Using Evernote to track workouts?

[tavor 668]

Is anyone using Evernote to track their workouts? I'm specifically referring to lifting weights. I have always used a small notebook and pen for this, but I'm trying to go paperless, so I'm considering using EN on my phone instead.

Would be interested in people's experiences with this. Do you use a stylus? Some sort of workout template note? Do you feed the data into a spreadsheet for tracking over time?

[DTLow 5,736]

3 hours ago, tavor said:

Do you feed the data into a spreadsheet for tracking over time?

A spreadsheet is a good idea if you want to work with data - for example charts
Otherwise a simple note(s) would work.  A note for each workout, or a single note with a table

>>Do you use a stylus? Some sort of workout template note?
Another alternative is a simple audio note
I would later transcribe and put the information into the note title/template/spreadsheet
You want to make the entry part as simple as possible, otherwise it won't get done

[CalS 5,280]

2 hours ago, tavor said:

Is anyone using Evernote to track their workouts? I'm specifically referring to lifting weights. I have always used a small notebook and pen for this, but I'm trying to go paperless, so I'm considering using EN on my phone instead.

Would be interested in people's experiences with this. Do you use a stylus? Some sort of workout template note? Do you feed the data into a spreadsheet for tracking over time?

I do.  No real template per se.  Before I go to the club I create a blank note in the form yyyy.mm.dd name (hh:mm) with Workout as the tag.  name can be a partner if I am working out with someone or just me, hh:mm is the time of day.  On my phone I will select the new note and my last two workouts of that type so they are visible in recent notes

Then as I workout I add the exercise and/or machine and reps/weight using the keyboard.  Easy if  straight sets of something, a little more time if a pyramid set or whatever, but still fits in the between sets break.  

When I get back to my PC at some point I will enter the workout into a spreadsheet.  I store the spreadsheet on DropBox and access it with a link in a note in EN.  I have shortcuts to the Workout tag and the Workout Log note.  This works better because I have pivot tables in the spreadsheet.  I keep the notes.

Not particularly sophisticated, but works for me.  I started recording in 2014.  FWIW.

[tavor 668]

23 minutes ago, csihilling said:

When I get back to my PC at some point I will enter the workout into a spreadsheet.  I store the spreadsheet on DropBox and access it with a link in a note in EN.  I have shortcuts to the Workout tag and the Workout Log note.  This works better because I have pivot tables in the spreadsheet.  I keep the notes.

Since you are manually entering workouts into a spreadsheet at home, why not just do it at the gym, and skip using EN as the middleman?

That would also save you the hassle of switching notes to see your prior workout since that info will be in the same spreadsheet you are logging current workout into.

[CalS 5,280]

11 minutes ago, tavor said:

Since you are manually entering workouts into a spreadsheet at home, why not just do it at the gym, and skip using EN as the middleman?

That would also save you the hassle of switching notes to see your prior workout since that info will be in the same spreadsheet you are logging current workout into.

The spreadsheet is in Excel, not sure how or if I want to modify it when at the gym.  Even if it was live in Excel, there may be as many as 20 plus lines between a like workout, 40 between two workouts   Easier for me to just hit a couple of presses to get the data.  I can view the spreadsheet via drop box if need be.

Plus I have some sequence numbers, look ups, and the like that I replicate when in Excel.  A copy/paste of some lines from a previous workout and then enter the current workout is easy enough for me.  Again, works for me, may not be everyone's cup of tea.  

[tavor 668]

Got it. I was thinking Google Sheets. 

After searching online, I couldn't find any uses of EN for workout tracking that appealed to me. I'm thinking I'll try using one of the Sheets workout templates available online and modify it for my needs.

[CalS 5,280]

[MacGyver99 0]

I use it for my workout. Now the caveats: 

1) Seldom deviate from the plan, other than add more weight or reps.

2) Built a table with thick borders to help see. See attachment.

3) When I go to the gym just add the date at the top and if I increase weight or reps I make updates, otherwise that's it.

Pretty simple.

 

 

[chape 0]

I do! I´m a personal trainer and I have my own templates. Here´s a pic

[Lunah 4]

Hmm, never used it for workouts! thank fo idea, guys!

[TK0047 422]

I attend the Orange Theory classes and you get an email with your heartbeat monitor data at the end of the class. 

I send those emails to Evernote and have a master note where I have a spreadsheet link to DropBox, where I log the results. You can also take the screenshot from the phone app and do the same as a reference to that workout. It gives me good data and tracking.

[OMNIZEN 86]

On 2/24/2017 at 11:38 AM, tavor said:

Is anyone using Evernote to track their workouts? I'm specifically referring to lifting weights. I have always used a small notebook and pen for this, but I'm trying to go paperless, so I'm considering using EN on my phone instead.

Would be interested in people's experiences with this. Do you use a stylus? Some sort of workout template note? Do you feed the data into a spreadsheet for tracking over time?

Yes! But there’s a lot of planning work you have to do to make it successful. I just copy a workout and then use tables. I keep on note for the workout. 

[BrightHomesRE 31]

Interesting thread.  I would like to see how using Zapier and/or IFTTT might have an option to track your workouts, @tavor. I know that now that I am using my Apple Watch, it appears to track everything I do!

[Gear64 43]

I use a 'master' app I've used for years that captures the aggregates like daily weight, hours exercised/day, and distance in case of cycling.  Since using Evernote, I use it for any 'routine' based exercise.  I keep the workouts in an offline notebook for tablet use away from wifi.  Each time I start a new cycle I create a new template(s).  When I start the workout I duplicate the template/previous workout.  When I get home I can use the create date/update date to capture the time for my master app.  The templates are just simple tables with the exercise, weight, sets, reps.

[kingbily 0]

Lucky Patcher 9Apps VidMate

I use a whiteboard to write down my workouts for the day, but this works just as well on a piece of paper.

Snap a picture of the workout you have completed/written down and put it in evernote. The Evernote app also has a “Page Camera” option that is supposed to optimize taking pictures of text.

If you are using the iPhone (not sure how this works on Droid phones) there is not a way to change your picture size or quality with the stock camera app.

This presents a problem because the iPhone 4s and 5 has an 8 megapixel camera and the files are rather large.

The free version of Evernote only allows 60MB of free upload space per month.

You could only upload about a dozen or so pics with the iPhone before you were over your limit…not good.

[Raputtak 1]

My first post here so please be gentle.

I have just started trying out EverNote. Right now I use OneNote to track my workout sessions at the gym.

I use a simple table. I enter the weight x reps for each day's exercise. (The D and E refers to warmups: StairMaster, elliptical, etc).  Oh, and I insert rows at the top so that the most recent results are close to the column headings.

Occasionally I copy the table to an Excel spreadsheet on the computer where it is backed up.

I guess I can do the same thing with EN. Or is there a better way?

[PinkElephant 8,066]

With the App PicsArt it is - among a ton of other options - possible to reduce the size of pictures - works with the free version, if you don‘t care the ads.