How To Measure Progress and Understand If Your Workouts Are Working

Measuring progress as a beginner can be done by both observing your performance in the gym, as well as tracking your objective results on the scale or tape measure.

When starting out, I often set these three goals for my clients, which can easily be measured and progressed every month.

1. Increase Your Workout Performance

I first recommended that all beginners commit to workout out at least 2-3 days a week and that they complete all workouts (100% completion) within the first 30 days.

I then focus on their performance within the workout, looking for weekly increases in reps performed (with the same weight as last week) or adding more sets in the following weeks than prior ones. 

Lastly, I will look at how much loading they are increasing as well week to week.

2. Track Your Weight, Body Measurements, and Before/After Photos

I recommended that you track weight, body measurements, and take photos.  

Taking just your weight on the scale only looks at one variable, and can often not help you determine if the weight you gained or lost is coming from fat vs muscle.

Taking body measurements (you can measure various circumferences of your body) helps you see what areas got bigger and smaller, which can help you determine where the weight gain or loss occurred. 

For example, lets say you gained 5lbs but your waist and hips circumference went down, this could suggest you gained size in your legs and arms instead of your midsection.

Not having both doesn’t allow you to see the whole picture.

Lastly, photos are a great way to visually compare and contrast your before and after journey, and can be used in combination with the data you get from the scale and measurements to provide you with a great view of your results.

3. BodyPods and DEXA Scans

These two devices, BodyPods and DEXA scans, are great ways to accurately measure your body fat, lean muscle mass, and how it can change over the course of 6-8 weeks of training. 

Unlike weight scales or scales that estimate your body fat (which are highly inaccurate), the BodPod and DEXA scan are two of the most accurate ways to measure lean body mass and fat.

You can compare your results pre and post to not only determine your weight loss/gain but be able to see exactly how much of the weight you gain/lost came from fat vs muscle.