Goal Setting

We all need to have a goal in our fitness lives, and those goals need to be S.M.A.R.T. This clever acronym was developed in the health-behavior change world as a way to remind people of how they should be setting their personal goals; Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. This will set up just about anyone to have a goal that will be reachable in just a few short months. 

Be that jerk....sometimes.

Specific refers to having an EXACT goal. "I want to lose 10 pounds." Not "I want to lose 5-15 pounds."

Measurable means being able to quantify this goal. "I want to increase my vertical jump fro 29 inches to 31 inches." As opposed to "I want to jump higher."

Attainable is something that you will actually be able to do. If you are only able to deadlift 185 pounds, do not make your goal to be able to pull 500. You need to choose something that will challenge you, but is still within your reach.

Realistic does not mean "easy". It means something that you will be able to succeed at, while working hard. Saying "I will never ever eat cake or candy again" is NOT realistic. Will you never have a birthday again? People will think that you hate fun. 

Timely refers to something that can be in a relatively short period of time. If you set a goal for 3-4 months, you are much more likely to achieve it than if you set it for 15 months out. 

Just like everyone else, I have my own goals. By June 1, I want to pull 405 off the floor. By July, I would like to be able to dunk a basketball. By July 4, I will be able to see my abs, while weighing about 190 lbs. (i.e. get my BEAST MODE game up.) Over the next couple of months, I will be chronicling the steps I take to achieve these goals.

Go lift something heavy!!