Building Muscle and Maintaining a Healthy Weight
To build muscle and maintain a healthy weight, it’s important for you to measure and routinely evaluate your progress.
Research shows that each time you achieve a goal you’ve set, your brain rewards you with a release of happy hormones. This reward often motivates you to repeat the behavior to get the benefit again.
In the world of physical fitness, achieving smaller milestones known as hitting one’s PR is a great way to track progress towards larger goals.
What does PR mean in the gym?
A PR, or personal record, is an accomplishment that signifies something you haven’t done before. PRs can range from the amount of weight you’ve been able to bench press to the length of time a specific distance has taken to run.
Personal trainer, Lauren Moen, emphasizes that a personal record could be a few extra reps in your squat or even getting up at a specific time to get to the gym.
Sean Sewell, a certified personal trainer and founder of Colorado Personal Fitness, agrees. He adds that tracking personal records can also include the number of consecutive days you’ve exercised or the distance you’ve gone on a hike or bike ride.
How to Track Your PR in the Gym
While there are numerous advanced digital tools available to help keep track of PRs, experts suggest simple methods like writing on a mirror with a dry erase marker or making posts on social media.
Group fitness instructor, Katelyn Bowen, uses the notes app on her phone to keep track of her daily workout regimen and which weights and reps she was at the week before.
The Benefits of Keeping Track of Your PR
Keeping track of your PR can help maintain motivation and improve your efforts. “If you can track it, you can improve on it,” says Sewell, who also tracks mood, sleep, nutrition, and recovery.
Keeping track of PRs also helps you to acknowledge your accomplishments, which can make rest days between workouts more satisfying and justified.
On the days where motivation is lacking, referring back to your records can remind you of your goals. “It validates my efforts and renews my resolve every time I’m able to measure how I’ve done,” says Bowen.
We all understand that physical fitness is crucial. So, how many days a week should you work out?
—
Read More Health & Wellness News; US Lifestyle News