# How to track gym progress without a spreadsheet

> What to record, what to ignore, and how to tell if it's working.

[Guides](https://nomae.com.au/guides) · 4 min read

Most people stop logging workouts because it takes longer than the workout. You don't need a spreadsheet. You need a few numbers, the same way, every time.

## Record these, every set

- **The exercise and the machine.** Which leg press, not just "leg press".
- **The weight.**
- **The reps you actually did.** Not the reps you planned.
- **The machine settings,** once per machine.

That's enough to beat last time, which is the whole point.

## Ignore these, mostly

- **Daily bodyweight swings.** Water and food move it by a kilo or more.
- **One bad session.** Look at three or four in a row.
- **Total volume across the whole workout.** It goes up when you add exercises, not only when you get stronger.

## How to tell if it's working

Pick three lifts you do every week. Every four weeks, look at each one at the same weight. Are you doing more reps, or the same reps faster and smoother? If yes on two of the three, it's working. If none have moved in a month, change one thing: sleep, food, rest between sets, or the program.

## Make it fast

Whatever you use, it should take less than five seconds a set. Have last time's numbers in front of you before you start, so the target is obvious. If logging needs you to type with sweaty hands mid-rest, you'll stop doing it.

Where NOMAE fits

The NOMAE app logs a set in one tap with last time beside it. Put the tracker on a machine and the reps are counted for you, so the number in your log is the number you did.

[Order · A$199 to 4 November](https://nomae.com.au/tracker#launch)

[Will it fit my machines?](https://nomae.com.au/fit)

General information about training, not medical or personalised advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, check with a doctor or physiotherapist first.

## More guides

[**What is NOMAE? The gym machine rep tracker explained**: What the NOMAE gym tracker does, which machines it fits, the free iPhone app, prices and availability in Australia. · 3 min](https://nomae.com.au/guides/what-is-nomae-gym-tracker)

[**Progressive overload on gym machines: a simple system**: Machines make getting stronger easy to measure, if you know what to change and when. · 5 min](https://nomae.com.au/guides/progressive-overload-on-machines)

[**Rep speed: why the same weight moving faster means you're stronger**: Before the weight goes up, the speed does. Here's how to read it. · 5 min](https://nomae.com.au/guides/rep-speed-and-strength)

[**How to set up a gym machine, and remember it next time**: Seat height and pad positions change every lift. Get them right once, then keep them. · 6 min](https://nomae.com.au/guides/set-up-gym-machines)

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Source: https://nomae.com.au/guides/track-gym-progress
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Contact: hello@nomae.com.au