefer group exercises, as I find it not so boring, especially if the instructor is hunky and charming! The class exercises can be divided into 2 main categories, one is to burn fat, and the other, to build muscle.
Fat burning exercises are the slower more fluid type of exercises, such as walking, dancing, etc. My fat burning arsenal is my latin and jazz dance classes. These classes are fun, sexy and not tiring. We burn fat as we swirl and twirl with the music, relaxing the mind as well as the body. Lovely!
Muscle building and toning exercises are the high impact type of exercises, my favourites being Body Combat and Power Jump. After just a couple of weeks of not missing classes (3 classes a week), I can see my body toned right back into shape. Body Combat targets mainly the upper body. With repetitive movements, the arms are firmed up, and the torso into a V-shaped 6-pack. Power Jump targets the lower body. It targets the lower abdomen, butt and thighs. Beautiful.
The best strategy is to combine both fat burning classes and muscle building classes into a workable plan. The best is to alternate one fat burning exercise of your choice, with a muscle building exercise of your choice. That is where your Workout Log comes in handy. Plan out your most effective strategy and stick to it. And then stick your Workout Log somewhere you can see it prominently! It can be on the fridge, on the mirror, on your door, or even on your car dashboard. Let it be a silent reminder… to get off your butt and go workout!
You can DOWNLOAD A FREE PRINTABLE WORKOUT LOG HERE.
In this Free Printable Workout Log, I have given you 2 examples of how to define your exercise objectives. One Printable Workout Log for the upper body, and one Printable Workout Log for the lower body. And one BLANK Printable Workout Log for you to write in your own favourite exercises, which may defer from mine.
HAPPY EXERCISE!
October 25th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
aiyoh…..last time i was going gyn, never knew of a log like this. now i no longer member of gym, i find this….
are you still actively attending the classes. personally, I like combat, step and RPM classes. I tried Pump and almost died, so, it’s no pump for me! 
October 26th, 2008 at 9:51 am
In the true essence of Tony Robbins’ words, I would gather that the best thing to do would be to employ consistency in one’s daily timetable; meaning, just go to the gym as per reqiured by what you have originally set. No point coming up with being busy as an excuse…..cos by then, the picture might just be that obviously different. Instead of displaying a tight and firm glutes on the beaches of Penang, ……imagine….one’s ass dragging the sands on that same stretch of beach….kinda like leaving behind tyre trails….HAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!!!!
October 26th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Thx for sharing this gem, babe.
I am totally amazed that you came up with this Workout Log! Guess I am nowhere as dilligent as you to come up with a log and stick to it.
For me, I just crave the adrenaline fix. Just gotta have it, daily if possible. So, it’s BodyPump, BodyCombat, RPM (altho I’ve been slacking on this one lately), ABT, Circuit and my latest crave, POWER JUMP! Yup, I am not ashamed to admit that I am madless and hopeless addicted to POWER JUMP now. It’s very similar to BodyStep but with zero impact on the knees, thanks to the use of trampoline.
))
Head to the gym to workout? Sure! Keep a workout log? Erm…lazy lah
And yea, I agree with you that group exercises are the best. Definitely not boring and we even made some good friends who push each other to work harder in class. Group motivation is always the best, ya?