Everybody wants to be a little leaner, maybe a tad more muscular or a little stronger...
All the ladies want to lose the stubborn fat around their arms, a firmer mid-section and a bigger booty...
All the guys want bigger pecs, more biceps and a washboard mid-section…
These are all 'goals' as such, but they are loose goals, they are aren't measurable, they aren't specific enough and therefore aren't actionable 9 out of 10 times they won’t even be achieved.
"I want to eat healthier"
"I want to get more sleep"
"I want to be more consistent with my training"
When we query our potential clients on what their goals are, these are the kind of responses we tend to get.
These however, are actions...
Not goals...
These types of actions are likely going to be required to achieve your body composition goals however the client in question isn't taking these actions and therefore hasn't achieved their 'look good naked' goals.
But again, not goals... but actions.
Another common goal-setting mistake...
You see a goal without a plan is just a dream and to form a plan, we need to develop a SMART goal:
S = Specific:
In this case, obviously it needs to be specific in relation to body composition
M = Measurable:
We have the ability to measure exact body composition in terms of fat% and LBM
A = Agreed Upon:
Accountability is huge when it comes to achieving your goals so your goal needs to be agreed upon with your coach/trainer
R = Realistic:
Losing 5kg in 2 weeks, maybe not! Losing 5kg in 12-16 weeks, that's better. Setting a realistic goal will save you being let down and help manage expectations.
T = Time-Based:
We need an end date or an event to have achieved our goal by, or we will let it drag on forever and eventually lose motivation.
If you're reading this, there's a high chance that you haven't achieved your body composition goals yet and the chances are high the reason is... that although you have a broad picture in mind of what you want to look and feel like, you don't have exact clarity on, 'WHO' you want to be in terms of goal body composition:
Let us talk you through, step by step on how to set SMART goals and finally see some results in the gym:
Step 1: Dial in your destination
What bodyweight is your goal body?
What bodyfat % is you goal body?
How much muscle/lean-mass do they have?
"How am I supposed to know that, I just want to look like that person on Instagram!?"
Well the first part heading to any given destination, is knowing to go or what address to dial into your GPS right?
In this case, we need to know our goal body composition broken down into numbers (Bodyweight, BF%, Lean-Muscle).
When you dial in an address into google maps, it first needs to locate you and establish your starting point.
Through Bio-Impedance we are able to give our clients an exact break down of their starting body-composition and then we are able to track their progress regulary
You need to do the same in this case, before working out your destination.
You need to measure your starting body composition, it's not what you want it to be but you need to front up and have it measured, so you can see how much work you have to do.
Once you know your starting composition, you can sit down and plan out your realistic destination.
"How much BF% do you need to lose to be happy? How much muscle do you need to gain? How far away from this point are you now?"
Step #1 is where most fail before they begin, they don't know their starting point and therefore are unable to gain exact clarity on their end goal or destination.
To know where you want to go, you first need to know where you are leaving from.
Step 2: Reverse Engineer
So now you know who you are and who you want to be...
What's the difference between the two?
From your goal composition, we recommend working backwards to your starting point and mapping out the difference.
BF% to lose =
Lean-Muscle to gain =
Goal body weight will be determined in relation to the above
What actions are required to get there? What changes do you need to make to your current lifestyle? What habits do you need to incorporate into your routine?
This is called 'Reverse Engineering' and again it's where a lot of people fail when it comes to achieving their goals. They work blindly forward, hoping for the post rather than starting from the finish line and working backwards to develop a plan for them to action each step of the way.
You have your starting point, your have your destination in mind, now you know the path or distance to get there.
Step 3: Take Action
You have your starting point, the GPS is dialled in to your destination, you have the day you want to reach there by and you have the path you have chosen to get there…
Now you need to ACTION these steps and get it done.
During this process you should have been able to identify the actions you need to take to achieve your goals.
The person you want to look and feel like, drinks 3-4L of water per day, sleeps 7-8 hours per night, trains 4-5 x per week, is a lot stronger than you and is consistent with their nutrition.
You need to take these actions or identify the actions you currently aren't taking to be this person and achieve your goals.
Your goal in the gym should now be so SMART (Specific, Measurable, Agreed Upon, Realistic, Time Based) that you have 100% clarity on the outcome, you can almost feel and see the person you want to become, this should give you the utmost confidence in taking action, turning the dream into reality.
We map our a SMART outcome and develop a specific action plan during our consult process.
If you have been struggling to achieve your goals in the gym, work through the steps we discussed above:
Dial in your destination. Measure your starting body composition and set a measurable goal on what you want to achieve.
Reverse engineer. Measure the difference between the two compositions and identify the actions required to close the gap between the two.
Take action and stick to the plan.
In our initial consult at Physique Performance Specialists, we sit down with all potential clients go through these exact steps to help them gain clarity on their goal and help them develop an action plan to achieve these goals so they have full confidence in working with us to help them.
Click the button below to get in touch, to book your free consult, body composition and goal setting strategy session today: