Hey guys.
I am convinced now that filming my sets and reviewing them while resting harms my training time and time between sets (hard to keep it under 4 min, sometimes even under 5). However, I have been finding it very very useful to review my form and to be able to improve deviations on the very next set. It seems like a really dumb problem, but I am having a hard time to solve it. Any hints on how to manage it?
Thanks!
Have you just noceboed yoursef?
I don’t find filming an issue. As my coundown timer approaches 30s to go, I set up my phone to record. Usually as I am seetting up (belt/wraps/whatever) my timer goes off (cancel timer at this point). Do set. Walk over to phone and stop recording and let it do its thing to save the video. Set countdown timer on watch again for 4 minutes. Sit on bench, take a swig of drink, review video. The lifting portion, you will find, will porbably only take 20s-30s. I then have 2 minutes left to sit on my arse.
Get a system in place and follow it.
As I said, it sounds like a really dumb problem. I think the issue is the multiple reviews, plus the time my shitty phone takes to trim the video, and then to rename it with sets and weight for cataloging. Maybe the video trim is not worth the hassle. And enforcing the rest times with the timer seems also good, at least to get the hang of it.
Are you in a public gym? Filming my sets in a public gym absolutely added time to my workouts. At least twice a workout some idiot would come steal my setup (the box to jump on or plates) and I’d have to devise a new solution to film my next set.
Filming at my new home gym also initially added time to my workout. Some adjustments I made to solve that:
When I review my videos during my rests I’m usually looking for a single adjustment to take into the next set. 1 of my squat reps was high. My knees slid a little. I used my knees on my Press. I was too forward on my pull. My back wasn’t tight. Etc. The only other thing I’ll do with my videos during that time is compare them to the previous workout’s videos. It’s highly motivating to see the proof that RPE/bar speed stayed exactly the same and the weight went up – or the RPE went slightly down, even if it didn’t feel like it, when the weight couldn’t go up.
Sometimes filming adds more time to my training, for sure. So I don’t do it all of the time. 
During the workout I don’t trim nor rename/upload. I trim post workout, name and upload to YouTube, and then update my log here (with links to videos). So during training I just video and then scrub forward to review lifting part. And yes, the timer is very helpful. Also good if someone is chatting with you. When the timer goes off just say to them I have to get on the next set and they usually leave you to it. Hope that helps.
Filming shouldn’t take too much time I don’t think. I can see how it’s problematic in a public gym due to placement of the phone, etc. I can see how an inexpensive, non-intuitive, or otherwise slow android device could also be problematic, but all that said…
Just set it up pointed at your lifting spot, hit record, then do the set. For me once that’s done, I log it and have already assigned it an RPE in my head. I quickly pull up the video I just recorded, scrub to the point the set begins, and watch how it looked. I’m not so much looking for form issues here (unless there is a serious form problem I’m actively trying to correct), but rather I’m just trying to guage RPE and see how it meshes with what I already had in my head for that set. It takes 30 seconds max. Plenty of time between sets for that in my opinion. Then I assign an RPE for that set in my log.
I don’t record every single set. I usually record for my first top working set, such as 1@8 or 5@8. If I’m doing percentage based backoffs from that, I don’t bother recording those at all since they are submaximal. If I’m doing multiple sets across at RPE 8, then I’ll often times record the first and last set for comparison. I don’t usually compare them during the workout though. I’ll review and delete them later. I don’t trim/edit videos during the workout either.
I’m resisting the urge to insert an iPhone plug here. 
iPhone memory is the easiest part, but you have to have an iCloud storage package. I think 50GB is 99 cents a month. $2.99 buys you 200GB of cloud storage. Then you can set your iPhone to optimize the storage on the phone, and it’ll tier off the older, least accessed full resolution pictures/videos to the cloud to save space on the phone. A lower resolution image is still there, so if you click on that it pulls right up on your phone. Also accessible via any web browser or other Apple device linked to your Apple ID. Works the same way with music if you have an Apple Music subscription. Super easy.
Apple has been entrenched in the multimedia world for many decades. They’ve got this part figured out if you don’t mind a little subscription to make it easy.
You could ask someone to film it for you so you don’t have to rig it up (it’s quicker). Relatively often someone will see that I am trying to set up my phone and they offer to film it for me, which is always appreciated and super kind. I suspect if I randomly asked someone to film me, they would be happy to help as well. In saying that, I only film one set so I would only have to ask once:) Another option would be to bring a tripod for your phone (I use mine at home, but have not gotten the courage to bring it to the gym) but the tripods really do make things easy and quick with no worries of someone taking it down on you:)
Even though time has passed, your topic can still help and inspire others on their fitness journey. Keep up the good work, and happy training!
I understand that the thread is five years old, but the topic you raised about balancing filming and training remains relevant to many fitness enthusiasts. Even though it’s been a while, your question and the advice provided can still be valuable to others who come across it. Finding the right balance between form improvement and training efficiency is a common challenge.
If you’ve been using video analysis to enhance your workouts, you might also want to explore courses at 1 Year Beginners Cinematography Course | Prague Film Institute if you’re interested in further developing your filming skills.​
Filming can be helpful, but short mental cues during rest (e.g., “tighter core”) might be faster and achieve similar results. You could film every few sets to track progress. For optimal results, consider using weight gainer supplements Weight Gainer Price in Pakistan | Best Weight Gainer Supplement available to support your fitness journey.