Background:

Since learning how to lift during highschool in 2014 to graduating college in 2022, I have noticed a lack of progression in the amount of weight that I can lift in key exercises (e.g. bench presses, deadlifts, squats). I struggled to consistently go to the gym to lift weights–whether due to the busyness of my schedule or lack of motivation–and felt content once I reached certain milestones (e.g. 135 lbs for bench press). Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of quarantine and lack of an adequate home gym, I regressed in most key exercises. Muscle mass and strength tends to peak around 30 to 35 years of age, and I am only getting closer to that period of time as I am turning 23 years old this year in 2023. These facts combined with me having a more consistent schedule as a result of starting to work full-time following graduation and needing a healthier hobby than binging Netflix shows after work, I made it one of my goals this year to break through my current lifting plateaus. By the end of 2023, I hope to be able to complete 3 sets of 10 reps of 225 lbs for the key exercises of bench press, deadlift, and squat. The questions that came next were: How might I keep myself accountable for my weightlifting goals? How might I keep track of my progression in key exercises?

Process:

With another one of my goals for 2023 being to improve my skills in data analytics, I decided to combine my two goals and create a Tableau dashboard to track my weightlifting journey. There have been a number of studies about the effectiveness of fitness tracking in improving motivation levels and increasing physical activity levels, but I have never implemented a system to do this in my own routine. I decided to first record my weightlifting data in Google Sheets and connect that data to Tableau to organize my data and create visualizations. My hope was that by needing data points to gain insights into my lifting and by creating a graphical representation of my lifting journey, I would be more motivated to go to the gym to exercise. Furthermore, I could compare my data from month to month and quarter to quarter to determine if I was objectively pushing myself to increase the total amount of weight I lifted and if I was making progress in my key exercises of interest. Here were a few of the key milestones I decided to track: Months, Quarters - plan to conduct Quarterly Reviews to keep myself accountable, Years, Reaching Total Training Volume of 6750 lbs (3 sets * 10 reps * 225 lbs), Completing 3 sets of 10 reps of 225 lbs for key exercises of interest