ForgeLogbooks Blog
The Only 5 Exercises You Need to Track (and How to Log Them)
If you only track five lifts, track these. They tell you everything you need to know about whether your training is working.
Why this matters
A guide to the five most important exercises to track in your training logbook, covering why each matters, what to log for each, and common tracking mistakes to avoid.
You do not need to track every curl, every lateral raise, and every calf raise to know if your training is working. You need to track five lifts. Squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and a rowing movement. These five exercises cover every major muscle group, they respond predictably to progressive overload, and their numbers tell you more about your strength than any other combination of exercises.
Muscle groups covered
All
These five exercises hit every major muscle group in the body.
Tracking time
2-3 min/session
Logging five exercises takes minimal time and produces maximum insight.
Progress indicator accuracy
95%+
If these five lifts are going up, your training is almost certainly working.
The Five
Why These Five Exercises and Not Others
Squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and a rowing movement (barbell row or pull-up). These five lifts are the minimum viable tracking set for any strength athlete. They cover every major movement pattern: squat (knee-dominant lower), hinge (hip-dominant lower), horizontal push, vertical push, and pull. If these numbers are going up, you are getting stronger everywhere.
Accessory exercises matter for development, but they do not tell you whether your overall program is working. Your lateral raises could go up 5 lbs while your pressing stagnates. Your leg curls could improve while your squat stalls. The big five are the signal. Everything else is noise that supports the signal.
How to Log Each
What to Track for Each of the Five Lifts
Each of these lifts should get full tracking: weight, reps, sets, and RPE. Here is the specific notation and what to watch for on each.
Squat
Log bar weight, reps per set, and RPE. Note depth (did you hit parallel or below?). Track warm-up jumps in a single line. Flag any knee or hip issues. Squat is the most informative lower body lift because it reflects both quad strength and overall structural integrity.
Bench Press
Log bar weight, reps per set, and RPE. Note grip width if you vary it. Track touch point (high, mid, low chest). Bench responds to volume, so also note total sets over the week. If bench stalls, the fix is usually more pressing volume, not heavier weight.
Deadlift
Log bar weight, reps per set, and RPE. Note grip type (double overhand, mixed, hook). Track bar speed on the first rep versus the last rep. Deadlift tells you about posterior chain strength, grip endurance, and spinal erector capacity.
Overhead Press
Log bar weight, reps per set, and RPE. Note whether strict or push press. Track standing or seated. OHP is the hardest lift to progress and the most informative for shoulder health. Small increases (2.5 lbs) matter more here than on any other lift.
Row or Pull-Up
Log weight (or bodyweight plus added weight for pull-ups), reps, and RPE. Note the variation (barbell row, pendlay row, pull-up, chin-up). Pulling strength balances pressing and prevents shoulder issues.
Common Mistakes
Tracking Mistakes That Waste Your Data
Inconsistent exercise variations. If you barbell row one week and cable row the next, you cannot compare the numbers. Pick one rowing variation per training block and stick with it. Track the variation name so you know exactly which movement you are comparing.
Ignoring RPE. Two sets of 225x5 can represent completely different training stimuli depending on whether they were RPE 6 or RPE 9. Without RPE, you lose context. A number going up at the same RPE is progress. A number going up at higher RPE might just mean you tried harder, not that you got stronger.
Skipping the review. Logging without looking back is pointless. At minimum, before every session, look at what you did last time on the same exercises. This takes 30 seconds and tells you what to aim for today.
When to Add More
When to Start Tracking Beyond the Five
Once tracking these five lifts is automatic and you are reviewing them weekly, start adding exercises based on your goals. If you are training for bodybuilding, add your top 2-3 isolation exercises per muscle group. If you are a powerlifter, add your main accessories (close-grip bench, front squat, deficit deadlift). If you are an athlete, add sport-specific movements.
The five core lifts never leave your tracking. They stay as your permanent indicators of overall strength. Everything you add builds on top of them, not beside them.
Action checklist
Deploy it this week
Track squat, bench, deadlift, OHP, and rows every week
Full detail: weight, reps, sets, RPE. These are your core indicators.
Use the same exercise variation per block
Barbell row stays barbell row. Do not swap variations and compare numbers across them.
Log RPE on every working set
Context matters. The same weight at RPE 7 vs RPE 9 tells completely different stories.
Review before every session
30 seconds: what did you do last time on these lifts? Aim to match or beat it.
Remember
3 takeaways to screenshot
- ⚡Five exercises cover every major movement pattern and muscle group. If these numbers are going up, your training is working.
- ⚡Full tracking (weight, reps, RPE) on these five lifts takes 2-3 minutes per session and tells you more than logging every exercise with less detail.
- ⚡Start with five. Add more once tracking is automatic. The core five never leave your logbook.
FAQs
Readers keep asking…
What if I cannot do one of these exercises?
Substitute with the closest variation. Cannot barbell squat? Track goblet squat or leg press. Cannot deadlift? Track trap bar deadlift or Romanian deadlift. The principle is the same: track a compound movement for that pattern.
Should beginners track all five from day one?
Yes. Beginners benefit the most from tracking because their numbers change the fastest. Seeing your squat go from 95x5 to 155x5 in two months is powerful motivation that only exists if you wrote down the starting number.
Why not include pull-ups as a separate lift from rows?
You can track both, but for the minimum viable set, one pulling exercise is enough. If you do both, pick the one you prioritize as your tracked pull. The other can be an accessory.
What about Olympic lifts?
If you are an Olympic weightlifter, substitute snatch and clean and jerk for deadlift and OHP. Your core tracking set becomes squat, snatch, clean and jerk, bench (if you bench), and pulls.
Still with us?
Turn today’s insight into a paper trail of progress.
ForgeLogbooks pairs premium materials with conversion-ready layouts so your training feels pro, on and off the platform.