Me: "And why exactly do you want to own your own business?"
Son: "So I can have a big house and a 'tight' car with a 'thumpin'
stereo system."
Well, who am I to judge another person's goals. And in case you haven't been paying
attention...
GOALS are what we're talking about!
You see, as incomplete as my son's plan may seem, it's EXACTLY how I see most of
the bodybuilders in today's gyms approach their bodies.
Guys forget that if you want SPECIFIC results, you need a SPECIFIC plan. Yet how
many of you TRULY have a complete road map to reaching your overall fitness goals?
Check out these 5 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS of proper goal setting and see how you stack
up...
1. Long Term Goal
What do you hope to accomplish over the long haul? (And by "long haul",
I mean 1-3 years.) This is your long term "destination" that will help
you determine the intermediate steps you'll need to pull off.
Tip: Make your goal REALISTIC ! A body like Arnold 's didn't happen in 1-3 years!
For an average bodybuilder following an average workout program, you're probably
looking at 1-2 pounds of muscle gain a month.
2. Short Term Goals
On your paper, write down where you'll need to be at 30, 60, and 90 day intervals
in order to reach your ultimate goal in Step 1.
For example, if you want to increase your one-rep max on the bench press by 60 lbs
over the next year, all you need to do is add 5 pounds per MONTH to reach your end
goal. That sounds realistic doesn't it?
3. Benefits
For you to stay committed to your goals, you need to keep in mind what your ultimate
payoff will be. It should be SPECIFIC and don't worry about any textbook answers...it
should ALSO be PERSONAL .
For example, maybe if you're looking to lose bodyfat, ,maybe the benefits are "seeing
your abs once again, looking better in your clothes, better health, lower risk of
heart attack, going shirtless on the beach this summer, etc.!"
4. Rewards
You absolutely MUST reward yourself along the way for accomplishing your short term
goals and ultimately your long term goal. The trick here is to ONLY reward yourself
if you actually MEET your goals. No cheating or it won't be the motivator it's meant
to be.
Here's an example I set for my own goals...
If I meet each 30 day goal I set for myself, I buy myself a new CD for my workout
(I even promised my son I'd give '50 Cent' a try if I met my goals half way through
the year!) Then, if I've meet my 1 year goal, I plan on buying a brand new MP3 player
as a reward...but ONLY if I meet my goal!
5. Action Plan
Now it's time to put your plan into effect. Find a fitness program that's designed
to help you accomplish your goals and plan out EACH DAY of your workout.
Stick with it, stay COMMITTED , REWARD yourself along the way, and you'll have that
UNFAIR ADVANTAGE over all the other guys wandering aimlessly through their workouts
at the gym!