Workout Log Template (kg): Copy This Into Any Notebook or App

The short answer: a good workout log template has five fields: date and session name, exercise, sets x reps, weight in kg, and a short note. Write one line per exercise in that order. Copy the template below into a notebook, a text file or an app. It works anywhere because it's just text.

The template

Copy this:

[Day, date], [session name]
[Exercise] [sets]x[reps] @ [kg]kg, [note]
[Exercise] [sets]x[reps] @ [kg]kg, [note]
[Exercise] [kg]kg: [reps], [reps], [reps], [note]

That's it. The third line is for when your reps changed across sets.

The five fields

1. Date and session name. "Mon 5 Oct, Upper" is enough. The name helps when you want to compare with the last upper day.

2. Exercise. Use the same name every time. "Bench press", not "bench" one week and "BB bench" the next. It makes looking back much easier.

3. Sets x reps. 3x8 when every set hit 8. List them, like 8, 8, 6, when they didn't.

4. Weight in kg. Put @ before it. If it's a dumbbell, write "each" so you know it's per hand.

5. A short note. Only when something mattered. "Felt heavy", "left knee tight", "new best". A few words.

If you want to know why these five, we cover each field in more depth in what to write in a gym diary. This post is the copy-and-paste version.

Filled-in example: full body

Mon 5 Oct, Full body A
Back squat 3x8 @ 80kg
Bench press 3x8 @ 60kg, last set slow
Barbell row 60kg: 10, 10, 8
Romanian deadlift 3x10 @ 70kg
Plank 3x45s

Filled-in example: dumbbells at home

Wed 7 Oct, Home
Goblet squat 3x12 @ 24kg
Dumbbell bench press 3x10 @ 22kg each
One-arm dumbbell row 3x10 @ 24kg each
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift 3x10 @ 22kg each, grip went

Optional fields

Add these only if you'll actually use them:

• Effort. @8 after a set means about 2 reps left. See how to log RPE.
• Bodyweight. Weigh in at the top of the page if you track it.
• Supersets. A1 and A2 for exercises done back to back.

More notation in our shorthand guide.

Need a plan to fill in?

If you don't have a program yet, our training plan generator gives you a week of workouts with sets, reps and rest. Pick a goal, how many days you can train and your equipment. Then drop each day into the template.

Spreadsheet or plain text?

Spreadsheets look great on a laptop. On a phone at the gym, they're a different story.

• The cells are tiny. You zoom in, type, zoom out.
• One column per field means a lot of tapping between sets.
• Comments don't fit. They end up in a cramped cell you never read.
• You stop opening it. That's how most gym spreadsheets end.

A plain-text line has none of those problems. You type it the way you'd say it, top to bottom, like a notebook. If you do like spreadsheets for looking back, plain text still works. You can always copy it across later.

Paper is fine too. The trade-offs are in gym notebook vs training journal app.

Make the template stick

The best template is the one you fill in. A few habits:

• Write it during the session. A line between sets, not a recap at home.
• Write what happened, not the plan. If set three was 6 reps, write 6.
• Read last time before you start. That's what turns a log into progress.
• Don't add fields you'll ignore. Five is enough.

Twaka is the template that reads itself

Twaka is a training log you write in plain English. You write the same kind of line this template uses, like Bench press 3x8 @ 60kg, and Twaka reads the sets, reps and kg. Each day is one page, with a calendar at the top. When you start a lift, last time's sets show underneath. Anything it doesn't recognise is left alone, so your notes stay notes.

Want a program to fill in? Tell Twaka your days, equipment and goal, and it writes a weekly program onto your pages as editable text.

Frequently asked questions

What should a workout log template include?

Five fields: date and session name, exercise, sets x reps, weight in kg, and a short note. Add effort or bodyweight only if you'll use them.

Should I use a spreadsheet or an app for my workout log?

Use what you'll keep filling in. Spreadsheets are fine on a laptop but fiddly on a phone mid-session. Plain text works in a notebook, a text file or an app that reads it.

How do I write sets with different reps?

List the reps after the weight, like Barbell row 60kg: 10, 10, 8. It's more honest than 3x10 and tells you what to beat next week.

Can I print this workout log template?

Yes. It's plain text, so copy it into a document and print it, or rule up a notebook page the same way.

Use the template, or let it fill itself in

Copy the template above and start today. If you'd rather your phone keep the numbers for you, Twaka is a plain-English training log for iPhone, now on the App Store. You need Twaka Pro to use it: US $49.99 a year or $7.99 a month, and local prices vary. New subscribers may get a 7-day free trial. Download Twaka on the App Store.

Sources

• Twaka App Store listing (plain-English day log, one page a day, calendar jump, last time under a lift name, made-for-you weekly programs, Pro prices and trial): https://apps.apple.com/app/twaka/id6805823954
• Twaka homepage (made-for-you wording; anything it doesn't recognise is left alone): https://twaka.app
• Twaka training plan generator (goal, days per week, equipment; sets, reps and rest): https://twaka.app/tools/training-plan