Relying on How You Feel at the Gym vs What Your Log Says

Why Your 'Good Days' Are Killing Your Progress

The debate of relying on how you feel at the gym vs what your log says is settled by this simple rule: your logbook dictates 90% of your workout, and your body dictates the last 10%. If you've been training for more than six months and feel stuck, this is the single biggest reason why. You show up, gauge your energy, and decide your workout on the fly. On a good day, you feel like a hero and push for a new personal record. On a bad day, you cut reps, drop the weight, and tell yourself, "at least I showed up." This cycle of guesswork is why you're not getting stronger. Your feelings are lying to you. They are inconsistent, unreliable narrators of your actual strength. A logbook is the objective truth. It doesn't care if you slept poorly or had a stressful day at work. It just shows the numbers: here is what you lifted last Tuesday, and here is what you need to lift today to get stronger. Relying on feel makes you an exerciser. Following a log makes you a trainer. One maintains, the other builds. The frustration you feel from inconsistent progress isn't because you're not working hard enough; it's because you're working without a map. Your logbook is that map.

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The Hidden Math That Proves 'Going By Feel' Fails

The fundamental principle of getting stronger is called progressive overload. It means that to force your muscles to grow, you must systematically increase the demand placed upon them over time. That’s it. That’s the entire secret. You either lift more weight, do more reps, or perform more sets. The problem is, 'feel' is a terrible tool for measuring this. Your perception of effort changes daily. Let’s look at the math for someone bench pressing over three weeks, going purely by feel:

• Week 1 (You feel great): You bench 185 lbs for 3 sets of 8 reps. Total volume = 4,440 lbs.
• Week 2 (You feel tired): You drop to 175 lbs for 3 sets of 6 reps. Total volume = 3,150 lbs.
• Week 3 (You feel 'okay'): You go back to 185 lbs but only manage 3 sets of 7 reps. Total volume = 3,885 lbs.

After three weeks of 'hard work,' your total volume is lower than when you started. You haven't overloaded anything; you've just spun your wheels. Now, imagine a logbook was in charge. It would have told you in Week 2, "Last week was 185x8. Today, we try for 185x9 on the first set." Even if you failed, the *intent* to progress was there, driven by data, not emotion. The logbook forces you to confront the numbers. It turns a vague goal like "get stronger" into a concrete, mathematical problem: lift one more pound or do one more rep than last time. Without that data, you're just hoping for progress. That's not a plan. That's a lottery ticket. You now understand the principle of progressive overload. Add a little more stress over time. Simple. But answer this honestly: what did you squat for how many reps, four Thursdays ago? If you can't answer that in 5 seconds, you aren't using progressive overload. You're just exercising.

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The 3-Step System to Combine Data and Feel

Transitioning from 'feel' to a data-driven approach doesn't mean you become a robot. It means you use data to make better decisions. This system gives you a rigid plan but with a flexible execution, combining the best of both worlds.

Step 1: Create Your Objective Record

For the next two weeks, do not change anything about your workouts. Your only job is to become a court reporter. Get a notebook, or use an app, and write down every single lift. Record three simple things:

1. Exercise: Bench Press
2. Weight & Reps per Set: 135 lbs x 8, 135 lbs x 7, 135 lbs x 6
3. Date: The day you did it.

That's it. After two weeks, you will have an honest, objective record of what you can *actually* do, not what you *think* you can do. This is your baseline. For a 150-pound person squatting, this might look like 185 lbs for 5 reps. For a 220-pound person, it might be 275 lbs for 5 reps. The number doesn't matter. What matters is that it's written down.

Step 2: Apply the 'Plus-One' Rule

The next time you repeat a workout, look at your log from last time. Your goal is to beat your previous performance by the smallest possible margin. This is the 'Plus-One' rule.

• If you did 135 lbs for 8, 7, 6 reps last week, your goal today is to get 8, 7, 7. Just one more rep on the last set.
• If you successfully did 3 sets of 8 reps (3x8) with 135 lbs, your goal today is to use 140 lbs and aim for 3x5.

