Why you should log your golf practice and workouts

I was chatting with one of my teaching professionals this week and he’s been complaining of a sore wrist. He wasn’t sure why this was happening and wanted to jump on a call to see what we can discover. He’s in the middle of a gym programme so no new stimulus there that could be the cause. His playing time is the same as well so nothing new there. Then we got into his practice logs, for the last 2 and half weeks he has been averaging around 8 hours practice a week as he has new irons and wanted to dial them in. Now this is fine, however before that he was only averaging 2 hours a week.

So we can see from his work load there has been a big spike in volume and hitting balls as the pain has arrived. As well as that we discovered he was focussing a lot more time hitting his driver during this extra practicing. So we have a jump in volume and more focus on hitting driver which has more stress to the system of the body, it’s then obvious for us to tell why he is getting this pain and perhaps its nothing to worry about we just need to manage his volume slightly better.

• Progress Monitoring: Tracking training volume allows you to measure your progress over time. By recording your workouts, you can see if you're gradually increasing the weights, reps, or sets you perform, which is essential for ongoing improvements.
• Goal Setting: Having concrete data on your training volume helps you set realistic and achievable goals. You can establish specific targets for increasing volume, leading to structured and purposeful training sessions.
• Preventing Plateaus: Without tracking, it's easy to hit a plateau where progress stagnates. With recorded training volume, you can identify when progress slows down and adjust your routine accordingly to continue making gains.
• Optimal Recovery: Monitoring training volume helps you manage your workload to prevent overtraining and reduce the risk of injuries. It ensures that you're giving your body sufficient time to recover between intense sessions.
• Efficient Programming: If you're working with a fitness professional or using structured programs, tracking volume enables better customisation. Your trainer can use this data to fine-tune your workouts for maximum effectiveness.
• Identifying Trends: Patterns in your training volume can reveal which exercises or muscle groups you might be neglecting. This insight allows you to balance your workouts for overall strength and development.
• Accountability and Motivation: Tracking creates accountability for your training routine. The act of recording your progress can be motivating and encourage you to maintain consistency.
• Personalisation: Every individual responds differently to training stimuli. Tracking volume helps you identify what works best for your body, aiding in tailoring your routine for optimal results.
• Measurement of Intensity: Tracking volume provides insight into the overall intensity of your workouts. By combining volume with other factors like rest intervals and exercise selection, you can fine-tune your training's impact.
• Documentation for Analysis: Over time, you'll amass a collection of data that can be analysed to identify trends, strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This historical perspective can guide your future training decisions.