Why You Still Need a Workout Pad
Use workout apps long enough to find that none of them can be trusted. Sometimes they stop working, or you take a break from work and forget your password, or your phone dies and takes your data with it. And even when everything is going well, apps may not always be able to track the metrics you should be tracking.
This is why it is so important to have your training data. Don’t trust this app or cloud; Record your run or lift exercise on paper, or save a digital document that you monitor (and that you back up). That’s why.
You will forget where you wrote it all down
Of course, using the app works now while you think about it. But I’ve been running for years now, and let me tell you that my workout history is a path paved with broken websites and lost passwords. Where did I record my training data from the last half marathon I ran five years ago? No idea. Or my first marathon in 2012? I found a website that I think I have logged my mileage, but it does not recognize my password or any of my current email addresses.
Very often we are focused on our current training, but it is also useful to keep the data for ourselves in the future. Five or ten years later, you may be wondering, “How did I train in 2019?” You must keep your data to answer this question.
Fortunately, I have some of my old data because I wrote it down on paper. When I was preparing for this marathon in 2012, I printed out my training calendar and hung it on the wall. I painted the squares green when I was training that day, red when I missed, gray for rest days. This calendar is still stored in the file folder in my office. I also have training data for a year or two in this kind of paper log , and at this point I only regret ever giving up low tech logging.
Apps only measure what they want to measure
The lightest and simplest thing a running app can measure is your total pace: your workout time divided by your total distance. And this is one of the least useful numbers you can get.
After all, different workouts need to be done at different rates. If I do a long, slow run, I expect a slow, medium pace. But if I do a slow mile to warm up, then run three miles at a brisk pace and a slow recovery, that general pace doesn’t tell me anything useful about running. If I run at intervals, who cares what the overall pace will be? Nobody, that’s who.
I still use apps when I run and when I work out in the gym, but now I come home and transfer important numbers to my notebook. For each type of workout, I note how long it lasted and how it felt – using an emoji system or a number showing how intense it was. (10 is a killer effort, 6 is a run in the park.)
Think about it: why are you tracking your data at all? Either you want to see it and think about it at the moment – in which case you should write down the metrics and feelings you want to reflect – or you want to be able to look back at it later. Probably both. So stay tuned to what matters.
Both can be used
I am not saying that you need to stop using applications if they are convenient. I love the Strong weight lifting app because it does a lot of math for me, allows me to register most of the things that matter at the moment (like weights, reps, and reps), and reminds me of what I lifted last time. … But as soon as I get home, I open my training diary and write down what exercises I did, how many sets, and what working weights I had.
It’s the same for running: I let Nike measure my mileage and create small Instagram photos stamped with my details, but at the end of the day, I also jot down my daily mileage in my notebook along with notes on pace, feel, and other details. this may come in handy later.
If you want to skip apps and bring your laptop to the gym, that’s cool too. (I might even be a little jealous of your sporting activity by not allowing any corporation to track your location and personal data.) In any case, make sure you have a system that works for you and that a lost password can’t take you away. …