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Building Better Humans

Are Goals Necessary?

Are Goals Necessary?

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Goals

To some people asking, “Are goals necessary?”, sounds like a dumb question, and to others is sounds like a very valid question. I know a lot of people who set goals in their lives whether it be financial, personal, or career, everyone sets a goal somewhere. I also know a lot of people who never set any goals in their fitness routine. A lot of people think goals are for those who are extremely serious about fitness and compete is some form or fashion. This could not be further from the truth. While you may go to the gym everyday, and that’s good, you may just be spinning your wheels. Another problem is people think they have goals in mind when really they are no better off than the person who purposely sets no goals.

Example of Poor Goals:

  • To lose weight
  • To bench press 315 lbs.
  • To get faster on my mile time
  • To gain muscle mass
  • And, in Crossfit, to get a faster Fran time

While none of the above are bad ideas, they are the most generic goals that I run across. Also these tend to be the goals I see not met most often. You need to take your goals and make them work for you. We are going to use the SMART principle. If you have not heard of this principle I am very glad that you are reading this post. If you have heard it…why aren’t you using it in your fitness routine!!

SMART Principle:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Realistic
  • Timely
Now until the end of time this is how you should set your fitness goals. Lets rehash some of the non specific, never going to meet goals I listed above using the SMART principle.

SMART Fitness Goals:

  • I want to lose 15lbs in in 8 weeks through high intensity interval training 3x  week.
  • I want to take my bench press from 300lbs to 315lbs in 6 weeks by using the wendler strength program.
  • I want to run a a sub 6 min mile in 10 weeks by running 2 miles 4x a week and speed work on Saturdays.
  • I want to gain 20lbs. of muscle in 12 weeks through eating a healthy mass gain diet and lifting heavy 5x a week.
  • I want to get my Fran time from 4:00 to 3:30 in 6 weeks by working on my 3-5 min metcons 5x a week and building strength in my thrusters and pull-ups.

Go get started

This is normally how I start a workout program. I list a few SMART goals and then I break it down even further to what I am doing and eating on a daily basis. I try to map out the entire timeline to make sure I meet my goal and also that I am holding myself accountable. As you can see above all of those goals seem reasonable. There are just some pitfalls you can run into when setting your SMART goals. The main one tends to be the attainable and realistc goal.
You can have a sweet sounding goals setup for yourself but can YOU actually achieve it. Know yourself and set the appropriate goals with the appropriate workout programs. Remember that you can set a bunch of short term goals to reach on overall goal. So I wouldn’t say that in 2 years I want to be able to bench press 405lbs, when your bench press may only be 95lbs right now. It is a good goal, but I would set smaller time frames for lighter weight. Keeps you focused and on target.
Now go get smart.