Goal Setting and Motivation 101
- Meeting and EXCEEDING Expectations -
The following piece will contain excerpts from my thread over on the GSF. If you wish to read the entire article, and I highly recommend that you do, please refer to the direct link at the end of this write up. Happy lifting, kids.
So, lets get stuck into it, shall we?
What are goals?
Goals are pretty much anything that you want to eventually reach/obtain/achieve. Maybe you want to run a bit faster, maybe you want to bench a bit more, maybe you just want to lose that one small bit of stubborn fat. Whatever it is, you should KNOW what you want to achieve. Make sure you set yourself CLEAR goals. Failure to do so, will hinder your progress. Hinder your progress enough and you will become demotivated as you continually fall short of achieving your goals.
First things first; how do I set a goal or multiple goals?
To set goal(s), you must first ask yourself the question "Where do I want to end up?". Whatever your goal is, it matters little. What really matters is what you will DO to get there. It's all good and well to say 'Hey, I'm going to bench two plates for reps!' but you know what? This means jack shit at the end of the day if you don't know how to go about achieving such a goal. Planning and PROPER goal setting is CRUCIAL. Inability to do so will result in either poor results and or failure to achieve your desired outcome(s).
To set goal(s), you must first ask yourself the question "Where do I want to end up?". Whatever your goal is, it matters little. What really matters is what you will DO to get there. It's all good and well to say 'Hey, I'm going to bench two plates for reps!' but you know what? This means jack shit at the end of the day if you don't know how to go about achieving such a goal. Planning and PROPER goal setting is CRUCIAL. Inability to do so will result in either poor results and or failure to achieve your desired outcome(s).
Most people will now be asking themselves, how the devil do I achieve my goals? Well fine gents (and ladies), I have the answer!
The answer....is to set MORE GOALS!
No, I'm not being a douche-bag. Yes, I am serious. How serious? Very serious.
What you MUST realize is that having ONE LARGE GOAL* is just not going to cut it. Fantastic, you've decided you now want to bench 2 plates for reps. A very solid FINAL GOAL. Now, be smart and set yourself smaller, manageable - yet still tough - goals. Set yourself goals which will enable you to eventually reach your final target. I call these 'micro-goals'.
*(Does not have to be your final goal in a literal sense.)
Setting time constraints (herp derp)
Yes herp derp. Why? Because SO MANY PEOPLE set themselves stupid, impossible, ridiculous, retarded (no hate against the handicapped), mind-blowingly awkward time constraints. No, I'm not hating on time constraints, all I;m saying is be smart about things. Don't say "I will gain 20kg of LEAN TISSUE in 3 months as a natty lifter!". As you can see, the goal itself (gaining 20kg of lean tissue) isn't the issue. The issue is the time constraint. A lot of new lifters simply do not know better. That's fine. We all start somewhere. For everyone else, you should have some general understanding of how this shit works. BE SMART. There are a plethora of variables that can and do come into play whilst you train. You may get sick and lose weight, you may injure yourself curling in the squat rack (serves you right), you may have uni exams. The list goes on!
Then how in blazes do I set myself time constraints, N4????
Easy. Be reasonable.
The hell does that mean?
Exactly what it says. Unless you are about to compete or for some sort of health reasons you have to achieve a certain goal (i.e. lose a lot of weight fast for surgery etc.), then be a bit more lenient in how you set time constraints.
How does that link in with motivation?
If you haven't realized it yet, setting and then NOT ACHIEVING goals can be extremely demoralizing. If you continually set yourself a target and continually fall short or get results you didn't want originally (i.e. you got fat rather than more built), you will not feel good about things. The point of micro-goals is that they will assist in KEEPING YOU MOTIVATED. Again, it is crucial that they be small enough that they are achievable, yet tough enough that you still have to work for it.
Furthermore, there is nothing more awesome than when you EXCEED what you set out to do. Lets say you aimed to gain 5kg on you max bench over 3 months. You work your ass off for 3 months and then test your max bench again. BANG! a 7.5kg increase on your 1RM. That's 2.5kg MORE than what you planned. For arguments sake, these are hypothetical numbers, but you get the idea...
Furthermore, there is nothing more awesome than when you EXCEED what you set out to do. Lets say you aimed to gain 5kg on you max bench over 3 months. You work your ass off for 3 months and then test your max bench again. BANG! a 7.5kg increase on your 1RM. That's 2.5kg MORE than what you planned. For arguments sake, these are hypothetical numbers, but you get the idea...
Got anything to keep me motivated along the way?
Sure do! Now, not all of these will be relevant to sports, but they are motivating or cool nonetheless.
As promised, here's the direct link to the full article I've written:
Train hard. Train Smart. Get yourself over to the Goonsquad Forums today.
As always, I hope this helps!
N4J4R
CMO & Supplement Researcher at Spartan Supps
Train. Supplement. Conquer.
*Disclaimer: I am not a trained medical professional. All posts in this blog are my own personal opinion backed with what evidence I may have on hand. Before using any supplement, please check with your healthcare professional.
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