This removes all decision-making. You don't have to wonder, "What should I do today?" The logbook tells you. Your only job is to execute the plan. This tiny, consistent push is what builds real, undeniable strength over months, not the heroic, one-off lifts on 'good days'.

Step 3: Use RPE as Your 'Safety Valve'

This is where 'feel' makes its comeback, but in a structured way. RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion, a scale from 1-10 that measures how hard a set felt.

• RPE 10: Maximum effort. You could not have done another rep.
• RPE 9: You had exactly one rep left in the tank.
• RPE 8: You had two reps left.

Your logbook gives you the plan (the 90%), and RPE provides the real-time feedback (the 10%).

• Scenario 1 (Bad Day): Your log says to squat 225 lbs for 3x5. Your first set feels like an RPE 10. It was a true grinder. Instead of risking injury or failure on the next two sets, you use the RPE data. You drop the weight to 215 lbs to ensure you can complete the remaining sets with good form. You still did the work, but you listened to your body's warning signal.
• Scenario 2 (Good Day): Your log says to bench 185 lbs for 3x8. You complete all sets, and the last one felt like an RPE 7. You had 3 reps left in the tank. You make a note: "RPE 7, felt easy." Next week, you know with 100% certainty that you are ready to increase the weight to 190 or 195 lbs. RPE provides the evidence that it's time to push harder.

Your First 4 Weeks of Logging Will Feel 'Wrong'

Switching from a purely intuitive style of training to a data-driven one is a shock to the system. Your ego will fight it. Your habits will resist it. You need to know what to expect so you don't quit before it starts working.

Week 1: The Annoyance Phase

It will feel tedious. You'll be stopping between sets to write things down. On a day you feel amazing, the log will tell you to lift a weight that feels 'too light'. You'll be tempted to ignore it and go for a big lift. Don't. The goal this week isn't to set records; it's to build the habit of obedience to the plan. Trust the process. This is the hardest week.

Weeks 2-3: The First 'Click'

You'll have your first real win. It will be a day you feel tired and unmotivated. You'll look at your log, see that you're supposed to deadlift 225 lbs for 5 reps, and you'll want to skip it. But because it's written down, you'll try it. And you'll get it. This is the moment it clicks. You'll realize your feelings about your strength are often wrong. You are stronger than you feel. This moment builds immense trust in the system and in yourself.

Week 4 and Beyond: The New Normal

By now, you won't feel right training *without* your log. It's your partner. You'll be able to look back and see a clear, undeniable line of progress. That squat you were stuck at for six months? You've added 20 pounds to it. You'll stop thinking in terms of 'good days' and 'bad days'. Instead, you'll think in terms of 'data points'. A bad day is no longer a failure; it's just a data point telling you to prioritize sleep or manage stress. You are no longer guessing. You are training.

Frequently Asked Questions

What to Do on a Really Bad Day

If your warm-ups feel significantly heavier than usual, follow the '10% Rule'. Reduce your planned top set weight for the day by 10% and perform the prescribed reps. This keeps the training stimulus while respecting your body's recovery state. A single bad day doesn't ruin progress.

What to Do on a Really Good Day

Stick to the plan. If your log says 3x5 at 225 lbs, do that. If it feels incredibly easy (e.g., RPE 6), make a note. Then, add a single, heavier set at the end (an AMRAP - As Many Reps As Possible set). This lets you capitalize on the good feeling without derailing your entire program.

The Best Format for a Workout Log

Simple is best. Use a small notebook or a basic notes app. For each workout day, list the exercises. Under each exercise, write your sets, reps, and weight. A column for RPE is also extremely valuable. Avoid overly complex spreadsheets that you'll never fill out.

How Often to Test Your Max Lifts

For most people, almost never. Testing your one-rep max (1RM) is fatiguing and carries a high injury risk. Your progress in the 3-8 rep range is a direct indicator of your 1RM strength. If your 5-rep max on squat goes from 225 lbs to 275 lbs, your 1RM has increased significantly. Trust your training numbers.

Logging Cardio vs. Strength Training

For steady-state cardio (like jogging), log duration and distance. The goal is to go slightly farther in the same amount of time, or the same distance in slightly less time. For HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), log the work/rest intervals and the number of rounds completed.