Tracking HOW you did last workout

Q

quadancer

New Member
Only on my second HST cycle, I've noticed that my maxes and daily strengths move around a bit, and in order to fully track my progress, I came up with a simple system.
Using your HST calculator chart for a guide, you'll need 3 highlighter markers on hand when you work out.
Green, for a fully successful exersize with proper form and no pauses. Simply mark over your number. This also tracks what you've done so far.
Yellow. If you have to 'cluster' or restpause the set to get your reps in, use this color. If you almost made all reps, put a yellow stripe beside the number and fill the rest of the box with green.
Red. (or pink for gals and gays) Either use this color if you feel you have to stay at this weight next workout or put a red stripe beside a yellow box fill-in to indicate that you might have to stay here. Then just go by how you feel next workout.
I know it's too much for some, but I have CRS (Can't Remember Stuff) so it helps me adjust.
Also, I feel that if you wind up with an all green chart, your numbers are too low.
 
Interesting ideas Quadancer. The trouble with this for me is that after I have done my squats and deads I pretty much can't write at all! One of the things that I found really great about HST was not having to write stuff down anymore. My spreadsheet even tells me what I have to put on each side of the bar so I don't have to do any math!
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These days I'm taking a much longer view of my progress. As long as I'm progressing in some way from one cycle to the next I'm happy. Some days a particular weight feels really heavy and then a few days later when the weight has gone up an increment it feels easier. So I have decided that I will just keep pushing my 15RM & 10RM weights up each cycle by 5-10lbs or so until that becomes impossible to achieve. I always find my new 5RMs during post-5s. This way if I make my charted weights at the end of a cycle I know I have progressed over all. It's just easier for me if I don't have to worry about the details along the way as I used to.

If I have a minor injury to work around, as I have had this cycle, I will tend to keep the weights the same for the next cycle (for those exercises effected) and hope the injury clears up enough to allow me to reach my target loads then.
 
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(Lol @ May 07 2006,12:11)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">One of the things that I found really great about HST was not having to write stuff down anymore.</div>
I bring a notecard to the gym with the designated weights for each exercise wrote down on it. I'm pretty good with keeping mental notes on how I did during my workout.

The thing with HST is that if you tested your RM's correctly, you shouldn't be struggling on an exercise because you didn't have the strength to do it. The reason you weren't able to lift the weight on a given day was most likely due to a lack of energy.

This is why I strongly advise warming up before you lift by running for 5 to 10 minutes. Having some caffeine in you will help too.
 
I've modified slightly the way I use the color scheme. Since I do 2-3 sets, and the weight is allready IN the box from the calculator printout, if I make the weight, I do a green on the left side of the box. Then if I have to RP the next set, yellow in that half. So next workout, if I feel like doggiedoo I'll maybe use the same weight again, as per other HST instructions I read. But if I EVER put a red mark: I'm just too dang heavy at this point and it's time to cut the weight slightly to get on track.
So maybe a proper sheet should have mostly green boxes when done, with scattered yellows here and there as you work near failure, but trying to avoid it. I think the occasional failure doesn't hurt unless you are doing it too much to the same muscle or too much all over, hitting your CNS, right?
 
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