Best iPhone application for BB & log keeping

[Bazari]

Hi all,

I was jut wondering if anyone else uses the iPhone workout apps?

I'm currently using iFitness, but am starting to get annoyed at the amount of time involved in keeping a log and the lack of popular exercises in the databse.

I know there are a few different apps on the market, but I'd rather hear what other people think of them instead of buying each one and possibly being dissapointed.

On that note, apart from the iPhone apps, what other forms of log keeping are there apart from walking around the gym with a piece of paper - which screams out NEWBIE

Cheers,


Rick

 

[brendon]

paper and pen screams out newbie???? ive used a book and pen for 2.5 yrs now. bestest way EVER for keeping journal.

 

[Bluey]

I use the built in app Notes. Works a treat when I forget my actual BOOK and PEN log.

 

[Josh_GTiR]

I use a book and pen too, WITH A FOLDER! haha

 

[Bazari]

hahaha sorry guys I didn't mean to offend, It's just that I haven't seen any experienced people in the gym using anything. there's plenty of beginners who spend more time writting things down on bright orange pieces of paper instead of timing their breaks and actually lifting.

 

[PowerBuilder]

i have a lot of respect for those who walk around the gym (like myself) with a notebook & pen, jottin' down their workout. It means their recording it. For whatever reason, their recording what their doing. Maybe their doing it so they can lift more next week, maybe their doing it so they can lift the same. maybe their doing it so they can eventually see a pattern of 'scatter gun training'', ie when they have no clear training program.


On another note, why do you care so much if somebody thinks your a newbie. Everybody starts somewhere. I've been training for about 5 years now (ok, seriously for about 2) & i'm still jottin' stuff down.

 

[Bazari]

I don't really care, but as per my post, I was wondering what other forms of logging there are (preferrably from the experts) as all I was seeing was big guys walking around with nothing and stick men walking around jotting things down. So as far as I knew there was some well kept secret that the regulars knew about and it seemed that the rest of us seemed to be in the ice age. Like I said, it's just from my perception @ the gym I go to. I guess I shouldn't have generalised so much.
I use my iPhone app and record in each rest time.

 

[Shrek]

Pen and paper for me too.
I aso use the stopwatch funtion on my phone to time rests.

 

[Morgan]

I use an iPhone app called 'gym buddy', it is basically just a log to gauge my lifts and reps, it also has a bunch of statstics from your workouts showing your % increases over time, it's not bad, it has a countdown timer that beeps through your headphones to keep ontop of rest times, only downer is that it's missing some exercises and doesn't have a way to add new lifts manually, it was $4 and overall I was happy with the purchase!

PS - one useless stat, on average. Per workout I shift over 12000kg ;-) hahHa

 

[Bazari]

I think I might try paper starting next week =)
Can anyone suggest a good log format? Maybe something they can d/l from a site? I've become a fan of preparing my workout based on last weeks results, so an hour before I hit the gym I tend to note what weight I should be lifting. A spreadsheet designed for this would be great.

 

[Shame]

In gym I use my log book, a pen and stopwatch. When I get home I put my numbers in to Gym Buddy on the iPhone - great app for graphically tracking progress/training periods.

EDIT: Who cares what other people think when you're training? When you finish a set your focus should be preparing for the next set, no time to worry about what others think! Sh*t, I wear a mouth guard when I'm training (have a habit of clenching my teeth too hard) and I couldn't give a damn what anyone else thinks, I've got my own agender.

 

[JaseFit]

I use an iPhone app called 'gym buddy', it is basically just a log to gauge my lifts and reps, it also has a bunch of statstics from your workouts showing your % increases over time, it's not bad, it has a countdown timer that beeps through your headphones to keep ontop of rest times, only downer is that it's missing some exercises and doesn't have a way to add new lifts manually, it was $4 and overall I was happy with the purchase!

+1 for GymBuddy

I have been using it for the last week and I like it. Previously was just using pen and printed spreadsheet.

