“Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor." -Brian Tracy
The first step in making a good goal is to figure out what you want, specifically. Be as specific as possible and be honest. If you want to lose weight/ change your body composition that’s a good start, but be more specific. How do you want to look? 6-pack? Just feel better? Fill in the blank: When __________ happens I will have met my goal & be happy (this will come back later). That blank is a great starting place for your specific goal. If you want to be “good at Crossfit” that’s great, but again, fill in the blank. You have to know where you want to go before you set off.
"An archer cannot hit the bull’s eye if he doesn't know where the target is." -Anonymous
The next step is to find an objective measurement for your goal. It may be body fat percentage, it may be a 1 rep max, it may be a low time on a named WOD, it may be a BP measurement. Whatever your goal you need to find a way to measure it. It’s only by measuring that we can chart your progress. If your goal is something you really want it can be hard to be patient and it can be discouraging when you don’t achieve your goal quickly. By having signposts along the way you can maintain your motivation and remain focused
on your goal.
"Nothing is too high for a man to reach, but he must climb with care and confidence."
-Hans Christian Andersen
The third step is to determine if your goal is attainable. This can be a tough one, for one of two reasons. First, for whatever reason your goal is unattainable. This can be discouraging, but it may be that you just need to reexamine your goal. The second is more common. There are a lot of goals that are hard, but attainable. It’s important to know the difference. If you really are emotionally attached and dedicated to a goal, the body is
extremely malleable. With the right diet, training and focus almost anything is possible.
"Aim for the top. There is plenty of room there. There are so few at the top it is almost lonely there."
-Samuel Insull
The fourth and fifth steps, realistic and time-bound, tend to be interrelated. If you have a 135# back squat and want to get to a 405# back squat in 30 days, I’m sorry but you’re going to come just shy. If you want to lose 20# in 3 months, that’s a realistic and attainable goal, but it’s going to be tough. The time component is essential to achieving your goal. It’s like knowing the date of the test, you’re not going to study for something that you don’t know is coming. Plus, you always work harder when something is coming due soon and putting a time demand on your goal provides that catalyst.
"Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work." -H. L. Hungt
The final step is to establish an emotional connection to your goal. This is a difficult part and requires a lot of introspection. Why do you want your goal? Why will achieving it make you happy? If it won’t then why are you doing it? This is essential for a two reasons. First, if you are not attached to your goal you won’t do the work necessary, it just won’t happen. Second, it helps you and us as coaches guide your training and advise you on how to reach it. It’s ok if it is pride, vanity, hubris or any other character trait. As an example: Joe Smith wants to get a six pack so that women will think he’s hot at the beach. It’s just vanity and that’s ok. It means though, that we’re going to train all winter to get bigger and lay the foundation and push the nutrition and higher volume work in May and June so that Joe looks his best in July and August, when he’s at the beach. If Joe had just said ‘I want to get stronger/ bigger’ the plan would be very different. When we know why you want to do something we can help you achieve that goal a lot quicker and more efficiently.
“Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines. “ –Brian Tracy
Finally, you need to write your goal down, put it where you can see it and then tell everyone you know. SaraC has done a great job of this, making sure everyone knows her pull-up goal. By telling everyone you can find they will all help to keep you motivated and hold you accountable.
"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." -Thomas Jefferson
From here it is a process of making a plan and working the plan. This is where the coaches can help you the most. What is most preventing you from accomplishing your goal? That’s where we need to start. Sometimes it will be strength, many times it will be mobility (most of the time), but this will be highly individual.
So make a goal, make sure it’s SMARTE and then bring it in. We’ll run through it, shore it up and start you on a plan, but you’ve got to make a goal.
