Goal Setting- How To Set Your Goals
First of all= don’t overcomplicate it. People often avoid setting goals, because they don’t understand how to do it. Here is where I can help. Read on.
The purpose of goal setting is to give your training direction and to remain motivated with your plan. However, poor goal setting can result in demotivation. Here are my tips.
When setting goals, follow the SMART principle. Make your goals quantifiable and clear.
Is your goal?
S- SPECIFIC
M- MEASURABLE
A- ATTAINABLE
R- RELEVANT
T- TIMELY
Type Of Goal
The goals that you set will likely differ dependent on your experience. If you are a regular gym goer (who already knows what their current personal bests are on their lifts) then you may benefit from setting specific goals relating to how much weight you want to lift in a given time eg ‘I want to be able to barbell squat 50kg for 5 reps, in order to improve my muscular strength. I will do this within a time period of 3 months and will review in 3 months time’. This is a much more effective goal than just ‘I want to become stronger in my legs’, as it fits the SMART principle.
However, if you are just starting out at the gym and your main goal is consistency and building a new habit, then your goal isn’t going to be a number of a weight (as you don’t know your current strength levels), but will be more related to frequency eg ‘I want to attend the gym 2 times a week for the next 4 weeks’. Once you start to get some numbers for the weights lifted then you can make specific goals, such as mentioned previously.
How Do I Know What Weight To Set As My Goal?
Truth is- you can’t fully be sure that you will hit your goal. However, if the goal that you set is realistic and attainable then you will maintain the motivation to continue attending the gym to meet your goal.
Constantly Review Your Goal
Did you hit your goal? If so, well done! Can you now thrive for a more challenging goal?
Did you decide you want to change the direction of your training and do something differently? If so, align your goals to this.
Does your goal feel out of reach and therefore is it demotivating you? Make it more realistic.
Examples Of Effective Goals:
-Learn how to perform a bodyweight squat in 4 weeks. To do this, I will practice them 3 times per week.
-Deadlift 60kg in 4 weeks.
-Learn how to do a Clean & Jerk in 4 weeks and then by May be able to Clean & Jerk 20kg.
Setting Timeframes
You can split your year up into quarters. First of all, you could decide what your end of year goal is and then work backwards from there. For example, if your current back squat is 20kg and by the end of the year you want to be able to do 60kg then you can split it up as follows:
Jan-Apr (35kg)
May-Aug (50kg)
Sept-Dec (60kg)
