The Random Post – Goals and Updates

GOALSjpgHidy ho there neighbor!

On my monster list of to-do’s, projects and other miscellaneous items, one piece of writing that has slipped through the cracks for weeks now is an update of my Mike’s 2015 Goals post.

I think one of the biggest issues with goals is that people set them at some point during the year, and then file them away, never to be seen again.

Instead, if we constantly come back to and review our goals on a consistent basis, this does two things:

  1. It helps us focused on the big picture versus the “shiny objects,” and
  2. These reminders help keep our behaviors congruent with the tasks that help us achieve our goals!

And the second point may be even more important than the first.

There are legions of people out there that trumpet a focus on system or process-based goals, versus outcome based goals.

But I digress…

I can say without question this has been the most productive and successful year I’ve had up to this point.

However, around this time of year I’m always getting a little antsy. I have to seclude myself a bit more to get the big tasks and projects done, and I don’t get to spend as much time in the gym actually coaching and training athletes.

I’m working on ways to minimize this in the future, but for now, this trade-off will work. At the end of the day, I have a clear focus on where I want RTS, IFAST and my personal life to be, and I’m definitely moving in the right direction.

With all that being said, let’s go back and look at my goals, and I’ll provide a progress report on everything.

RTS Goals

Two Awesome Seminars

You can check one of these off the list!

My Elite Athletic Development 2.0 Seminar with Joe Kenn was another huge success. The turnout was solid, and every coach there commented on how much they took away from the course.

Our second seminar will be in November, and I’ll be announcing all of the specifics in approximately two weeks.

Needless to say, this is the best venue we’ve ever been in, with the best line-up of speakers, and I’ve got a super-sweet bonus for anyone who signs up early as well.

Stay tuned for this – it’s going to be awesome!

Athletic Development Book

No progress to report, as of yet. I’ll explain why in the next two sections….

Launch Physical Preparation 101

Physical Preparation 101 is my core product for trainers and coaches.

Over the years, I’ve created a ton of paid materials that fit a certain demographic or need (i.e. knees, mobility, core training, etc.) but never one that encompassed my training philosophy.

It took me a lot of years, but I just had to ask myself one simple question:

“If a new trainer or coach came to RTS, what product would I have them purchase to get them started?”

And here’s the biggest issue – I couldn’t answer that question!

Now, if I want a trainer or coach to get a foundation on how I coach my clients and athletes, I can simply refer them to Physical Preparation 101.

If you want to learn more about the product, you can find it at PhysicalPreparation101.com.

But don’t buy it yet – if you don’t have a copy yet, I’m running a mini-sale next week that you’ll want to take advantage of!

New RTS Website

Beside launching the PP101 DVD’s, I’ve also been working tirelessly on the updated RTS site.

Now I know what you’re thinking…

“But Mike – it’s not like you’re creating the site! What are you doing?”

Again, my goal with the RTS website is to get people up to speed as quickly as possible. After all, I’ve got close to a decade of content for someone to sift through.

If they just showed up on a random blog post, they’d be utter lost. It would be like me dropping you off in the middle of a new city and asking you to show yourself around.

Instead, the goal is to streamline the process, so that every new person who is interested in training, coaching or being a kick-ass athlete can up to speed ASAP.

As such, I’m shooting a ton of new videos, creating new content, and giving old stuff a facelift.

One thing I know you’ll enjoy is a major overhaul of the podcast. When I got started podcasting years ago, it was a ton of fun and something that I really enjoyed.

There was even a time when I was featured on iTunes’ “New and Noteworthy,” even though it seems like eons ago now.

Suffice it to say that when the new site is up, everyone is going to enjoy the experience far more.

Trust me on this one!

IFAST Goals

Retention #1

I’ve always been a huge believer in retention of current clients, versus constantly chasing “new” clients.

This year at IFAST, we’ve had a very small amount of people stop training. And rarely is it ever about the training itself, but instead life getting in the way.

This consistent focus on retention has allowed us to steadily grow as a business, to the point where we’ve actually brought young Lance on in the evenings to help with client flow and scheduling.

