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How do you record your workouts? paper? interwebs? What products do you recommend? How do you organize your short- and long-term logs. Do you keep cheat sheets handy? what kinds? (e.g., lists of hero workouts?).

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17 Answers

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I have:

  • Notebook
  • Google spreadsheet
  • Notes/photos on iPhone that I sync
  • On a break but will be back on my 5/3/1 Wendler cycle and use the app on my iPhone

WODstack is pretty cool, worth checking out.

IMO the notebook is the best to drag around and record in. It's kind of fun to flip through past books and see past WOD's, PR's and such, little notes in the corners. The tangible quality really makes it for me.

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thanks JuBa, interesting! What are the photos for? Does your iPhone sync to the google spreadsheet? And I'm googling " 5/3/1 Wendler cycle" so I won't have to bug you with a third follow-up question...:) – PaleoVenus Feb 15 2012 at 22:36
Welcome! The photos are from the days when my arms are too tired to hold a pen to write the WOD, times, etc, or I want to capture something dumb but I like such as a shadow from my KB that looks like Saturn or an alien spaceship :) I have it all tucked away into a lil folder on my Apple and will do a notation in my Google spreadsheet for whatever day it was. Yes I am a nerd. 5/3/1 rules, for realsies. Did you check it out? – jesuisjuba - paleorepublic.com Feb 16 2012 at 2:35
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beyondthewhiteboard.com is a pretty good site for tracking workouts and goals. It trakcs girl/hero wods as well as 1 rep maxes on lots of lifts. It's fairly cheap for an individual membership (it was 3$ a month a couple years back) and most crossfit gyms provide free accounts for their members.

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thanks Omid. Any thoughts on how beyondthewhiteboard compares to WODstack? – PaleoVenus Feb 15 2012 at 23:00
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Never heard of wodstack. I just noticed that lots of my friends were using beyond the whiteboard, so i jumped in. They've done a great job improving over the years and they're still doing it. No iphone app, but the website works in mobile safari. – Omid Khalili Feb 16 2012 at 2:06
Check out my answer below! I love WODstack! – Andria Feb 16 2012 at 4:05
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Hey Guys! I use WODstack and LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It's so easy to use. Not to mention their iPhone app is rolling out in a few weeks :) Check them out www.wodstack.com

Here is a quick breakdown:

  • Easy tagging function allows athletes can group workouts (such as
    deadlifts, power cleans, or Hero
    WODs) for easy comparison and
    retrieval.

    Create a new workout from scratch.
    The entry box allows athletes to
    “journal” their experience, write
    exactly what they did and how they
    felt while doing it.

    Search and retrieve previous WODs and see results by keyword. You can
    clone past workouts if you are
    doing a benchmark workout.-

But what makes WODstack different from any other program is it’s inherent ability to create community. As most know, Crossfit is more than a place to work out. It is a place to build lasting relationships. WODstack’s combination of Facebook's newsfeed with Twitter's follow feature allows athletes to keep track of others in their box or athletes from around the world. The interactions and words of encouragement fosters bonds and builds community. It’s a place to hang out, learn tips, and meet others who share your love and passion for Crossfit.]

I used to use Beyond the Whiteboard and found it utterly tedious. I hope this helps!!

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Hi Andria. Awesome! Thanks for the detailed breakdown. So far, WODstack seems like the popular choice around here. – PaleoVenus Feb 16 2012 at 14:53
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I'd just been using a notebook to track my strength and a few benchmark WODs, but looks like now I'll be using WODstack!

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Wodstack.com Awesomeness...I'm a gym owner and me and my folks love it

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Hey Dale, as a gym owner, how'd you decide on WODstack over the other services? – PaleoVenus Feb 16 2012 at 15:07
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Hey I use WODstack. It is very simple and free to use. Easy to communicate with other crossfitters within the site. It also allows boxes to communicate with all their members. I highly reccomend.

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Notebook for flexibility but I love wodstack.