I have added new lifts to mine - have a closer look you can do it. You have to add the exercise first, then add it to the workout. Unless thats not what you mean?

 

[Morgan]

Damn it lol, I just checked and you are right, I didn't see the little + cheers for that

 

[PTC]

Name: Rick
Age: 28
Location: Melbourne
How long have you been interested in health/fitness? 3 Years
Favorite foods? My wife's filo rice dishes
Favorite exercises? Chin up, Deadlift, Preacher, Dips
Goal(s) you would like to reach? 9kg increase in weight, 8x75kg bench, 8x90kg Deadlift and 10x unassisted chin-ups by jan 2010
Goal(s) you already HAVE reached? Knowledge on training and nutrition, Strict training routine, Good quality supps, and weight increase by 10kg from inception.
Favorite song to listen to while working out? Metallica ONE
Favorite TV Show? Californication
Family/pets? My wife =)
Hobbies: Mixed training 5 days a week
One interesting fact not too many people know about you: I'm going to be a millionaire some day hahaha!
To all the people who say they don't have enough time to workout, I have 1 daughter (and another one the way), work 9-10 hours shifts with 1 hour travel time to and from work and get minimum 7 hours sleep. There's always time for good quality training and healthy eating

Are you serious Rick? Your goal is to deadlift 90kg x 8 and you've already been lifting for 3 years. Your worried about people thinking your a newbie so you wont use pen and paper, is that because you cant pick a pen up?

Rick, FFS, throw your phone in the bin and go and pick something up.

After 3 years of lifting, you still havent reached novice level yet.

Threads like this highlight the fact that you know little about lifting, after 3 years.

Every client in my gym uses pen and paper, I guess theyre all novices lol

Read more, lift more, post less.

I'm actually trying to help.

 

[Kyle Aaron]

all I was seeing was big guys walking around with nothing and stick men walking around jotting things down.

The big guys probably just remember their lifts, and write them down when they get home

At my gym almost nobody records their workouts at all, big or small, boy or girl. They just wander from machine to machine, or line up all the dumbells in front of them for their bicep curls dropsets...

Just use pen and paper, no need for fancier stuff than that.

And Rick, come on, lift heavier, 90kg deadlift? Even I deadlift more than that and I have scoliosis and am a wuss

I tease, but really, don't overthink it - just add 2.5kg on next time and try to lift it 5-10 times, for 3 sets.

If you can, next session add 2.5kg more, again trying for 5-10 reps for 3 sets. And so on.

Lift like a maniac
Eat like a horse
Sleep like a log
Write down your workouts
and count the fricking bar

 

[Bazari]

Thanks for your input guys, I've been working out for 2 years. I must have written 3 by mistake. But the first 1 and half years I wasn't doing anything properly (lifting random weights on popular machines with break times all over the place) or eating right.
For the last 6 - 8 months is the only time I've been doing things on a serious level.
When I started I was around 65kg and could barely deadlift 40kg.
I'm not 75kg and have seen a massive improvement on my lifting and stature.
My main problem with DL's is that my finger grip slips after 5 or 6 reps at 80kg. I feel that I can lift much more, but I would probably drop the bar on my shins or something during the lift. I've tried gloves, but that only made it worse - I lost more finger grip than what I started with.

Cheers,


Rick

 

[Kyle Aaron]

With the deadlift, don't touch and go, actually let the weight rest a moment on the ground, and use that moment to reset your grip. It feels like doing singles with no rest, rather than a set of 5 or whatever. Works for me, and I have a weak grip.

Oh, and doing chins improved my grip a lot. I used to lose my grip on lat pulldowns! Chins fixed that, not that I have done lat pulldowns since, but...

 

[CaT_SPeW]

use chalk for your grip and there aint nothing wrong with a pen and pad. its all i use then i post the workouts in my online journal

 

[trofius]

I use this forums training log to record my workouts...

Never used to record what I am doing, but I find myself looking back over it from time to time.,

 

[Bazari]

Thanks kyle and hyjak I'll give them a shot