MUSCLE BUILDING COURSE

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PART 5 - TRACKING PROGRESS AND

MAINTAINING MOTIVATION
What good is all of this progress if you can’t quantify it? Today we’re going to discuss the
many ways you can track your progress. Then, we’ll give you some tips and resources you
can use to maintain your motivation and conquer all of your long-term goals.

What you’ll learn today:

• The importance of tracking progress

• How to track your progress
• When and how often you should track your progress
• Tips and tricks to stay motivated
• Where to look to continue your education

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRACKING PROGRESS

How’re you supposed to know if you’re on the right track without taking a step back to
evaluate your progress from time to time?

You can’t really. That’s why you’ll need to decide which method of tracking is best for you.
Tracking your progress will reveal a lot of things, such as:

1. Are you experiencing muscle growth?

2. Are you gaining more fat than muscle?
3. Do you need to decrease or increase your calorie intake?
4. Do you need to alter your workouts to focus on a lagging body part?
5. Is it time to reevaluate your end goal?

Everyone progresses differently. Some might discover they’re gaining more fat than they’d
like, others might realize that their lats are beginning to lag behind their other muscles. It’s

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always important to monitor these things so you can catch them early before they disrupt
your potential to make gains.

HOW TO TRACK PROGRESS

Several forms of tracking exist, each using different equipment and tools to gauge
quantifiable progress.

Potential forms and tools of tracking include:

• The Scale
• Probably the easiest way to measure
• Can measure BMI to gauge overall health risk factors
»» BMI = 703 x ((weight in lbs)/(height in in2))
»» Underweight BMI = Less than 18.5
»» Normal BMI = 18.5 to 24.9
»» Overweight BMI = 25 to 29.9
»» Obese BMI = 30 or more
»» Severe risk of chronic illness BMI is 35 to 39.99
• Doesn’t account for lean muscle mass
• Measuring Tape
• Can measure the circumference of muscles
»» Neck, arms, chest, waist, thighs, calves
• Can determine your hip to waist ratio
»» Less than a .95 ratio for males is healthy
»» Less than .80 ratio for females is healthy
• Can determine trouble areas for fat deposit
• Can be used to determine how close to ideals you are
• Body Fat Calculations
• Several different forms of testing using calipers
»» 3 fold
»» 4 fold
»» 7 fold - Most accurate
• The important indicator of lean body mass which BMI doesn’t always account
for

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• Transformation pics
• Taken over time for comparison.
• Helps you see growth of muscles (especially your posterior)
• If you have a great transformation story, please submit it to us! We’d love to
feature it!

Which forms of tracking you decide on will likely be whichever ones you have the tools to
complete the assessments with. For some, such as the tape measurements and skinfold
tests, it will be helpful to have a friend or loved one help you complete the test.

You can also use multiple forms of assessment to gauge your progress. The more
information you have on yourself, the more you’ll be able to design workout routines, diet
plans, and supplement stacks to assist you with your goals.

WHEN AND HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU TRACK PROGRESS

If you want an accurate comparison between two measurements, you have to have nearly
identical variables going into each assessment.

That means leading up to your form of testing:

• Always test before any kind of resistance training

• Refrain from drinking alcohol for the 3 days prior to testing
• Keep your carbohydrate and supplementation consistent
• Don’t try to manipulate water intake via dehydration/rehydration
• Take tests at the same time of day
• Keep caloric/meal intake similar throughout testing days

Some tests may require further restrictions to make sure variables are consistent, but those
are good starting points to keep in mind.

You’ll want to keep the frequency of your measurements spaced out at least 1-2 weeks apart.
Measuring any more frequently than that will likely just show the shifting of water weight.
However, in terms of progress pictures, take as many #swolfies as you want!

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TIPS AND TRICKS TO STAY MOTIVATED

Seeing yourself make progress over time is the greatest motivation one could hope for. But,
eventually, progress stalls. That’s why it’s important to know how to redirect your attention
and keep motivation at its highest. Below are 11 tips to stay motivated for long-term progress:

1. Track your progress

2. Remember why you started
3. Keep reminding yourself of your end goal
4. Watch motivational videos
5. Utilize social media and join the online community
6. Go to fitness events and expos
7. Learn from the sucess of others
8. Always strive to continue to learn
9. Have a support system - lifting partner or crew
10. Celebrate small successes
11. Sign up for different contests

The more you continue to learn, the more successful you’ll be at accomplishing your goals.
Knowledge is power and as you gain more knowledge about training, dieting, and what does
and doesn’t work for you, the better you’ll become from it.

Along with learning from books is learning from people. There’s a whole fitness community
out there waiting to embrace and welcome you into it. Don’t waste another second in waiting
to join them. Your progress will inspire them and theirs will inspire you. It’s contagious and it
also gives you more people to bounce ideas off of.

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

If you’re having trouble figuring out how to join the fitness community, start with ours. We’d
love to continue to hear about your success and provide you with motivation along the way.

Follow us on:

• Instagram: @muscleandstrength
• Youtube: @muscleandstrength
• Facebook: @muscleandstrength
• Pintrest: @musclestrength
• Twitter: @muscle_strength

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Chat with us and our other followers for daily motivation. We’ll consistently show you tips and
workouts that you can apply to your lifestyle.

Also, to continue your education, we’ll continue to send you weekly updates on what’s new
at Muscle & Strength and our most helpful articles. These tips, tricks, workouts, diets and
motivational articles will serve you well. But, in the meantime, if you’re looking to continue
your education, check out these resources:

• Muscle & Strength’s Muscle Building Expert Guide

• The Ultimate Muscle Building Split Reference Guide
• How to Plan Your Muscle Building Diet
• Muscle & Strength’s Complete Workout Database
• Muscle & Strength’s Complete Diet Plans Database

Congratulations! You’ve completed our 5 part muscle building email course! You now have
all the tools you’ll need to build lean muscle. Now the fun part begins.

Get after it!

- M&S

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