Goals are lame.
Ok, let me preface that – goals without a plan are lame.
You see, everyone and their mother have goals. A New Years Resolution is really just a goal that 80% of people fail to achieve (that stat is courtesy of the New York Times). I briefly discussed setting your primary goal for 2010 here.
Beyond just a goal, what you need is a plan. A plan is not a goal, but an actual framework that helps you achieve your goal.
When I first learned years ago that I “needed” knee surgery, I was scared sh*tless at first. I’d never had anything more major than an ankle sprain before, and now they wanted to cut on me?
That was, until I had a plan.
In fact, I laid out the exact rehab and training plan I was going to follow to get myself out of pain and back to training ASAP. It’s not surprising, but once you have a laid-out game plan, anxiety subsides while creativity and motivation can take its place.
If you have a goal, your next step is to come up with a plan. How are you going to achieve that goal?
Write it down, step-by-step.
Let’s say your goal is to add 10 pounds of muscle. Here are some action items you can incorporate into your plan to help you achieve that goal:
- Train 4x/week, using an upper-lower split.
- The first lift of every workout is going to be hard, heavy and basic (squat, dead, bench, chin, row, etc.).
- You’re going to add 2.5-5 pounds to your primary lift every week (excluding deload weeks).
- You’re going to eat 5-6 times per day, making sure to hit a caloric surplus every day.
- You’re going to sleep 8-9 hours per night.
Once the goal is defined and the plan is laid out, all you have to do is follow it! Obviously that can be easier said than done, but at that point you can no longer blame it on a poor plan. At that point, it’s just poor motivation and lack of follow through.
Regardless of your goals for this year, take the time to develop a plan that will help you achieve your goals.
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results!
Stay strong
MR
PS I am a Night-Elf-Mohawk