Strength Progression Tracker

Who this is for

See whether the bar is moving. Once a week, write down your best set on each of four main lifts, and the tracker shows how much the weight has changed on the week before and since you started.

Lifters following their own plan who want to see, lift by lift, whether the weight or the reps are going up over a block of weeks.

What this helps you track

• The best set on each of four lifts, week by week
• The change in weight on the previous week, in your unit and as a percentage
• Reps alongside the weight, so a rep gain is not missed
• The total change on each lift since the first week logged

How to use it

1. Write your name, the date you are starting and the four lifts you want to follow in the header.
2. At the end of each training week, find your best set on each lift and write its weight and reps on that week's row.
3. Number the weeks from 1, counting from the start date in the header, so every lift's row for a week lines up.
4. The change on last week and the percentage change are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, subtract last week's weight.
5. Use the notes area for anything that explains a drop or a jump, such as a missed week or a change of technique.
6. Read the total change for each lift in the summary at the end of the block.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

What counts as the best set?

Decide once and stick to it, for example the heaviest weight you completed for the reps you planned. Writing the reps next to the weight keeps a heavier single from hiding a lighter set done for more reps.

Why only four lifts?

Four lifts sit two to a table with sixteen weeks each, which keeps the sheet readable. If you follow more, print a second copy, or keep a second copy of the browser version, which saves in your own browser.

Does it tell me how much to add each week?

No. It records what you lifted and shows the change. How much to add, and when, is your own decision or your coach's; the sheet supplies no increments or targets.

What if I miss a week?

Leave that lift's cells blank for the week. The change for the following week is then worked out against a blank and shows nothing, so work that one out by hand against the last week you did lift.