Goal Setting
HOW TO SET A FITNESS GOAL YOU'LL ACTUALLY HIT
"I want to get fitter." "I want to lose a bit of weight." "I want to get strong."
We hear these every week. There's nothing wrong with them. They just aren't goals yet. They're wishes, and wishes don't get you out of bed on a wet Tuesday.
This is the same four-step process we use in our goal-setting workshops. Grab a pen. It takes about 30 minutes, and you'll finish with a goal, a plan and a way to stay on track.
STEP 1: SET A SMART GOAL
Run your goal through these five checks. If it fails one, tweak it until it passes.
1. Specific: what exactly do you want? "Get stronger" could mean anything. "Back squat 100kg for reps" means one thing.
2. Measurable: how will you track it? Weight on the bar, a body composition scan, how your jeans fit, sessions attended
3. Achievable: what makes you confident you'll get there? Stretch yourself, but choose something you believe you can reach with consistent work.
4. Realistic: does it fit your life, and does it matter? It has to work around your job and family, and you need to know how hitting it will make you feel
5. Time-bound: when by? "One day" never arrives. Twelve weeks is a good window.
Example:
1. What do you want to achieve? I want to back squat 100kg for reps, comfortably.
2. How will you measure progress? I'll track my training performance and nutrition over the coming weeks and months.
3. What makes you confident? It's achievable as long as I'm consistent with my programme.
4. How will it make you feel? I want this for me. I know the confidence and purpose that training hard gives me.
5. When by? Within the next three months.
Look at the fourth answer. The number on the bar is the target. The feeling behind it is what keeps you going.
Stick to one goal for now. One clear target beats five vague ones every time.
STEP 2: TAKE AN HONEST LOOK AT YOURSELF
Most people skip this bit. Before you start, work out what will help you and what's likely to trip you up.
1. Strengths: what three things will help you reach your goal?
2.Weaknesses: what three things could hold you back?
3. Opportunities: what around you can you use? Your coach, a training partner, a supportive other half, the people you train with.
4. Threats: what's coming that could knock you off course? Holidays, busy seasons at work, weddings, Christmas.
Example:
1.Strengths: I'm self-competitive. I thrive off structure and preparation. I benefit physically and mentally from training.
2. Weaknesses: I don't get enough quality sleep. My work/life balance is poor. I struggle to stick to the same programme for long.
3.Opportunities: using a coach, feeding off the good atmosphere in the gym, and having my partner on the journey to support me.
4.Threats: lots of social occasions, working long hours, and struggling to put myself first.
Now give every weakness and threat an answer:
Poor sleep? Phone out of the bedroom on training nights.
Get bored of programmes? Let your coach change things up while keeping you progressing.
Lots of social occasions? Decide before you go: one drink, or you're driving. Book a session for the next morning.
Long hours? Book the week's sessions on Sunday night, like meetings you can't cancel.
STEP 3: BUILD YOUR MASTER PLAN
Three months is long enough to lose focus. So work backwards from the finish line and give every month a target.
Example:
End of month 1: 80kg for reps with good form. Training three times a week, every week.
End of month 2: 90kg for reps. Sleeping around seven hours on training nights.
End of month 3: 100kg for reps, comfortably. Goal hit.
Then pick three or four habits you'll do every week. Keep them boring:
1.Train three times a week, booked in on Sunday night
2.Hit your protein 5/7 days
3. Log your main lift after every session
Finally, mark the tricky weeks you already know about and plan a lighter week instead of no week. Two sessions in a busy week is a win. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.
STEP 4: CHECK IN EVERY WEEK
Life will get in the way. The people who hit their goals aren't the ones who never slip. They're the ones who notice early and adjust.
Every Sunday, make a brew and spend ten minutes on five questions:
1. What went well this week? Always start here.
2. Did I do my weekly habits?
3. What got in the way?
4. Am I on track for this month's target?
5. What's one thing I'll do differently next week?
Then book next week's sessions before you close the notebook.
If you're behind, that isn't failure, it's information. Move the date, adjust the habits, or go back to Step 1 and ask whether the goal still matters to you. Just don't bin the whole plan because of one bad week.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Bring your goal to your next session and tell your coach. We'll help you shape it, build it into your programme and check in on it with you (it's much harder to quietly drop a goal when someone else knows about it).