The benefits of using workout calendars

Workout plans are important aspects of every workout regimen and it is important to know the days you will be working out for the week, the types of workouts you will be doing, the exercises you will be doing, and the sets and reps you will be doing. This will help you to train more efficiently and will make your workouts more effective.

An important aspect of workout plans, and working out in general, is tracking your progress and having somewhere to represent and plan your workouts for the week. This is where workout calendars come in. In this article we will explore what exactly workout calendars are, what their benefits and drawbacks are, and will look at the different types of calendars available for you to choose from.

Let’s get into it!

What are workout calendars?

Workout calendars are tools that are used to plan and track workouts and are visual representations of the workouts that you have planned for a particular day, week, or month. Like regular calendars, workout calendars are used to schedule and organise your workout regimen and are important if you want to stay on top of your workout schedule and want to maximise your weeks in terms of exercising.

Benefits of using a workout calendar

Workout calendars are useful tools to incorporate into your overall workout plan and they have many benefits associated with using them.

Helps to visualise your weeks and workouts

Simply thinking about what you are going to/want to do on a particular day or for a particular week isn’t always the most effective method of planning out your week or your sessions. It can be easy to forget what you planned, or unforeseen circumstances may arise, and this could totally throw off your workout plans for the week.

By writing down and visualising your workout schedule you are able to see the bigger picture and are better able to react to unforeseen circumstances. Having a visual representation of your weeks/workouts also helps you to stay consistent as you are constantly aware of what, where, and when you need to be working out or exercising.

Helps to keep you accountable

In addition to being easy to forget, simply thinking about your workout plan for the week and not having any physical evidence of it or your commitment makes it easy to ignore them. Writing down your schedule for the day, week, and month helps you to keep yourself accountable as you are constantly aware of the plan and commitment you made. This helps to improve your motivation as well as your consistency.

Organises your thoughts

In general, it can be difficult to make plans if you don’t have all of information readily available and easily accessible. The same can be said when making workout plans and, similar to using calendars in regular life, utilising a workout calendar can be an excellent way to make planning your workouts and schedule for the week easier.

By having all the information you need readily available in terms of the free time you have for the week, the workouts you want to do, and the goals you want to achieve, the planning process becomes easier and runs smoother as you are able to better organise your thoughts and see the bigger picture for the days and weeks within the month.

Accurately tracks your workouts

Actively tracking your workouts and progress is an essential element when it comes to fitness and trying to achieve various goals. Fitness calendars can be used to track not only the workouts that you have done for the day or week, but you can also record different stats on yourself in terms of your progression in weight, sets, reps, etc.

What you chose to record using the calendar and how you choose to utilise the calendar is completely up to you and there are many different options you can choose from in terms of how you decide to use the workout calendar.

Types of workout calendars available

As workout calendars have become more popular there are many different ways for you to access/utilise this resource.

Printable workout calendars

Printable workout calendars are blank calendars that you can download and print out for yourself at home. You are then able to customise the calendar in any way that you desire and are able to tailor it to your specific need.

Many companies and fitness websites offer their own free version of printable workout calendars so there are many different options for you to choose from. There are both blank templates as well as various pre-set templates available with workout plans and other types of information. This means that you simply have to fill in your information as most of the work is already done for you.

Whatever your preference there is a printable calendar available to match your taste, size, and desired level of customisability.

(Image from abundanthealthvitality.com)

Workout/fitness calendar apps

Physical calendars have become less and less popular as technology has advanced over the years. Most people use the calendars on their phones or computers instead of keeping physical calendars in their homes or their bags. While people still use physical workout calendars there are many workout calendar apps that are available that have the basic features of a workout calendar as well as many other interesting features to elevate your planning experience.

These apps allow for precise workout planning and, when partnered with the health tracking capabilities of your smart phone or smart watch, is able to create a holistic representation and view of your fitness for the day, week, and month. Some apps are even able to integrate the data from some of your other fitness apps, such as yoga apps, to track and plan your workouts precisely and accurately.

Workout apps represent an excellent way to plan your workouts and expertly incorporates the technological innovations of smart devices to make planning and tracking your workouts easy and more advanced.

Handmade workout calendars

Taking a step back from the technology we go back to simple hand made calendars. While definitely not as popular as some of the other methods, some people prefer to physically draw out their calendars in their fitness journals or on separate pieces of paper. This is a simple but effective method and is a good method for people who don’t have access to apps, smart devices, or downloadable calendars.

Traditional calendar apps/websites

While there are apps and calendars designed specifically for the purpose of tracking and planning workouts, it is perfectly acceptable to use regular calendars and websites and simply adapt it to your workouts. A lot of people choose to do this and using things such as google calendar or even google docs. Whatever you decide to use, as long as you are able to plan and track your workouts, then whatever works for you is the right choice.

Conclusion

Having a workout plan is extremely important and is an essential part of working out successfully. An excellent way to make/facilitate workout plans is to use workout calendars. They are simple but effective tools that will help you to organise your thoughts, see the bigger picture, and accurately and efficiently plan your day, week, and month when it comes to your workouts. There are many benefits to using workout calendars and they are a cheap and easy to implement.