Needless to say, the growth at IFAST has been great, and I’m very excited about where we’re going in the future.

Launch our Youth Athletic Development Class

Ah yes, the youth athletic development class. This is very much a passion project for me, because I know how important being athletic was for me growing up.

But getting kids into this class consistently is not easy.

Obviously there are issues like scheduling, timing, etc. But there’s also the issue of kids having approximately 1,579 other things to do these days.

I will not give up on the class because I feel it’s something that we need to offer, but I’ll be going back to the drawing board to figure out how to market it effectively.

Grow our Elite Athletic Development Program

Our pro athlete pool definitely dwindles in the summer. (Sure, I have the Indy Eleven, but I’m talking more about the private clients versus this group.)

As well, the bulk of our pro clientele comes from pro baseball and pro soccer, so this will really pick up from September-February.

I’ll keep you posted on this, though, as I have some things in motion that I really hope will take this group to the next level!

MR Personal Goals

Movement Quality and Conditioning

It’s been a long time coming, but I’m getting really happy with my movement quality.

My background in powerlifting had led to some serious tissue and postural adaptations: a stiff lumbar lordosis, anterior pelvic tilt, and a body that feels like it’s extending on top of extension.

However, in the past two-to-three weeks, I’ve had some serious breakthroughs in my squat and deadlift patterns. The squat is the big one for me, and I’m finally excited about where I can take this going forward.

As for the conditioning, that’s coming around as well. I’ve been getting in at least two, if not three sessions per week, which is pretty darn good for me.

The issue here is that I’m just not a fan of conditioning in any form. I’ve found that if I mix it up I do better, so some days it’s cutting the crass and yard work, some days it’s biking, and others it’s simply going to the park and shooting hoops.

The only thing I need to work on here is tracking my HRV. Sometimes this is difficult when a certain 4-year-old wants her breakfast, but I need to monitor this and adjust my conditioning appropriately.

Strength with Athleticism

This is Phase 2 of the program. I will probably start this in the next couple of weeks, so I’ll keep you updated.

More Down Time

Reality check and honest admission time from Mike:

I’m just not a huge fan of down time. Or maybe it’s just my definition of downtime.

Down time to me doesn’t mean just vegging out in front of the TV. Even if I’m watching my guys play soccer, it’s really hard for me to sit there for two hours and do nothing.

Instead, maybe I think of downtime as being a bit more well-rounded, and I’ve definitely done that.

I’m getting in my guitar playing on a regular basis, and I’ve actually had a few moments here and there where I can tell a significant difference.

No one is going to confuse with me with Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton, but it’s something fun and I’m definitely enjoying the process. (Side note: The process is a lesson in and of itself.)

I’ve also expanded my reading quite a bit as well. I’m still reading and reviewing plenty of training materials, but I’m also reading more on topics like learning, spirituality, and communication.

If there’s one habit I do want to get back into, it’s to watch one movie per week. I used to do this years ago, and it’s one thing I want to get back to.

Family Focus

The family is always the focus, and as a simple update, everyone on Team Robertson is doing great.

Jess is getting more and more nutrition clients at IFAST, which is awesome. Plus, we’ve got her cranking in the gym to get some stone cold pythons.

Kendall just finished up with pre-school for the year, and is looking forward to an entire summer spent outside chasing her friends around and playing.

And the Kade monster is on another level. The man is running around, talking, and basically dominating his parents 24/7.

So yeah, family life is good. No complaints whatsoever.

Summary

As I mentioned up front, this has been an incredibly rewarding, productive, and most importantly focused year.

For the first time in quite a while, I feel really connected to and dialed in on my goals, which makes going to work every day that much easier.

At this point I’ve written close to 1,700 words about myself, which feels incredibly narcissistic and rude. Let me leave you with this:

How are you doing on your 2015 goals?

Are you moving in the right direction?

Or do you need to course-correct?

Whether it’s internally or below in the Comments section, take the time to think about these questions and answer them honestly.

Have a good one and thanks for reading!

All the best

MR

(Lead photo courtesy of Eric Castro)

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