The Purpose of a Training Diary & How Athletes Should Use One.
Ahhh... the start of a new training season...
Who doesn't love that feeling?
I don't know about you, but I've always associated a new athletics year with a new training diary.
Perhaps you've heard me or others constantly banging on about training diaries, and want to know what all the hype is about. Or maybe you've had one in the past but feel you’ve never really used it to its full potential. No worries, in this blog, I'll break down 5 benefits and 5 additional ways you can use your training diary.
5 Benefits of Recording the Journey
The primary benefit of a training diary is that it allows you to record your journey.
It can be easy to overlook why this is both necessary and beneficial, especially if you have a coach or training system that takes care of everything for you. However, here are a few reasons why it comes in handy to keep a record of what you actually do each session:
1) You don't always do what's planned
This could be due to the weather, niggles, or even time restraints. However, when you review your training to identify the missed margins that could unlock extra gains, a precise record is much more reliable than memory. Looking back, you might find you consistently skipped a specific type of session or only completed 75% of what was originally planned. All of these factors are crucial when evaluating the past season and planning for the next.
2) Life happens, and you may have to train alone at points
No one plans to become self-coached, but it's more common than you might think. Having a record of your training makes starting that self-coached journey so much easier.
3) You can see what worked and what didn't
Often, in the bid to improve performance, we switch up a training programme. However, these changes don't always pay off, as an athlete’s body can break down or fail to respond as well as anticipated. Having a record helps to highlight patterns in your training journey, making it easier to identify where things began to come undone.
4) It helps to identify when / where injuries arose
How often do you go to the doctor or physio for an injury but you can't remember when the injury started, what movements are affected, or what you were doing in the lead-up to that injury? Keeping a log means you don't have to rely solely on memory and are in a much better position to see what you may need to alter or avoid in the future.
5) You can see your training progress year on year
As I've mentioned in other posts and videos, we often have a bad habit of evaluating by outlier metrics, therefore missing the bigger picture. However, if you have a training record, it can help you to see how you've improved across different sessions throughout the years, as well as help you identify if/where you may have been stagnant or need to develop.
5 Other Ways To Use Your Diary
So, as discussed, recording "what you do" in training is arguably the primary way to use your athlete journal. However, there are, of course, many other beneficial uses as well:
1) Recording your key dates and settings
This could be block settings if you're a sprinter, settings for a machine if you use the gym, or key competition dates if you have a particular championship in your sights. We constantly have so many things to remember, so using beneficial tools, like a training diary, helps to free up mental space and allow you to use that energy towards the session itself.
2) Goal setting
These could be your annual or long-term goals, but also your monthly goals. In my athlete training diaries, you'll find space to write your goals at the beginning of each month, and a space to evaluate your goals at the end of each month. These goals are not only training-related, but also help you to set goals across different areas of your life (all of which affect you and your sport).
3) Body measurements
Keeping track of things like your weight or body fat percentage may help you to identify a pattern, or also see where you may be lacking in nutrition or overconsuming. If you're a woman, keeping track of how your monthly cycle affects your weight and training output can be really useful. There's usually a pattern that you can learn to work with/around once you're able to recognise it.
4) Record how you felt
We all know that sport is more than just the physical, so recording how you felt mentally and emotionally, in addition to physically, is really beneficial. Remember, stress has the same impact on the body whether it's physical or mental stress. Therefore, it's important to acknowledge how other aspects of your life, such as work or education, are also affecting you and your training.
5) Key routines
If there are things you do regularly in training or competition, it can help to write these down once and name them (in the note section at the back of your diary, for example). This way, in your day-to-day journal writing you can just name the routine, rather than having to write out every exercise within the routine.
If after reading this, you're convinced you need a training diary, check out any of my paperback #TrackLife Athlete Training Diaries, or download the PDF version, which can be used on a ReMarkable (or any device that uses a digital pen).
I hope you found this post useful... all the best with your season! :-)
About The Author: Torema Thompson is an athlete, author, YouTuber, qualified personal trainer, and speed coach. She is passionate about helping athletes and fitness enthusiasts to master sprinting & fitness.
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