Guide ยท
Workout spreadsheet vs app: which should you use?
Use a workout spreadsheet when you want to design your own columns, formulas and training plan. Try a workout app when entering completed sets and finding your previous session on your phone is the part you want to simplify.
You do not need to replace a spreadsheet that already works. Start with the task that causes friction: planning the workout, recording it at the gym, or reviewing what you did.
Keep the spreadsheet for custom planning
A sheet lets you decide how to arrange your program and what calculations to keep. That is useful if your planning depends on custom formulas or you prefer reviewing a full block of training on a larger screen.
For a session log, use a date, a consistent exercise name, the load and its unit, and the reps completed in each set. Keep planned reps separate from completed reps so your history records what happened.
A spreadsheet is not automatically an online-only choice. Google documents offline access for Docs, Sheets and Slides. Follow the setup for your device before relying on it at the gym.
Try an app for recording sessions
Fitness Diary groups exercises, sets, reps and weights with routines, workout history and personal records. If your sheet is hard to use between sets, try logging one current routine in the app and review that session afterwards.
Check the actual workflow before moving your history. Can you find the exercise you need, record each set separately and read the previous session? Those checks tell you more about fit than a long feature list.
Check data portability before switching
Export and import are different features. For example, Strong's export documentation describes CSV output but says those files cannot be imported back into Strong. That is a documented example of why an export option alone does not establish a migration path.
This guide does not promise spreadsheet import or CSV export in Fitness Diary. Keep your original spreadsheet and any backups. You can start logging new sessions without transferring every past workout.
Choose with one real session
- Keep your existing training plan and history. Choose one routine you already use.
- Record the completed sets in your chosen tool. Check exercise names and weight units before comparing entries.
- Before the next session, try finding the last workout. Keep the tool that makes that task straightforward for you.
If you plan in a sheet and log in an app, choose which one holds the completed session. Re-entering the same workout in two places can leave conflicting records.
Read how to log sets, reps and weights, see what the workout diary records, or review body-measurement tracking.
Fitness Diary includes free core workout logging. Pro is USD 5/month. Review the Fitness Diary overview before choosing.
Common questions
Is a spreadsheet enough for a workout log?
Yes. A spreadsheet can record the date, exercise, weight unit, sets and completed reps. Keep it if entering and reviewing those details works for you.
Can I move my spreadsheet history into Fitness Diary?
This guide does not offer a spreadsheet import into Fitness Diary. Keep your original file and start with a current routine rather than assuming automatic migration.
Can I use both a spreadsheet and a workout app?
Yes. You can plan in a spreadsheet and record completed sets in an app. Choose one place as your session record so you do not have two conflicting versions of the same workout.