I have been going to the gym for a number of years. If I am not serious about increasing strength or building muscle mass, I usually just do random workouts. This means I'll go to the gym a few days a week and do whatever exercises I feel like doing while at the gym. This usually results in just maintaining my muscles and burning a few calories. However, it is also wasteful because I end up doing the same exercises way too much, and I spend too much time standing around at the gym thinking about what I should do next. Also, I won't increase the weight because I always forget how much weight I can do.

Then I started tracking my workouts. I created an excel spreadsheet of all my different exercises, categorized by muscle group. There are literally hundreds of exercises in my spreadsheet. Each time I go to the gym, I put together a list of exercises I want to do. I have records of when I last did each exercise and the reps/sets/weight for each. I usually select exercises I haven't done in a while, and group them together each time to create a great routine. I print off my schedule then head to the gym.

When I get to the gym, I don't doddle. I have a list of exactly what exercises to do, how many to do and at what weight. I can cut a lot of thinking out of my workouts by doing this. Each gym visit, I can increase the weight incrementally to make sure that I continue to gain strength. I record the number of reps/sets and weight for each exercise and then head home.

Afterwards, I enter my data into the computer so that it is ready for next time.

I find that this system works very well to make sure I am training my body evenly (not over-targeting some areas and under-targeting others), and always getting different workout routines so I never get "used" to anything.

I have been noticing great strength gains (especially since I have a record of my progress) and constant soreness, which shows that I am really getting the most out of my workouts by staying organized and goal-oriented.