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WODstack. I love its simplicity and I love how you can follow other people and also post photos/videos. I used to use Beyond The Whiteboard, but if my gym didn't enter the WOD, it would be so time consuming and confusing to do it myself.

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WODstack. It's easy to use and easy to find past attempts at the same workout.

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Another one here for WODStack...I love that I can see everyone's WOD on the score board for my box in one place, that it's easy to clone the daily WOD, that I can track my own side projects in the stats area (not just PR's but my sport specific stuff), and that I can follow/tweet and post to FB.

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Thanks Carina, that seems to be the consensus so far! – PaleoVenus Feb 16 2012 at 15:00
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If you have an iPhone, there is an app called WOD. Love it. It lists all of the common WODs, has a place to keep track of your daily WODs as well as enter in max weights. It also has a built in timer and suggestions for "hotel WODs" to do when you are traveling. Highly recommend!

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Google Docs spreadsheet. Get the GDocs app for your smart phone, if you have one, and then it becomes mobile. Simple.

I use a pretty robust spreadsheet with multiple tabs, which also lets me track nutrition. If you want a copy, I can share it online.

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Hey BJ. Yes, by all means, share! Sounds like you've got a great home-made system going. – PaleoVenus Feb 16 2012 at 14:54
Here it is: docs.google.com/spreadsheet/…. I took out the personal info. Tweak as you see fit. I hope it helps you or gives you some ideas. – BJ Feb 23 2012 at 6:23
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I use the XF Diary app. It links up with my box's webpage and stores the daily WOD, and has a place for notes and diet. I just plug in my time/weight/etc and don't have to type out the workout.

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Nice that it's mobile and you don't have to type it out. Thanks for sharing. Anyone else use this one? – PaleoVenus Feb 16 2012 at 15:03
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I log my workouts on my iPhone notebook, then I enter them in wodclub.com which can graph your results. I also log everything on fitocracy for sweet sweet points

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Thanks Jake. Any thoughts on how wodclub compares to BTW or WODstack? – PaleoVenus Feb 16 2012 at 15:04
I actually have no idea as I haven't used either of the other two programs. I would just recommend checking out the interface on all of them. – JakeA Feb 16 2012 at 16:14
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So far I've just been using EverNote on my Android. I'll have to check out some of the CrossFit specific apps!

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checked them all out and I like beyondthewhiteboard the best

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Hey Kie, what do you like best about BTW? How do you think it compares to WODstack? – PaleoVenus Feb 16 2012 at 14:59
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I don't like to log workouts. I know it's all the rage these days, but what does it really do? Honestly, the workouts vary so much that you can't actually pull any information out of the data. You're just recording data for the sake of having data. If I magically gave you perfect data for every workout you ever did what would you do with it? How would you change your training plan based on the data. That's one of the best things I ever learned: pretend you have perfect data, what would you do with it?

Now that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a basic idea of progress. There are benchmark workouts and lifts. However, you (should) do them infrequently enough that you know you times. Right now, I could tell you my last and PR for: Grace, Fran, Helen, Snatch, C&J, Squat, Front Squat, Overhead Squat, Push Press, Press, Mile run, 400 run, 500 row, 2k row, and Deadlift. I could also give you an idea (to within a 30 seconds) my last Dianne, Karen, Elizabeth, 30 MU for time, 100 PU for time, and a host of other exercises. For just about any workout you throw at me, I could predict within a minute or two how long it will take me. That's because I'm present when I workout and think about what I'm doing and I know my body. I don't blindly go through the workout and write it down at the end. I know what I'm doing. That's the key. It's not enough to have a log to look up what your PR deadlift is, it's KNOWING your PR. It's knowing how you feel today versus when you last PRd. If you're feeling crappy one day, you know not to try a PR. It's being mindful of what you're doing in the gym and not just going through the motions.

Rather than taking time to just log things, take your time at the workout to know your body, know the workout. It'll do much better for you than any of the million ways of logging (and not using) the data.

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