How to write a good log (template) — read before starting yours
33 posts
Pinning this because we've had a flood of new logs lately and half of them skip the stuff that makes a log actually useful later. A good log is one that YOU can look back on in 6 months and reconstruct what you actually did, and that another person can read without having to ask you ten follow-up questions.
Here is the template I use. Copy-paste it, fill it in, and go.
--- START TEMPLATE ---
Goal: one sentence. e.g. 'rehab left shoulder after impingement' or 'lose 25 lb over 20 weeks'.
Starting stats: weight, bodyfat if you have it, relevant labs, baseline strength numbers, baseline pain/ROM scores, whatever is relevant to the goal.
Stack: compound, dose, frequency, route. For each one.
Other variables: training, diet, sleep target, other supplements, any meds.
Plan: how long you're running, what the checkpoints are, what would make you stop.
--- THEN FOR EACH UPDATE ---
Day / week number, date optional, dose, what you did, what you felt, any objective numbers. Keep it short. 4–6 lines is plenty.
--- END TEMPLATE ---
Things that keep your log useful:
- write the update the day of, not three weeks later from memory
- include misses (missed injections, skipped workouts, bad sleep week) — they matter
- weigh yourself the same way each time (morning, post-bathroom, before water)
- if you change something mid-cycle, say WHY in the same post
Things that kill a log:
- 'feeling great guys' with no numbers
- changing three variables at once and wondering which one did it
- disappearing at week 4 and never closing it out
If you finish, please post a wrap-up. Even 'it did nothing' is useful data for the next person. Good luck, and tag me if you want eyes on your log.
- MOTS-c · 10 mg · weekly · sub-Q
- 5-Amino-1MQ · 100 mg · daily AM · oral
21 Replies
46 posts
Seconding this. The 'wrote it three weeks later from memory' thing is the biggest sin. Your memory lies to you about how you felt on day 11. Write it down the day of.
- Sermorelin · 200 mcg · 5x/wk AM · sub-Q
- BPC-157 · 250 mcg · 2x/day · sub-Q
94 posts
Would add: if you're running multiple compounds, stagger the start dates by at least a week so you can actually tell which one is doing what. I know nobody does this but it's the only way to learn anything.
- CJC-1295 no DAC · 100 mcg · pre-bed · sub-Q
- Ipamorelin · 200 mcg · pre-bed · sub-Q
- BPC-157 · 250 mcg · 2x/day · sub-Q
39 posts
If you have labs, post the before/after side by side. Screenshots are fine. Don't just say 'liver values fine' — actual numbers.
17 posts
Thank you for this. I was about to post a log with basically no baseline numbers. Going to go get a scale and a tape measure first.
35 posts
33 posts
Absolutely still worth it. Subjective reports are valuable too. Just be honest that it's subjective, and try to anchor it (0-10 pain scale, sleep hours, energy 1-10 at same time each day). 'felt great' is not data. 'slept 7.5h woke once, energy 7/10 at 10am' is data.
- MOTS-c · 10 mg · weekly · sub-Q
- 5-Amino-1MQ · 100 mg · daily AM · oral
32 posts
71 posts
I use a notion template that's basically this + a daily row. Happy to share if anyone wants it.
- BPC-157 · 500 mcg · 2x/day · sub-Q
- GHK-Cu · 2 mg · nightly topical · topical
41 posts
Posted my retatrutide log using this template. It's already 10x more useful than my last one. Thanks lucidverse.
36 posts
The 'close it out even if it failed' point is the one. So many logs just go silent at week 3 and we never learn whether it was side effects, boredom, or it actually worked and they got lazy.
- Tesamorelin · 1 mg · daily AM · sub-Q
25 posts
Dumb question — where do I actually post the updates? Reply to my own thread?
46 posts
Yes — reply to your own thread. That keeps everything in one place. Don't make a new thread per week.
- Sermorelin · 200 mcg · 5x/wk AM · sub-Q
- BPC-157 · 250 mcg · 2x/day · sub-Q
45 posts
Can we get a sticky of 'good logs to read as examples'? There are a few gold standard ones buried that new people should see.
33 posts
Good idea. I'll put one together next week.
- MOTS-c · 10 mg · weekly · sub-Q
- 5-Amino-1MQ · 100 mg · daily AM · oral
205 posts
One more tip: take progress photos even if you don't plan to share them. Same lighting, same angle, same time of day. Three months in you'll be glad you did.
- CJC-1295 no DAC · 100 mcg · pre-bed · sub-Q
- Ipamorelin · 200 mcg · pre-bed · sub-Q
- BPC-157 · 500 mcg · 2x/day · sub-Q
25 posts
27 posts
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20 posts
Reading this after starting my log and now I feel like I did half of it wrong. Going back to add baseline numbers.
13 posts
Going to use this template for my first cycle starting next week. Appreciate the effort that went into this.