There is a better way to build a training log than the one you are wrestling with, and it starts by separating how you enter data from how you view it. The frustration you are feeling, scrolling sideways to find a date or down a growing list to make an entry, is not a sign that you are doing something wrong. It is a sign that your spreadsheet is treating data entry and data analysis as the same task. They should not be the same task. Your current layout likely mirrors a paper logbook, where each row is a day and each column is a variable. That works on paper because you are not asking the paper to also summarize your progress. But in Excel, you can have both, and you should.
The practical fix is to build a dedicated entry form that feeds into a flat, normalized table. That means one column for the date, one for the exercise, one for weight, one for reps, and so on. You enter your workout in a few clicks, and the raw data lands in a table that can grow downward indefinitely without breaking anything. Then you use pivot tables or dynamic array formulas to generate your graphs and summaries on a separate sheet. You stop scrolling to the side because you never enter data in the wide format again. You stop scrolling down because the entry form is a small, fixed area that sits at the top of your input sheet. The data table can be as long as it needs to be, but you will never need to look at it while entering a session.
This approach also solves your sorting problem. A flat table sorts by any column in seconds, whether that is by date, exercise, or load. You can filter for a single movement and see its entire history without hunting through a grid. The graphs update automatically because they reference the table, not a manually maintained range. The reason this feels out of reach is that most spreadsheet tutorials focus on formulas or formatting, not on the structural decision of how to organize the data itself. But that decision is the foundation. Once you commit to a long, narrow table for storage and a separate view for entry and analysis, every other problem becomes manageable.
You do not need a more complicated spreadsheet. You need a clearer separation of concerns. Keep your current log if it helps you visualize the layout, but build a second sheet that feeds it, or rebuild the whole thing from scratch with the entry form on top. Start with three columns: date, exercise, and load. Add sets and reps next. Then add a pivot table and a chart. The graphs will appear almost immediately, and the entry process will take less time than it takes to write down the workout. That is the real unlock. Not a clever formula, but a smarter structure.