Biofeedback

As a serious trainee, it is highly advised that you keep track of your biofeedback markers. These will be qualitative measures of your performance that provide more context to the session and can be leaned into when making future decisions on programming.

You can track whatever markers you find relevant to you in whichever way is most useful, but here is how we do it with our clients:

For ease, we use a 1 (worst) to 5 (best) scale for each biofeedback marker.

For completeness, we recommend leaving a quick, contextual note in the margin next to the ranking (especially for those that are unusually high or low).

• Completion Time – How long did your workout take from start to finish, in minutes?
• Energy – How energetic were you for your lift and how did it persist throughout the session?
• Strength – How was your ability to move heavy weights at high intensities? Did you set a personal record (PR) or did you feel capable of doing so if given the opportunity? 
• Endurance – How was your ability to sustain your strength and output over the duration of the session? 
• Pump – How strong was the sensation of muscular swelling after completion of a set? Could you feel your target muscle(s) pressing against the skin? Was there any degree of vascularity present?
• Mind-Muscle Connection – How strong was your perception of contraction? Could you feel your target muscle(s) working throughout the rep/set? 
• Focus – How was your ability to zone into your workout and avoid distractions?
• Preparedness – How was your nutrition/sleep/stress management leading into the session? Did you review your training beforehand? Did you make sure to have the necessities to perform at your best?
• Injury – How limited were you by aches/pains? Were any of the exercises causing you discomfort?
• Soreness – How sore were you from the session? What specific muscle(s) experienced the soreness? (Note: Fill this out retroactively according to the peak soreness experienced from the session.)

The goal with consistently logging your biofeedback isn’t just to quantify that which is qualitative — it’s also a great way to force you to pay attention to the signals your body is providing.

The way your body feels in the moment isn’t always conclusive evidence of bad (or good), but it is additional information that can be used to improve our decision making — And more useful information is always a good thing.