How to Log Strength Training Properly
Why per-set logging matters for pyramids and drop sets, how to keep straight sets fast, and what your sets feed into afterwards.
Updated August 2026
Quick answer
Log each set's reps and weight independently — that is what makes pyramids, drop sets, and working-up patterns record accurately instead of flattening to an average. Adding a set pre-fills from the previous one, so a straight 5×5 stays quick. Up to 20 sets per entry, and total volume feeds your stats and any AI calorie estimate.
Why per-set beats one number
Many logs record a single weight and rep count for an exercise. That works only for straight sets, and it quietly destroys the information in every other pattern:
| Pattern | What actually happened | What a single figure records |
|---|---|---|
| Working up | 60, 80, 100, 110 kg | One weight — the progression vanishes |
| Drop set | 100 kg × 6, then 80 × 8, then 60 × 10 | One weight — the drop, which was the point, vanishes |
| Pyramid | Up then back down | A middle value that never happened |
| Straight sets | 5 × 5 at 80 kg | Recorded correctly |
Only the last row survives. Since progression is the thing strength training is for, a log that cannot represent it is recording the least interesting part of the session.
Keeping it fast anyway
Per-set detail sounds like more typing, but the common case is handled: adding a set pre-fills from the previous one. For straight sets you tap add, tap add, tap add — the numbers are already right. You only type when something changes, which is exactly when the detail is worth capturing.
- 1
Start the entry
From the app, the widget's Lift button, or Siri.
- 2
Log the first set
Reps and weight. Siri asks for both as follow-up questions if you started by voice.
- 3
Add subsequent sets
Each pre-fills from the last — adjust only what changed.
- 4
Save
Up to 20 sets per entry.
Cardio records different things
Exercise entries capture what suits the activity rather than forcing everything into sets and reps:
- Distance-based work — runs, walks, rides — records distance, with pace calculated for you
- Stair sessions track floors, with cadence in steps per minute shown live
- A built-in stopwatch times anything as it happens, rather than after the fact
What your sets feed
- Total volume, in your daily, weekly, and monthly stats
- AI calorie estimates — session shape changes the number
- Apple Health, as a workout, so your Activity rings stay accurate
- The 7-day and 30-day charts, where Lift is its own line
This is the argument for logging reps and weight at the time rather than “roughly, later”. Everything downstream is computed from those numbers; an entry missing them still counts as a session but contributes nothing to volume.
Common questions
How many sets can one entry hold?
Up to 20, which covers essentially any single-exercise session including long drop-set and pyramid work.
Do I have to log every set?
No — an entry without per-set detail still records that the session happened. It just will not contribute volume to your stats or shape an AI estimate, so the trade is speed now against detail later.
Does it write to Apple Health?
Yes, if you turn the integration on. Lift and Exercise entries are written as workouts so your Activity rings reflect them. It is opt-in, under Settings → Apple Health.
Can I repeat yesterday's session?
Swipe right on an entry to duplicate it at the current time. Pro adds Copy Day, which duplicates a whole day's entries to another date in one tap — useful for a repeating programme.
Related guides
Get Loggnit
AI Calorie & Life Log · Free on the App Store.
