Once we’ve decided what areas we need to focus on to improve our body and health, the next step is to set clear goals. This is where I’ve seen a lot of people get tripped up.
A goal has to have the following characteristics in order to be effective. It has to be:
— Specific
— Measurable
— Attainable
— Realistic
— Timely
Let’s go over these one-by-one:
Specific: “I want to tone up,” is not going to cut it. “I want to lose 10 pounds,” or, “I want to fit into my jeans,” is much better.
Measurable: This goes hand-in-hand with specificity, because there has to be a way to know whether you achieved the goal or not. Either you lost 10 pounds, or you didn’t … and if you didn’t, you and your coach should have some data from what you’ve been tracking, so it’ll be clear where you fell short and what has to change.
Attainable: It has to be something you can do, and something that you believe (or, better yet, decided) that you can do. Losing 50 pounds might be attainable in a year’s time, but it’s better to start off with smaller goals so you have a sense of accomplishment and feel rewarded for your hard work.
Realistic: I weigh 200 pounds, so it’s not realistic (or necessary) for me to set a goal of having a 800-pound deadlift. But if getting stronger is your goal, your coach will be able to assess you in some basic strength tests and will know what kind of program to put you on to, say, increase each one by 10% … and will know roughly how long that should take.
Timely: There has to be a deadline. Let’s say you’re a 200-pound man who wants to lose 25 pounds. A knowledgeable coach will know that the average rate of weight loss for a man following a well-designed exercise and nutrition plan, about 80% of the time, is .0056 x bodyweight per week … in this case, about a pound per week. So a Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely Goal would be to lose 25 pounds in 7 months. A smaller goal would be to lose 5 pounds in the first month. This might be easier to digest and will help build confidence, momentum and a sense of accomplishment.
Once you’ve identified where you are today and exactly what you want to achieve in a given timeframe, exercise and nutrition really become much simpler. No more guesswork; no more starting, stopping and failing.
One more thing: Some of my clients have found it helpful to write their goals down on paper and display them somewhere prominent in their home (by the nightstand or on the refrigerator) so they’ll see them every day and keep their eye on the prize.
Take the guesswork out of it and have me design a workout and nutrition program just for you. PM me for more details and ask about my consistency guarantee.
Your friend and coach,
Paul F Sweatt
Train Smart. Train Hard. Train Safe. Train to Sweatt.