How To Use Data To Improve Your Fitness and Performance
Data is everywhere. It powers everything we do. If you’re not using data to inform your decisions, you’re guessing. And guessing isn't good enough when you’re pursuing elite performance or just trying to balance a healthy lifestyle.
That’s why it’s important to put numbers to your efforts. When you think about it, there is no other option when it comes to fitness and performance. The only way you know if you’re making any progress is if the number on the scale is smaller or the weight you lift is greater.
It cuts out the guessing game and opens up a new world of motivation, progress and freedom. It can help you adjust your plan and achieve better results that aren’t reliant on external factors or guessing. Data never lies.
Athletes’ performances, and thus careers, are informed by data. Everything from the energy they expend during a workout to their nutrition helps improve performance. However, tracking this data isn’t just for professional athletes. If done correctly, anyone can use data to improve their health and performance.
Why Data Matters in Fitness
When I tell people I track my fitness data, it’s usually met with a laugh. “It’s not that serious, you’re not a professional athlete.”
OK. But if you spend 5-10+ hours per week training, don’t you want to make that time worthwhile?
Tracking your fitness data is a no-brainer. It gives you the hard truths about your progress, motivates you to keep going and pushing, and gives you elite-level access to your data to help personalise your training to suit you.
When you’re not using data to inform how you train, you’re wasting your most valuable commodity - time. It’s almost like expecting a football team to play an entire season without keeping the score of their games. How do they know where they’re doing well? How do they know where to improve? The answers lie in the numbers.
There are three standout reasons why data matters in fitness:
Data reveals the truth - There’s no room for subjectivity when collecting and analysing data. Heart rate, volume, or distance data tells a true story that is impossible to recollect when you’re doing the thing.
Visualise your progress - Seeing how you are progressing towards your goals is huge.
Individualisation - There’s no better application of individualisation to your training than using your data to tailor your training to what works best for you. For all the social media influencers who claim their way is the best, you can get an edge over everyone else by focusing on your data to know what is actually best for you.
What Fitness Data to Track
This section comes with a warning: Don’t obsess over the data.
I’ve made the mistake of tracking too much data. Trying to keep up with all the metrics became overwhelming. On top of that, it didn’t even help me progress my fitness and performance because, by the time I was finished inputting the data, I didn’t want to look at it anymore. You should also use the data wisely, don’t let it dictate everything you do. We want to keep fitness and performance fun, after all.
The fitness data you track depends on your individual needs, goals, and abilities. The more you track, the more room for success you have, but remember it isn’t everything.
Cardio Training
Distance covered – A simple but effective measure of endurance progress.
Heart rate – Indicates training intensity and recovery efficiency. Resting heart rate trends can also indicate overall cardiovascular fitness and potential overtraining.
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) – A subjective but useful gauge of effort. When paired with heart rate, it helps you understand how your body is responding to workouts.
Elevation – Important for runners and cyclists tackling varied terrain. Tracking elevation gain helps assess workload beyond just distance.
Strength Training
Volume (sets x reps x weight) – Tracks total workload and progression. A gradual increase in volume indicates positive adaptation.
Reps and sets – Allows you to structure progressive overload properly.
Weight lifted – Key for strength progression. Comparing past numbers helps gauge improvements and determine when to increase weight.
Nutrition
Calories consumed – Helps align intake with training demands. Whether your goal is fat loss, muscle gain, or maintenance, knowing how many calories you consume is critical to your success.
Macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat) – Balances energy and recovery needs. Protein intake supports muscle recovery, carbohydrates fuel workouts, and fats aid overall health.
General Health
Sleep quality and duration – A major factor in recovery and performance. Poor sleep can lead to decreased performance and slower recovery times.
Body mass & fat percentage – Indicators of overall health and fitness progress. Tracking changes over time can help assess the effectiveness of your nutrition and training plan.
Heart rate variability (HRV) - A strong indicator of recovery and readiness to train. Higher HRV generally correlates with better recovery and stress adaptation.
Tools for Tracking Fitness Data
Fitness wearables - Wearables like Garmin and WHOOP provide real-time tracking and insights on key performance metrics. They usually come with an app so you can access your data anytime.
Apps - Strava for cardio training, MyFitnessPal for nutrition, and Strong for strength training are essential apps I use daily. They simplify tracking and provide some useful analytics capabilities.
Spreadsheets - If you’ve read my previous blogs, you’ll know I love a good spreadsheet. I created a fitness tracker in Excel to monitor all of my training. It’s useful for those who prefer manual tracking with the ability to create personalised metrics.
How to Use Data Effectively
Set clear goals – Data is only useful if it helps you achieve something specific. Define whether your focus is on endurance, strength, fat loss, or another goal.
Identify trends – Look at patterns over weeks and months. Analysing daily data is a fool’s game, and you’re not a fool. Assess what factors (like sleep, hydration, or training volume) impact your performance.
Adjust your plan when needed – If progress stalls, your data will show where to tweak. For example, if you're not getting stronger, you might need to adjust rest times or increase protein intake.
Track recovery data – Fitness is more than just how hard you can go in training. Most of the adaptations you benefit from are it’s also about how well you recover. Use HRV, sleep tracking, and resting heart rate to assess your recovery status.
Balance data with intuition – Numbers provide guidance, but they shouldn’t override how you feel. If you’re feeling drained, don’t push through just because the data says you should.
How to Implement this in your Training
Choose 3-5 key metrics that align with your goals.
Track consistently for 2-4 weeks to establish a baseline.
Use data to tweak one variable at a time.
Review data weekly or monthly to identify trends and make necessary adjustments.
Track only what helps you make better decisions.
Summary
Data-driven training simplifies decision-making and helps you get the most out of your time and effort. It’s important to not go over the top with it, though. Pick a few key metrics, analyse trends, and adjust.
Data isn’t just for the elite athletes. Numbers can help you improve and sustain your fitness if your only goal is to feel better.
