You can work out until total fatigue every day, but if you don’t have a record of your progress, you won’t know if the program you’re following is working. In this case, it’s probably not because you need recovery time and are over-training. That’s one reason why fitness tracking and assessments are so important. If you don’t know where you started or how far you’ve gone, you have no information to make any changes in your program.
Pegging the starting point is like leaving on a trip.
When you go on a trip, you normally start out at your own home, so knowing your starting point is easy. However, you still need to use that information for Mapquest or on a real map to chart your course. Assessing your fitness is an important task for trainers. It helps them determine the route you’ll be taking on your road to becoming the best possible you. It’s like those little mall maps with the arrow, “you are here” sign. It pegs the starting point.
Planning a course of action is important but not all courses are the best.
Everyone’s body is different, so people succeed at different rates. One type of exercise program may give huge dividends to person A but not work as well as a different combination for person B. Periodic checkups tell the trainer where you need to work harder, whether the workout should be more difficult or if you’re not seeing the success the trainer hoped you’d achieve. Sometimes the lack of success also shows that the person that the person training is missing sessions and not working at their best.
Park the car, we’re at our destination.
Sure, tracking and assessments are great tools to modify your workout, but they’re also great ways to know when you can celebrate for a bit, then set new goals. If your goal is to lose 10 pounds, improve endurance, increase flexibility or improve strength, without measuring results, you’ll never be able to celebrate success. Seeing your progress in black and white can be pretty reassuring and boost your enthusiasm.
Fitness tracking help the trainer tailor the program even further. It can show that some muscle groups are right on task, while others need a bit more attention. It helps the trainer identify specific problems.
Assessing progress is an important step that allows the trainer to make adjustments based on that progress.
Tracking helps keep you accountable for your progress. You can trick yourself into believing you’re doing well, but the results don’t lie.
Tracking keeps you motivated and continuously challenging yourself to be better than you were at the last recording.