Jes Reynolds…Your Fitness Coach

Gym Tips & Workout Ideas – Tip # 1: Start with a clear and specific goal

Whether you are a fitness novice or seasoned expert who aspiring to achieve new things, clear and specific goals will create your path to success.  Defining how to set clear and specific goals has been characterized in many ways, one of the most common being by setting S.M.A.R.T. goals (from Wikipedia): 

S = Specific
M= Measurable/meaningful
A= Attainable
R = Relevant/realistic
T = Time-bound

When you have decided to reach a new level of health, fitness, or athleticism (such as a new 5k or triathlon time) start with the end in mind.  Define exactly what succeeding means to you by using the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting system.  Once you’ve defined your goal, then create a realistic plan that takes you forward step by step until you’ve achieved your objective.

This is one of the simplest yet most important gym tips I can share.  There are millions of health club members working out each day with the simple goal of losing weight, yet year after year their weight stays the same, and it’s not due to lack of desire!  Almost everyone wants to lose weight! 

What is it that holds so many back from achieving this simple goal?  I believe it’s lack of clear direction combined with an influx of confusing, hypnotic marketing messages that fill peoples minds with unrealistic and often unhealthy expectations of what they can achieve.  Long term health and true weight loss does not come from a bottle or a pill, it’s the result of hard work and tenacity, derived from dedicated effort in one direction.

Unfortunately, the goal of ‘losing weight’ + a health club membership does not = weight loss success. It’s just not that simple.  While purchasing a health club membership is a step in the right direction, if you’ve been doing that same workout year in and year out with no results, it’s time to reassess. 

Instead of having a general weight loss goal, try to make it more specific and attach a time factor.  For instance, reducing a pant or dress size in one month or building 5 lbs. lean body mass and losing 5% body fat in three months are both goals that fit within the S.M.A.R.T. guidelines. 

Once you’ve determined your goal, develop a realistic plan to help you achieve it.  Realize that your plan may have to include health and fitness education, either through books or the services of a personal trainer.  If you’ve set an athletic goal, you might employ the services of a sports specific coach or a nutritionist.

Using this method to set health, fitness, and athletic goals will allow you to measure your success or failure to achieve them.  If you missed achieving your goal, refuse to give up.  Instead you can reconfigure your plan and identify strategies that did and didn’t work for you, set a new time frame, and continue forward.

While it may seem trite, this simple concept combined with the appropriate health and fitness education is more effective than any of the popular supplements, workout ideas or gym tips you might find in popular magazines or fitness products.