Excel for fitness and habit tracking

Q: How do I make a workout tracker in Excel?

One row per exercise per session with Date, Exercise, Sets, Reps and Weight. Add Volume as =C2*D2*E2, then summarize with SUMIF for volume per exercise, MAXIFS or MAX(FILTER(...)) for best lifts, and SUMIFS with dates for weekly totals.

Q: How do I calculate running pace in Excel?

Divide minutes by distance: =D2/C2 gives decimal minutes per mile. To show it as minutes and seconds, use =INT(D2/C2)&":"&TEXT(ROUND(MOD(D2/C2,1)*60,0),"00"). If you store run time as an Excel time like 0:28:45, =D2/C2 formatted as m:ss works too.

Q: Why does my average pace not match my watch?

Averaging the pace of each run treats a short run and a long run equally. Divide total minutes by total miles instead, which weights every mile the same.

Q: How do I track a habit streak in Excel?

Mark each day 1 or 0 and add a streak column: =IF(C3=1,D2+1,0). It grows by one each day you do the habit and resets to zero on a missed day; MAX of the column is your best streak.

For people who train on their own and want to see progress in numbers, not just feel it. A workout log in Excel works out volume (sets x reps x weight), weekly totals and how close you are to a goal lift. It turns a run's distance and minutes into pace, counts habit streaks and smooths day-to-day weigh-ins into a trend. The examples use two weeks of a simple strength log. This is personal tracking, not medical or training advice.

Lifters tracking progressive overload
Runners logging pace and weekly miles
Anyone building a daily habit
People keeping a weight trend instead of daily swings

For personal tracking, not medical advice.

Sample data

Every result on this page comes from this sheet, calculated by the same engine the Cellwise app uses. Change a number and watch the formulas react.

	A	B	C	D	E	G	H
1	Date	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Weight (lb)	Squat goal (lb)	225
2	Oct 26, 2026	Squat	3	5	185	Starting squat (lb)	185
3	Oct 26, 2026	Bench press	3	8	135
4	Oct 28, 2026	Deadlift	1	5	225	Run distance (miles)	3.1
5	Oct 28, 2026	Overhead press	3	8	75	Run time (minutes)	28.75
6	Oct 30, 2026	Squat	3	5	195
7	Oct 30, 2026	Bench press	3	8	140	Week starting	Nov 2, 2026
8	Nov 2, 2026	Squat	3	5	200
9	Nov 2, 2026	Deadlift	1	5	245
10	Nov 4, 2026	Bench press	3	7	145

What Excel does for fitness and habits

Work out training volume for each exercise

Volume is sets x reps x weight: the total pounds moved in an exercise. It is a handy single number for comparing sessions, because adding a rep, a set or some weight all show up in it.

Add a Volume column next to your log and fill the formula down. Bodyweight moves like pull-ups have no weight to multiply, so track their reps instead, or type your bodyweight in the weight column if you want them counted.

=C2*D2*E2

Result: 2775

2,775 lb for the first squat session: 3 sets x 5 reps x 185 lb.

Total volume for one week

A week is the usual unit for training, so total the volume between a start date and seven days later. SUMPRODUCT multiplies two date tests (on or after H7, before H7 + 7) by sets, reps and weight; rows outside the week become zero.

Type a new Monday in H7 to see any week. If you already have a Volume column, =SUMIFS(volume, dates, ">="&H7, dates, "<"&H7+7) does the same job and is easier to read.

=SUMPRODUCT((A2:A10>=H7)*(A2:A10<H7+7)*C2:C10*D2:D10*E2:E10)

Result: 7270

7,270 lb in the week starting November 2: three sessions of squat, deadlift and bench.

Find your best lift for an exercise

FILTER pulls out the weights for one exercise and MAX returns the heaviest. Change "Squat" to any exercise, or point it at a cell where you type the name.

FILTER needs Excel 365 or Excel 2021. In Excel 2019 the MAXIFS function gives the same answer: =MAXIFS(E2:E10,B2:B10,"Squat"). In any version, =SUMPRODUCT(MAX((B2:B10="Squat")*E2:E10)) works too.

=MAX(FILTER(E2:E10,B2:B10="Squat"))

Result: 200

200 lb: the heaviest squat in the log, from November 2.

Show progress toward a goal as a percentage

Progress from zero is misleading: squatting 200 lb toward a 225 lb goal is not 89% of the work if you started at 185. Measure from your starting point instead: (best now minus start) divided by (goal minus start).

Format the cell as a percentage. Wrap it in MIN(1, ...) if you want it to stop at 100% once you pass the goal.

