Practical answer
What should you actually log in a workout?
A decision-first framework for choosing workout fields across lifting, running, sports, classes, and recovery.
The short answer
Log the facts needed to compare the session and decide what comes next. Start with activity, completed work, and effort. Add context only when it explains performance or changes the next plan.
Record the useful signal
Log what can change the next decision.
LogFast captures the common structure automatically and leaves room for the human context—effort, substitutions, pain-free constraints, and what should happen next.
Create your first useful logUse the next-decision test
For every field, ask: would a different value change what I do next? If not, it may be optional. This keeps the log specific without making it exhaustive.
The useful minimum changes by activity. External load matters for a bench press. Terrain and effort may matter more than exact pace on a trail run.
Lifting fields
Record the exercise, working-set load, completed reps by set, and enough detail to reproduce the setup. Add RPE or RIR when effort guides progression.
Notes earn their place when they explain a number: shortened range, different machine, pain, a technique breakthrough, or insufficient rest.
Endurance and sport fields
For endurance, record activity, duration, distance when relevant, and effort. Pace, power, heart rate, elevation, or intervals are useful when the session has a specific target.
For sports and classes, duration and intensity may be the honest core. A short note about competitive intensity or unusual movement can improve the weekly fatigue picture.
What not to log by default
Do not require mood scores, soreness maps, tempo, rest, calories, and tags in every entry unless you actively use them. Optional context should stay optional.
A smaller complete record is better than a theoretically perfect record with missing weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Should I log rest time?
Log it when rest is prescribed or explains performance. Otherwise a consistent approximate rest may be enough.
Should I log failed reps?
Yes when they affect effort, safety, or progression. Mark them clearly rather than counting them as completed reps.
Should I log workout calories?
Only if the estimate supports a specific decision, and treat it as an estimate rather than a precise measurement.