Setting SMART Goals

the rack front door

New year, new challenges, and a new set of fitness goals that you want to attain. This can be anywhere from getting leaner, stronger, faster, or even jump higher. Whatever your goal is, it is important to write down your goals in a way that keeps you accountable. This is where setting SMART goals can come into play.

  • Specific
    • Setting a specific goal can be anything such as: I will train 2x a week for six weeks, followed by 3x a week for six weeks. These give your goal a metric which can be used to see how close you are to attaining your goal.
  • Measurable
    • A goal should be quantifiable to know if you are moving towards or away from your goal. Measurable goals may sound like: I want to lose ten pounds, gain 5 pounds of lean mass, or increase my vertical 1.5 inches.
  • Achievable
    • Setting goals that are achievable given your experience and time frame given. If you have never touched a barbell but expect to deadlift 3x your bodyweight in six months, this goal may not be achievable in six months. A more attainable goal would move you in the direction of your long-term goal. An example of this would be becoming strong enough to squat a quarter of your body weight, half BW, three quarters BW, and then a full body weight squat.
  • Relevant
    • Making sure your goals coincide with your overall fitness goal is also important. If you are planning to lower your blood pressure, then it may be more important to increase your conditioning level compared to your maximal strength level.
  • Timely
    • Lastly, goals should have a time frame in which they will be achieved. For example, saying I will lose 10 lb of fat mass sometime in the future compared to I will lose 10 lb of fat mass in the next four months. Establishing a timeline in which you can attain your goal can break up your big goal into smaller goals. Without setting a time frame, attaining the goal can have a lack of urgency and motivation can wane.

Thank you for reading and if we can help you attain some of your SMART goals this year, then feel free to contact us and we would be happy to help.

Happy New Year!

Matthew Walcott
B.S. CPT

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