Setting Fitness Goals: Your How to Guide
Setting Fitness Goals: Intro
You may not realise it, but the type of fitness goals you set can have a massive impact on the outcome of your entire fitness journey.
How so? Well, setting the wrong goals can set you up for failure because:
Perhaps they’re physically impossible.
You may pressure yourself to "have to get it done in X days or weeks."
Your idea of a reasonable timeline for change may be skewed.
But if you set the correct type of fitness goals, then you can drastically increase your chances of short- and long-term improvements.
And this article will talk you through how you can do that.
Setting Fitness Goals: Is it a Good Idea?
So, first of all, is setting fitness goals a good idea? It will depend on the person and the type of goal you set.
For many people, potentially you included, having a fitness goal can be a great motivator. The most popular fitness goals you may see are beach body goals, thick body goals, or weighing a specific amount. However, these can be an issue without you even realising it.
That's not to say they can't work; they certainly can - but depending on the person, they can also increase the chances of demotivation and not wanting to continue.
Why? Because from my experience at Kairos Online and coaching various people worldwide, solely having aesthetic body goals can also mean you'll never be happy with your appearance.
For some people, most likely bodybuilders and physique competitors, purely setting aesthetic body goals can be something that'll drive them to move forward.
For the other strong majority of the population? It can lead to demotivation, self-sabotage and result in more stress.
The issue with scale weight goals is that it doesn't often take into account factors such as:
The 'goal weight' you pick is usually an arbitrary number, e.g. something whole, like 150lbs or 60kg. This can be pretty random and may even come from mistaking what you think the weight for your 'perfect body goals' may be.
You picked it because it was what you used to weigh 5/10 years ago when you were at a completely different point in your life, e.g. you were a student, before you had children, other stressors etc. Basically, a lot more time to dedicate towards any 'beach body goals'.
You're resistance training, which builds muscle. Muscle also needs to weigh something. If you lose 1.5kg of fat but gain 1.5kg of muscle, your scale weight will be the same. Meanwhile, visuals will look very different.
You put your entire value as a person on what you weigh, e.g. if scale weight goes up, it's a bad day, or if it goes down, it's a good day. You ride an exhausting emotional rollercoaster when doing this.
Then, on top of that, you may also give yourself an arbitrary deadline.
Again, that's not to say deadlines can't work because they can, but if you're the type of person who says you have to weigh X weight by Y date, and then a few days or weeks in, when you realise "how far behind you are from reaching your weight goal' leads you to give up and to eat everything in sight, then you should not set a weight goal.
So what should you do instead? Make a consistency goal.
This brings me nicely to my next section.
Setting Fitness Goals: Underrated Fitness Goals
If you're someone who finds that only focusing on scale weight or aesthetic body goals hasn't worked up until now, then maybe it's time to shift your focus and try some of the following, such as:
Muscular strength goals, e.g. lifting a specific amount of weight.
Performance goals, e.g. getting your first chin up.
Consistency goals, e.g. aim for 85% consistency in the next 30 days.
And you know what the best part about them is? Two things:
1) Unlike thick body goals, beach body goals, or scale weight goals, you have 100% control over them.
For example, when it comes to doing your first ever chin-up or push-up, being consistent with different regressions of the exercise will get you there, e.g. for your first chin-up, you could focus on progressively overloading the 'dead hang' and 'eccentric chin-ups'.
For consistency goals, whether you get 85% or 35% by the end of the month is entirely on you.
2) Secondly, as you progress with muscular strength goals, performance goals and consistency goals, aesthetic body goals can be hit as a byproduct, e.g. if you're consistent with your calorie goal and double the weight you lift for both the deadlift and squat, then you can bet that you would've made progress towards any 'beach body goals' you have.
You kill two birds with one stone whilst not being obsessed with how you look the entire time.
Do you know what both these points also show? That you need to stop obsessing over the outcome, and start focusing on the every day habits that’ll get you there.
Note:
Other great performance goals you could aim for might be:
- Get your first chin up or pull up.
- Being able to deadlift your weight.
- Being able to squat half your weight.
- Getting your first pistol squat.
- Doing a handstand.
To name a few.
Pick the one that interests you most.
Setting Fitness Goals: Stop Obsessing Over the Outcome
This may sound like tough love, but it comes from a good place, and it's one you need to hear, but just as the previous section finished - you need to stop obsessing over the outcome - because there's 0 to gain from it.
Instead, put your focus and energy towards your daily and weekly behaviours, such as:
Hitting your calorie and protein targets.
Getting in 3 workouts weekly.
Eating X amount of fruit and veg a day.
Why? Because the outcome of whatever fitness goal you set for yourself will ultimately be dictated by how ruthlessly consistent you are with the above. Not by how much you obsess over a 'perfect body goals' outcome.
Better yet, assume that whatever you want to achieve will take at least an entire year.
Not 1, 3 or 5 months - a year. This removes any arbitrary pressure you often put on yourself for how quickly you think changes 'should' happen. Remove yourself from the need for instant gratification, and grow comfortable understanding that good things take time.
Plus, you didn't get to where you are now in only three months, so why do you think change should happen that quickly too?
Again, assuming it'll take a year can be one of the best game changers for your fitness journey.
Note:
One of my favourite quotes is, "Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years." by Bill Gates.
Perhaps discouraging at first glance, but those simple words hold hidden power.
It doesn't necessarily have to be in the context of one year versus ten years. Still, it's another way of telling you to chill out and be consistent. With time, compound interest from the positive behaviours and habits you put into place will add up.
Setting Fitness Goals: Here are Two Examples
An average example of setting fitness goals:
"I want to lose my love handles, see my abs and hit the thick body goals I have."
A better example of setting fitness goals:
Consistency goals:
Be consistent with my 7,500 daily step goal.
Work out 3 to 5 times weekly.
Be 85-95% consistent with these three things by the end of each month.
Performance goals:
Accomplish my first ever chin up and push up by consistently doing X, Y and Z regressions of the exercise."
The first example lacks specificity, e.g.' thick body goals', and doesn't break massive goals into smaller 'checkpoints'. Meaning you'll struggle to know if you're on track over the long term.
The second is much more specific, both short and long-term, and lets you be sure if you're on track.
Setting Fitness Goals: Ending
There you have it - your how-to guide on setting fitness goals. Hopefully, the tips n tricks mentioned throughout will help catapult your progress, regardless of whether it's a muscular strength goal, more aesthetic body goals or even something completely different.
In the meantime, why don't you subscribe to my podcast? I’ve got over 100 episodes for you to binge on.
I also aim to publish an episode weekly, covering various topics, and sometimes with amazing guests like Susan Niebergall, Jordan Syatt and Chad Hargrove.
Speak soon,
Leo
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