Start Conquering Your Goals in a Few Simple Steps
For a long time, one of my main fitness goals was to bench press 315 pounds.
There is absolutely no outside significance to that goal. I knew benching 315 would do nothing to improve my career or job performance, my family life, any relevant markers of health, or anything else. Lots of guys (not to mention a few girls) can do it. Lots of guys do it in high school. From a powerlifting perspective, it’s not even a good lift for someone my size.
So why did I care?
I’m a naturally skinny guy. I’ve never been naturally good at anything athletic. I’ve had to fight for every pound on the bar, and during that process I sustained elbow and shoulder injuries that have nagged me for years. Benching 3 plates was my way of saying to the world: “yeah, I’ve been weak, but I’m not going to let that define me. It may take more work, and I may be hurt, but I can hit that benchmark.”
It was about demonstrating an attitude, not a number.
No one told me what that goal should be. I made it my own. If a goal isn’t deeply important to you, it’ll be a waste of time, no matter what anyone tells you.
Here’s how to start conquering your own goals, whether they be performance-based or health goals.
List the three biggest priorities in your life right now. This could be your significant other, your kids, your career, friends, or your education. Maybe you’re training for a competition or getting ready for a training academy.
Think about how improving your physical fitness will help your priorities. If your priorities are fitness-related, this is obvious. Improving your 10K time or PT test score takes specific training. If you’re in a tactical field, fitness will literally save your life or the lives of others. If that’s not important to you, I don’t know what to tell you.
But being more fit will improve your whole life, even without competitive or job-related needs. It will make it easier to keep up with your kids. If you think you’re “too busy” to train because of your high-stress job, it’s well documented that fit people are more productive. Picking up a sport may give you a hobby to share with friends and family, or help you de-stress and learn resiliency and discipline.
Physical fitness isn’t about being an Instagram celebrity or just looking better. It’s about improving all areas of your life.
Goals are emotional, even if they’re job related. You wanted to start running for a reason. You wanted to be a cop for a reason. You want to improve your health for the ways it will enhance YOUR life, not just for a number on a scale or on your bloodwork results. Numbers, whether they’re race times or push-ups or your weight, don’t mean anything on their own. “315 pound bench press” means nothing in isolation.
Find your reason, or remember it. Imagine how you’ll feel when you’re in the place that you want to be. We’re ultimately going to work toward achieving your “Reason,” not a number. Thinking about a number doesn’t help when it gets tough.
Set both an outcome goal and a process goal. Outcome goals are what you probably think of when talking about goal-setting. These are your SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevent, and Time-sensitive. “Do 75 push-ups on my next PT test.” “Run a sub-40 minute 10K.” “Lose 20 pounds by my summer vacation.” These goals give you a target to bring you closer to your Reason, but they don’t give you a way to get there.
Process goals are the “how.” They help you get to your outcome. “Train my push-ups 4 days per week using X or Y method.” “Increase the pace of my long run to Z.” “Drink a protein shake instead of going out for lunch.”
In my experience, setting and sticking to good process goals is very important for everyone. The process is what gets you to the outcome. If you don’t shape your process correctly, you’ll end up somewhere other than where you wanted to be.
Setting a good outcome goal is tough. I can’t tell you what your ultimate goal should be. But generally, look for small steps forward in a longer timeframe than you think. Don’t try to lose 50 pounds in the next 2 months if you haven’t set foot in the gym since high school. A small step forward is still a step forward. “Better than yesterday.”
In part 2, I explain how I set process goals and how to stick to them.
In part 3, I address identity, one of the essential underlying reasons why we do things.
The longer you wait to start working toward your goals, the less likely you are to succeed. If you’re looking for a fitness trainer in the Mt Juliet/Hermitage/Nashville TN area, online fitness training, or just need some advice to get your fitness program started, contact me
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