Lifting guides

Practical, no-fluff guides to logging workouts, progressive overload and getting stronger — written by the team behind Lifter Log.

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Importing programsNov 8, 2026

How to Export Hevy Data and Keep Your Training History

Export Hevy data in 5 steps, keep a clean copy of the CSV, open it in Sheets or Excel, and check three lifts after moving it to a new app.

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Workout loggingNov 7, 2026

How to Keep a Workout Journal: What to Write and Review

What to write in a workout journal: the numbers, a one-line note when a set surprises you, and a two-minute weekly review, with a six-week example.

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Programs & splitsNov 6, 2026

How to Start Strength Training: Your First Month

Three full-body days a week, a way to find starting weights, and an example first month of bench logs, 30 kg to 32.5 kg.

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Strength & 1RMNov 5, 2026

How Often Should You Test Your 1RM? Wait for a 5% Gain

Retests of a 1RM vary by about 3–4% on their own, so wait until your gain is bigger. A worked example, a weeks table, and how to estimate in between.

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Workout loggingNov 4, 2026

Fitbod Free Trial: 7 Days, Then Paid Unless You Cancel

Fitbod's trial is 7 days, and you pick a monthly or yearly plan to start it. US prices, how to cancel and how to judge it in a week, as of Nov 2026.

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Rest & recoveryNov 3, 2026

Deload Week: How Often, How Long and What to Cut

A deload week is a lighter stretch of training. See how often athletes take one, what they cut, a worked 6-week bench example and the log signs to watch.

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Body compositionNov 2, 2026

How to Track Body Measurements: 5 Sites, Every 4 Weeks

Measure waist, chest, hips, biceps and thigh at the same spot every four weeks. Trust a change once it beats your own repeat spread.

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Plates & equipmentNov 1, 2026

How to Load a Barbell: Plates Per Side, Step by Step

Subtract the bar, halve the rest, put the heaviest plates inside, add collars. Worked example: 87.5 kg is 20, 10, 2.5 and 1.25 kg per side.

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Programs & splitsOct 31, 2026

How Many Sets per Muscle Group per Week? What Studies Say

More weekly sets tend to mean more muscle. See what three reviews found and count your own week with a worked 53-set example.

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Programs & splitsOct 30, 2026

Push Pull Legs Split: Weekly Schedule for 3 to 6 Days

A push pull legs split on 3, 4, 5 or 6 days a week, with the sets each muscle gets in every version and a three-week calendar for the rolling 5-day plan.

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Progressive overloadOct 29, 2026

How to Break a Strength Plateau: Fix It From Your Log

A stalled lift is three sessions with no new best. Read your log first, then change one thing at a time: reps, rest, sets, and a deload last.

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Progress trackingOct 28, 2026

How to Calculate Training Volume: Tonnage, Reps and Sets

Training volume three ways, worked on one sample week: 11,010 kg of volume load, 156 reps and 19 sets. Which number to track depends on your goal.

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Workout loggingOct 27, 2026

Workout Tracker Spreadsheet: Columns and Formulas

Build a workout tracker spreadsheet with six columns and four formulas for Excel or Sheets, then see where it strains and how to import it to an app.

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Strength & 1RMOct 25, 2026

1RM Percentage Chart: Reps and Weights in kg and lb

1RM percentage chart from a 2024 meta-analysis of 269 studies: about 10 reps at 80%, 15 at 70%. Plus loads in kg and lb, and a check for a stale max.

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Rest & recoveryOct 24, 2026

How Long to Rest Between Sets for Muscle and Strength

How long to rest between sets: at least 2–3 min on heavy squats and bench, 1–2 on small lifts, over 60 s for muscle. Plus a log of what short rests cost.

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Progressive overloadOct 23, 2026

Double Progression Method: How to Add Reps, Then Weight

Double progression: add reps at one weight until every set hits the top of your range, then add weight. A worked log, plus a range that fits your jump.

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Workout loggingOct 22, 2026

Gravl Free Trial: 3 Workouts, Then a Subscription

Gravl gives 3 free workouts, then $14.99 a month or $59.99 to $89.99 a year (US, Oct 2026). How to test it, plus Lifter Log's 30-day free trial.

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Body compositionOct 21, 2026

How to Read DEXA Body Composition Results, Scan to Scan

Read DEXA fat and lean mass first, and compare scans from one machine. Changes under 2.1 kg of lean or 1.3 kg of fat can be noise. Limbs show muscle best.

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Body compositionOct 20, 2026

How to Read InBody Results and Tell If a Change Is Real

Read weight, skeletal muscle and body fat mass first. Trust a change between scans only past the normal spread: about 1 kg for muscle, 1.5 kg for fat.

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Workout loggingOct 20, 2026

How to Log Workouts at the Gym, Set by Set

What to write for every set, how to log dumbbells, plates, bodyweight and machines, and a full session logged as an example you can copy.

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Progressive overloadOct 20, 2026

How to Track Progressive Overload (Step by Step)

Log the right numbers, spot real progress and know exactly when to add weight — a practical guide to tracking progressive overload in the gym.

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