Train smarter not harder

For someone who is starting their journey into the world of fitness and trying to improve their lifestyle, it can be very overwhelming with so much information out there you might feel like you don’t know where to start. So, I thought I would help you guys out and create a few tips on how to get the best out of your training and how to get started.

SET YOURSELF SMART GOALS

This term is often used by fitness professionals and can really help clients visualise and plan what their goals are and how they will achieve them. So, what does SMART goals mean and how can you apply this to your training and lifestyle? Let me break it down for you.

S – Specific

Your goal needs to be specific to you. The more specific your goal is, the more you are likely to achieve it. An example of a specific goal would be to be able to do 10 push ups on your toes or to lose 10kg of body fat. By setting yourself a specific goal, you can now move on to the next phases of planning using the SMART acronym.

M – Measurable

In order to see your progress and actually know when you achieve your goal, you need to be able to measure your goal along the way. What this means is you basically keep track of your progress throughout the time frame given to achieve your goal. For example, using the goal to perform 10 push on your toes, you would use repetitions as a way of monitoring your progress. The same goes for tracking weight loss, you would use your target of 10kg fat loss and then record how much body fat is lost throughout your training each week. Make sure you keep a note and track your results in order to help keep you motivated! It can be incredibly rewarding when you see the physical changes that happen as a result of the hard work you put in, so stay encouraged and embrace every positive change that happens! Strive for progress, not perfection.

A – Achievable

The goals you set must be achievable and realistic to you. If you set yourself an unrealistic goal, it’s then likely to become unachievable which will result in you feeling disappointed and likely to become unmotivated about making any positive changes to your lifestyle. In order to make it achievable to you, it’s a good idea to break your goal down into smaller achievable goals. For example, if you can do 5 push ups on your knees before you reach failure, set yourself a goal to perform an additional 5 reps over the next 1-2 weeks before you then make further progressions to reach your goal of 10 push ups. Remember, in order to achieve your goals and gain results, progressions must be made throughout your training. This basically means you need to keep pushing yourself and get out of your comfort zone! Make your goal challenging!

R – Relevant

Make sure when setting your goal, you make it relevant to you, your lifestyle and current situation. If you don’t have any time in the week to hit the gym, but set yourself the goal to deadlift 80kg, the goal then becomes unrealistic and not relevant to you because of other life commitments you may have. Which is completely ok! We are all different and have our own needs and goals we want to aim for. The best way to approach this is to think WHY you want to achieve your goal. If you wish to lose that extra body fat to feel healthier and reduce the risks associated with being overweight or obese, this will then encourage you to stay focused on your goal and more likely to achieve it.

T – Time specific

You need to set yourself a time frame to achieve your goal. By doing this, you give yourself a deadline to reach it which will help you with planning and scheduling how and what you need to do in order to achieve it. This will help to keep you motivated and will give you something to work towards. For example, a healthy and sustainable approach to fat loss is to lose 1-2 pounds of body fat each week. If your goal is to lose 10kg of body fat, you can then give yourself a realistic time frame of losing 10kg in approximately 3 months.

By setting SMART goals, it can help to keep you on track and focused on where you are going throughout your journey. Keeping it specific and realistic to you as an individual will make it more achievable and you are more likely to stick to the process.