=(MAX(FILTER(E2:E10,B2:B10="Squat"))-H2)/(H1-H2)

Result: 0.375 shows as 37.5% with Percent format

37.5%: you have added 15 lb of the 40 lb between your 185 lb start and the 225 lb goal.

Turn distance and time into running pace

Pace is minutes divided by miles. Logging run time as decimal minutes (28.75 for 28:45) keeps the maths simple: 28.75 / 3.1 is 9.27 minutes per mile.

Nobody reads pace as 9.27, so split it into minutes and seconds. INT keeps the whole minutes, MOD(...,1)*60 turns the leftover fraction into seconds, and TEXT(...,"00") pads them to two digits. A pace that rounds to 60 seconds would show as 9:60, so if that ever appears, add a second to the run time or round the pace first.

=INT(H5/H4)&":"&TEXT(ROUND(MOD(H5/H4,1)*60,0),"00")

Result: 9:16

9:16 per mile for a 3.1 mile (5K) run in 28.75 minutes.

Count your training days

A log with several exercises per day has several rows per date, so COUNTA on the dates overcounts. UNIQUE keeps one copy of each date, and COUNTA counts them.

Divide by the number of weeks in the log to see sessions per week, a simple consistency check. UNIQUE needs Excel 365 or Excel 2021.

=COUNTA(UNIQUE(A2:A10))

Result: 5

5 training days, even though the log has 9 rows.

Practice: 8 exercises

Use the sample data above. Type a formula and press Check: it is graded by a real spreadsheet engine, the way Cellwise grades lessons.

1What is the volume of the bench press session in row 3?

Your formula for exercise 1

Show answer
=C3*D3*E3 = 3240. 3 x 8 x 135 is 3,240 lb.
2How many times did you log a deadlift?

Your formula for exercise 2

Show answer
=COUNTIF(B2:B10,"Deadlift") = 2. COUNTIF finds "Deadlift" in 2 rows.
3What is your running pace in decimal minutes per mile?

Your formula for exercise 3

Show answer
=H5/H4 = 9.2741935484. 28.75 minutes over 3.1 miles is about 9.27 minutes per mile.
4What is the average weight across your squat sessions?

Your formula for exercise 4

Show answer
=AVERAGEIF(B2:B10,"Squat",E2:E10) = 193.33333333. The three squat weights, 185, 195 and 200, average about 193.3 lb.
5How many total reps of bench press did you do? (sets x reps, added up)

Your formula for exercise 5

Show answer
=SUMPRODUCT((B2:B10="Bench press")*C2:C10*D2:D10) = 69. 24 + 24 + 21 = 69 reps; the test zeroes out every other exercise.
6By what percentage did your bench press weight go up from the first session (row 3) to the last (row 10)?

Your formula for exercise 6

Show answer
=(E10-E3)/E3 = 0.074074074074. 145 - 135 is 10 lb, divided by 135 is about 7.4%.
7How many pounds are left between your best squat and the goal in H1?

Your formula for exercise 7

Show answer
=H1-MAX(FILTER(E2:E10,B2:B10="Squat")) = 25. The best squat is 200 lb, so 25 lb to go.
8What was the total volume of squats across the whole log?

Your formula for exercise 8

Show answer
=SUMPRODUCT((B2:B10="Squat")*C2:C10*D2:D10*E2:E10) = 8700. 2,775 + 2,925 + 3,000 = 8,700 lb across the three squat sessions.

Free templates for fitness and habits

Guided project: Running log and weekly miles

Turn two weeks of runs into pace per run, a true average pace and progress toward a weekly mileage goal.

6 steps in the Cellwise app. Each step checks your formula in a real grid, with hints when you get stuck. Part of Cellwise Plus.

Open guided projects

Guides for these formulas

FAQ

How do I make a workout tracker in Excel?

One row per exercise per session with Date, Exercise, Sets, Reps and Weight. Add Volume as =C2*D2*E2, then summarize with SUMIF for volume per exercise, MAXIFS or MAX(FILTER(...)) for best lifts, and SUMIFS with dates for weekly totals.

How do I calculate running pace in Excel?

Divide minutes by distance: =D2/C2 gives decimal minutes per mile. To show it as minutes and seconds, use =INT(D2/C2)&":"&TEXT(ROUND(MOD(D2/C2,1)*60,0),"00"). If you store run time as an Excel time like 0:28:45, =D2/C2 formatted as m:ss works too.

Why does my average pace not match my watch?

Averaging the pace of each run treats a short run and a long run equally. Divide total minutes by total miles instead, which weights every mile the same.

How do I track a habit streak in Excel?

Mark each day 1 or 0 and add a streak column: =IF(C3=1,D2+1,0). It grows by one each day you do the habit and resets to zero on a missed day; MAX of the column is your best streak.

Excel for other fields

Updated November 2, 2026