Let’s say you have 30 minutes to workout. Do you want to spend 15 minutes fumbling around with weight loads before remembering how much to lift on each exercise? Ain’t nobody got time for that! That’s why you need a weight lifting log.
Hopefully, you understand how important progressive overload is for strength training and body composition changes. If you don’t, it’s very important. Read more here.
Sure, any old notebook might do the trick, but a journal made specifically for weight lifting can make tracking your workouts a breeze and help keep you motivated. While you’re tracking your workouts in your notebook, you might also be interested in our list of the best fitness trackers for women!
Quick Guide
Best Weight Lifting Log
Below are the best weight lifting journals ranked for individual user preferences. Tried one of these logs? Let us know your thoughts!
Quick Comparison: Our Top Picks
Jump to the full reviews below
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| Category | Product | Our Rating | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 Best Overall |  |  | NewMe Fitness Workout Log |
| Best Heavy-Duty Option |  |  | Fitness LogBook |
| Best Budget-Friendly Option |  |  | The Workout Log |
What is a weight lifting log or journal?
A weight lifting journal is a notebook — usually spiralbound — that you can bring to the gym with you to track your workouts.
It’s especially important to note that good weight lifting journals will have columns and sections for these items:
- Exercise
- Sets
- Reps
- Weight/Load
- Rest Times
Additionally, you should see sections for these pieces of information:
- Date
- Type of Workout (Upper, Lower, Full, etc.)
- Duration of Workout
- Cardio Workouts
- Weekly Workout Planner
Our Top Picks for the Best Weight Lifting Journals
Below are our top picks for the best weight lifting journals. Our reviews are unbiased (we don’t publish sponsored content!) and a portion of any purchase made will help us keep the lights on around Fit Healthy Best.
1. NewMe Fitness Workout Log
We chose NewMe Fitness Workout Log as the Best Overall option because it has everything you could need in a beginner weight lifting journal at a low cost.
With 126 pages for workouts, this notebook should last the following lengths of time depending on how many times you lift per week:
- 5 workouts per week: 6 months
- 4 workouts per week: 7.5 months
- 3 workouts per week: 9.5 months
- 2 workouts per week: over 1 year
Pros
- 126 pages for workouts
- 144 pages total (including goal and nutrition pages)
- 15 rows for up to 15 exercises per workout
- 5 columns for up to 5 sets per workout
- Areas to record and weight load and reps per exercise and set
- Date/Time sections
- Workout notes sections
- Thick, strong pages that don’t bleed through
- Entire workout on one page
- Laminated, durable cover
- Strong binding
- A customer favorite!
Cons
- Cardio section is minimal/limited
- Some reviewers have stated that a few pages were bound upside down in the notebook
Promising Reviews:
2. Fitness Logbook Weight Lifting Log
We chose Fitness Logbook as the Best Year-Long, Heavy-Duty option because it has 200 pages of workouts which should cover you for an entire year of workouts plus the heavy-duty cover is made to last.
With 150 pages for workouts, this notebook should last the following lengths of time depending on how many times you lift per week:
- 5 workouts per week: 7 months
- 4 workouts per week: 8.5 months
- 3 workouts per week: 11.5 months
- 2 workouts per week: 17.5 months
Pros
- 150 pages for workouts
- Extreme strong, durable cover
- Nice-looking journal option
- For just 3 dollars more than the first option, you get 24 more workout pages — a great deal!
- 12 rows for up to 12 exercises per workout
- 6 columns for up to 6 sets per workout
- Areas to record and weight load and reps per exercise and set
- Date/Time sections
- Workout notes sections
- Thick, strong pages that don’t bleed through
- Entire workout on one page
- Laminated, durable cover
- Strong, double-binding
- Money-back guarantee from the manufacturer
Cons
- Cardio tracking is minimal
3. The Workout Log
We chose The Workout Log as the Best Inexpensive Option because it’s a basic journal that will allow you to track workouts without breaking the bank. This log comes in under ten dollars!
And with 180 pages for workouts, this notebook will last you quite a while. It should last the following lengths of time depending on how many times you lift per week:
- 5 workouts per week: 8 months
- 4 workouts per week: 10.5 months
- 3 workouts per week: 12 months
- 2 workouts per week: 21 months
Pros
- 180 workout templates
- 15 rows for up to 15 exercises per workout
- 6 columns for up to 6 sets per workout
- Areas to record and weight load and reps per exercise and set
- Date/Time sections
- Workout notes sections
- Entire workout on one page
- Laminated, durable cover
- A bare-bones notebook that gets the job done
- Perfect for beginners
Cons
- May be too basic for some
- Cardio tracking is minimal
- May not be as durable for gym use
- Plastic spiral may wear down
- May be too small for detailed lifts and notes
You May Also Be Interested In: Finding the Best Women’s Weightlifting Shoes
Why do you need a weight lifting journal?
The concept of progressive overload is extremely important in strength training.
To continually reap body composition gains and muscle growth, you’ll want to continually challenge your body with higher loads, reps, or sets.
Without tracking your workouts, you can forget where what your last loads were. Even if you think you have a great memory, it’s easy to forget within minutes of starting a new exercise where you left off at the last exercise.
The bottom line is that tracking your workouts is the difference between a decent physique and a phenomenal physique.
In addition, we are all busy — don’t you want to get the most out of your workouts and make them as efficient as possible? Tracking your workouts in an inexpensive weight lifting journal will accomplish that for you.
What should you look for in an exercise journal for lifting weights?
At the bare minimum, you’ll want your weight lifting log to track the following information:
- Exercise
- Sets
- Reps
- Weight
In addition to the above information, you may want your weight lifting journal to include the following fields for each workout, based on your personal preference:
- Date/Time
- Type of Workout
- Mood
- Cardio Workout
Finally, you might be interested in tracking the below information in your fitness journal:
- Weight
- Body Fat Measurements
- Goals
- Personal Bests/1 Rep Max
- Weekly Workout Calendar
- Nutrition
A bare-bones journal is going to include just information about your workouts so you can aim for progressive overload. This is my personal preference, and I personally own this one (reviewed in more detail below) to track my workouts.
If you’re interested in tracking the additional markers of health, this option is probably the better choice for you.
Finally, you’ll want to consider how rough you’ll be with your notebook. This option won’t stand up as well to a rough life. If you want a notebook you can throw around the gym, definitely opt for a heavy-duty option like this one.
The Bottom Line on Weight Lifting Logs
When it comes to strength training, tracking your workouts is an absolute must if you want to see improvements in your physique. If you want to be efficient and effective with your workouts, you have to start tracking with a weight lifting log!
In the end, you can either fumble around with a crummy old notebook or you can keep your workouts organized and easily accessible in one of these weight lifting journals.
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