Habit Nest Review – This Is the Best Workout Routine Journal I’ve Ever Used

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I’ve gone through 4 of them now and swear by it (with a few tweaks here and there)

Let me start with a few of my favorite quotes.

What gets measured gets managed.” — Peter Drucker

If you aren’t measuring what you’re doing in the gym (weights, reps, sets, intensity, and timing), how can you improve on it?

Results require consistently adjusting how much/how many of any workout you’re doing.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up someplace else.”Yogi Berra

We need a plan of action for getting the results we want.

Measuring + Adjustments + Direction + Consistency = Results

How do we do that? The most common approach is through a logbook of some kind. There are 100s if not 1,000s to choose from.

Which is best though?

Fortunately, I’ve found it. There is a journal on Amazon created by a company called Habit Nest.

Weightlifting journal created by Habit Nest

It’s gone through many changes since I originally bought my first one way back in 2021. Each updated variation has gotten better and better.

It’s also a fraction of the cost of a workout plan from a personal trainer. Currently, it goes for only $39.99 on Amazon.

Yes, there are some drawbacks, so let’s discuss the journal’s pros and cons here before you run over and grab your own.

Why I Love the Habit Nest Weightlifting Journal/Program

Note: Habit Nest has several different journal types. My experience is with the workout journal, not the at-home journal or any of the others. I would be confident in assuming those are great also, but have not used them so I can’t say or recommend them at the moment.

First, let’s address the elephant in the room: this is not a “perfect” workout program. It is a very good program. But “very good” is as close to “perfect” as we can get in a generic workout program.

No matter how much we wish it were true, there really is no such thing as a perfect program.

Fitness bros like myself are in a never-ending state of changing our programs based on the “latest studies” or, more often, the latest trend that the influencers we follow are obsessed with.

If you gave this workout plan to the professional over-thinkers in the space like Jeff Nippard, Dr. Andrew Huberman, or Dr. Mike Israetel, they’d shoot holes all over it. However, they’d shoot holes in literally any plan that they didn’t create custom themselves.

If you don’t believe me, go watch any of their videos where they break down each other's fitness routines. It’s almost comical how far they overanalyze just to contradict one another.

Also, they’d shoot holes in the workout programs they recommended themselves a year ago. Things are so in flux, even the experts adapt constantly.

I say that with love and respect.

These people are geniuses, but again, they are paid to over-analyze exercise, and their critiques are so granular that the changes are negligible for anyone but professional athletes and bodybuilders.

They’re for the 1% who want to be in the 0.1%.

People who are already doing 99% of things right but want to reach that always moving goal of 100%.

So, this program is more than enough. Here’s why.

  • It breaks down days by muscle group. New lifters especially need help with this, but even experienced lifters (myself included) can oftentimes forget muscle groups or take the incorrect amount of rest between training sessions.

  • It changes up and rotates exercises so you aren’t repeating the exact same moves every week. This isn’t just 5 workouts that repeat ad nauseam. The moves are regularly rotated throughout.

  • It focuses on the core exercises that we know reign supreme like deadlifts, squats, bench press, and pull-ups. Not every day includes one of the holy trinity lifts (bench, deadlift, or squat), but every workout is intense if done properly.

  • It helps you compare previous weights and reps for exercises. Again, what gets measured gets managed. Be honest, there’s an exercise or two (or 20) that you haven’t been growing stronger at—that habitual 15 reps or 40 lbs on triceps pushdowns you’ve done for the last 3 years. It’s okay, we all have these, but this book makes us mindful of them so we can adjust and grow.

  • It keeps you from winging it and gravitating to the moves you enjoy but don’t move the needle forward. I wrote at length about the power of chasing the exercises we loathe below if you’re interested.

Only 5% of Weightlifters Need to Read This

There are cool features as well if you’re newer to weightlifting, such as:

  • Introduction to the program with an explanation of why things are done the way they are.

  • QR codes that link to tutorials for how to do each exercise.

  • New variations of the workbook once you’ve completed the entire thing.

It’s worth the $39.99 many times over if you utilize it.

The Drawbacks

Okay, let’s talk about the drawbacks and things you might want to tweak.

#1 This Is Not a Quick Routine

If you do every move and all 4 sets for each, it will take you an hour or more to complete. That does include a 5–10 minute warmup of your choosing (that I don’t believe is optional).

If you want to make the routine shorter, you can either focus on just the 3-rep variations, incorporate supersets, or skip certain exercises entirely. Just be sure you’re doing this in a reasonable manner and not just skipping the things you dislike.

#2 The Full Body Day Is for the Birds

There is one full body, bodyweight-only day. I skip this day entirely.

It is a great workout, but I prefer hitting the stairmaster or rowing machine for my cardio.

#3 The Program Might Lean More Towards Men Than Women

Whether you’re a man or a woman, this program will build muscle if executed correctly. However, they do have a version specifically for women.

Much of that is, honestly, just marketing.

We’ve all heard some women say they are afraid of getting “too bulky” (I wish it were that easy, to accidentally get bulky would be amazing), and men are afraid a unisex workout is the opposite.

Again, you can tweak the workout to however you like.

I think, in general, men do too much upper body and not enough lower body, and women do the opposite.

Wrap Up

If you want to really make progress in the gym, you need a plan.

If you need a plan, I recommend the Habit Nest weightlifting journal.

Just remember,

  • You get out what you put in.

  • It’s okay to tweak it.

  • A good plan executed with intensity is better than a perfect plan poorly executed.

Thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

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