Keeping A Log Of Personal Records

The personal record is uniquely important to your health and happiness, because keeping such records provides a powerful motivation to work harder, challenge your body more, and become stronger. There are many electronic apps, but our experience is that over time problems with changing technology, software, and formats end up causing the loss of your history and progress. They will have an enduring value. A sample log appears above, to give you an idea of the records you will be keeping. It is important to emphasize here that lifting the same weights for the same number of repetitions, over and over, might maintain your strength. But this will not increase your strength, and you will not achieve the maximum benefits from your exercise. Keeping a log of personal records inherently keeps us focused on steady improvement. It is a normal, natural incentive to do better and to try new ways to challenge different muscles to increase stability, power, and range of motion. All ambiguity is removed. Knowing you are on the right track in life is the best guarantee that you will stay on the right track. But first, let’s look at our next case study, where we will meet Wendy, who had a lifelong struggle with her weight before embarking on the StrongPath. She always knew she had to lose weight.

In My Place

Since she was an athlete in high school and college, and didn’t shy away from yard work over the years, she assumed that despite the ups and down on the scale, she was strong. It wasn’t until her first session with our trainer that she realized she wasn’t. She had no formal training upon entering the study, which meant that she had a pretty intense learning curve in terms of getting down all of the lifting techniques. Additionally, Wendy is an example of a study participant whose work and travel schedule interfered greatly in her regular attendance to training sessions. There were some weeks when she could make her three training sessions and others when she had to do the best she could to come in at all. Some of her results indicate a period of prolonged absence, with an upturn more recently as she could accommodate more training sessions into her schedule. Shortly before the writing of this report, she stated she wanted to lose some excess body weight. Accomplishing this would more than likely also significantly contribute to improvements in her ability to move additional weight. The strength she gained there will be immensely beneficial in her next stage of training when she works on losing excess body fat. While Wendy was excited to have this opportunity to train for our experiment, it wasn’t until she got in the car to go to her first session that panic set in. I was so nervous, she said, I almost cancelled. She knew an assessment of her fitness level awaited her upon arrival.

Live Another Day

She said she almost turned the car around. She had tried everything before. Why would this work when nothing else had? She was embarrassed by the thought of standing in front of other people. She’d gained weight over the years and was worried the stress test would be unbearable. All her fears dissipated once she got through her initial meeting with Cullen. The stress test and assessment were, in her words, simple. While she knew she had a long way to go, she realized immediately that it was neither embarrassing nor scary. Once she went to train, she quickly knew it was something she would be able to do. Wendy learned immediately just how weak she actually was. Her grip strength, balance, and flexibility were tested during the assessment. She went to do a lunge with one knee touching the floor. She couldn’t get back up.

Letting Go

She was mortified by how weak she was. She had to use a bench and a free hand to lift herself up. That was her aha moment. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, she said. I could have run out the door. Instead, I said to myself, I don’t want to live like this. I knew at that moment I needed to change so that in 20 years when I dropped my keys, I could pick them up again. Wendy viewed her weakness that day as pure motivation. While there’s no finish line to this process, and the most obvious benefit to strength training is strength and a change in body shape, Wendy’s extra benefits were substantial. She feels healthier, and life is easier. Carrying a suitcase through an airport or doing yard work is easy now, and the change is noticeable. She doesn’t sweat a flight of stairs anymore either. Since embarking on the StrongPath, she hasn’t gotten sick once. Wendy wants anyone considering a strength program to know that getting started, at any level, is no big deal. She also wants people to understand that overall happiness and strength go hand in hand. Her lifelong half joke of thinking she’d be fat and happy was misguided. Strong and happy was the combination she was now embracing. Weight and strength are unrelated. She is no longer using weight as an excuse to not train. Wendy states that once you get started, it’s very easy to succeed. It will all get better. It’s very easy to succeed. It will all get better. Wendy discovered another wonderful surprise available to those who have little or no experience with strength training. Within a few months, strength can literally be doubled and all manner of activity that seemed lost and gone forever is easily within reach and even fun again. This is just the beginning of a completely different and better life that lies ahead in terms of health span and quality of life for Wendy. She has noticed how confidence surges along with strength gains. Initial fears and worries fall away quickly. Your sense of self is powerfully influenced by bodily changes and physical success. Take heart in Wendy’s experience.