Hybrid Training
How many times have you set fitness goals only to stick to them for about 3 weeks before falling off the wagon? You’re not alone. According to a study, only about 8-10% of people follow through with their goals. Although this might be an alarming rate, it isn’t a willpower issue or a motivation problem. It is a lack of setting realistic goals, having accountability, and focusing on the process.
So, how do you set fitness goals and actually stick to them? Let’s get into discovering your “why”, creating SMART goals, and developing systems that set you up for success long term.
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When starting anything in life, whether it’s fitness, relationships, or career, there’s always a “why”. A reason to keep showing up. A reason to put in the effort. A reason to commit to what you said you were going to do. It’s imperative to determine your “why” before defining your fitness goals.
Take some time to write out your responses to the questions below:
1. Why do you want to train?
2. What does it look like to add fitness into your life?
3. What opportunities open up when you develop and have fitness?
4. What does having fitness feel like?
Your responses will influence your long term motivation, contribute to your accountability, and keep you showing up even when you don’t want to. Intrinsic motivations like these can keep you honest with your intentions and reflections.
Once you have your “why”, write it down in a visible place. You could leave it next to your workout clothes or running shoes, on your bathroom mirror, at your desk, or even set it up as your phone’s lock screen background. Leave it somewhere where you can see it regularly so you don’t lose sight of your “why”. From here, you will develop your SMART goals.
Do you remember sitting in your sixth grade class writing your SMART goals about getting a good grade on your English paper or improving your math grade? Core memory: unlocked. Let’s do exactly that, but with health and fitness as an adult.
SMART stands for:
S: Specific. Get as specific as possible with the goal you want to achieve.
M: Measurable. How are you monitoring your progress?
A: Attainable. Meet yourself where you are in your goals. Setting a realistic goal can make or break the likelihood of achievement.
R: Relevant. Create a goal that aligns with you and your values.
T: Timely. Identify a timeframe and deadline of when you will accomplish your goal.
Developing your own SMART goals will allow you to set yourself up for long term success. SMART goals keep you focused on the action items necessary to win. There are a couple ways to approach SMART goals: outcome goals and process goals. Both have a place in a well-rounded approach.
Outcome goals are ones that involve a specific desired outcome such as lifting a certain amount of weight for an exercise or completing a specific race distance.
Process goals are ones that focus on consistently showing up for yourself, putting in the work, and acknowledging milestones along your ‘fit for life’ path.
Here are a few examples of SMART goals:
SMART Goal #1: I will increase my deadlift strength by 20 lbs in 8 weeks.
S: Deadlift
M: 20 lbs
A: Around 2.5 lbs per week
R: Supports overall strength, functional training, and running goals
T: Within 8 weeks
Outcome goal.
SMART Goal #2: I will run a 10K in under 60 minutes by November 1st.
S: 10K run
M: Under 60 minutes
A: Consistent training of easy runs, interval runs and speedwork, and long runs
R: Improves cardiovascular health and supports health and longevity
T: By November 1st
Outcome goal.
SMART Goal #3: I will strength train for 45 minutes, 3x/week for 24 weeks.
S: Strength training consistency
M: 45 minutes, 3x/week
A: Supports sustainable fitness for health and longevity
R: Develops consistency and confidence in myself to do the things I said I was going to do
T: For 24 weeks
Process goal.
SMART Goal #4: I will complete my 5-min warm up for each of my training sessions for 12 weeks.
S: Warm up
M: 5 minutes
A: Quick and efficient
R: Builds a healthful habit to support workouts and injury prevention
T: For 12 weeks
Process goal.
Success starts with having a reliable system. A system that addresses your goals, environment, accountability, obstacles, and progress. Without taking these pieces into account, it’s going to be difficult to create a SMART goal and/or meet yourself where you are. Let’s go through each to build a dependable system.
As mentioned above, create 1-2 SMART goals that focus solely on fitness. Make sure they are specific and concise, measurable and able to be tracked, attainable and realistic, relevant to you, and have a timeline or deadline.
Your environment plays a role in how you approach your fitness goals. It may not be the end-all be-all, but it does have an influence on you. Curate your environment as much as you can to help set yourself up for success. This could look like:
- Setting out your workout clothes the night before to eliminate decision fatigue
- Following a structured training program so you’re not figuring it out on the fly
- Turning your phone on do not disturb so you don’t get distracted by work emails in the middle of your workout session
- Scheduling your training sessions as if they were dentist appointments
How are you holding yourself accountable? When you keep yourself accountable, the likelihood of you showing up and staying committed greatly increases. You can approach accountability in several ways: invest in a strength and endurance coach, lean on your peers (family members, friends, and co-workers), or create a personal rewards system for doing the things you said you were going to do.
1. Investing in a coach can be a beneficial option if you struggle with showing up consistently, want expert guidance, or need intentional structure in your training program. Whether you stick with a coach long term, or just long enough to build the confidence and consistency in yourself, it can be a helpful tool to have someone in your corner supporting you and cheering you on.
2. Leaning on your family or friends can be helpful especially if you and someone you know are both setting fitness goals or working toward similar goals. Having a training buddy, workout class friend, or run club bud can make showing up for yourself more fun by immersing yourself into a community.
3. Setting up a personal rewards system is often successful for those who do well with extrinsic motivation. Whether it’s a vacation, a massage, a new outfit, or a medal, rewarding yourself can be a fun approach to holding yourself accountable.
Training is a part of your life, but it’s not your whole life. Obstacles will occur. Travel, work stress, familial obligations, social outings, and sickness are all a part of life. To overcome these obstacles, you need to work with them, not against them. Do what you can with what you have and understand that all-or-nothing thinking does not have a place in fitness. This is why meeting yourself where you are is so important. It’s part of creating a sustainable plan and an attainable goal.
When you encounter obstacles, have your “non-negotiable” plan in order. This plan is one that provides guidance when your usual plan is impossible. Your non-negotiables can be as flexible as you would like, but you need to know what they are.
Examples for a non-negotiable plan could look like:
- Training 2x/week
- Reducing training sessions to 30 minutes
- Bodyweight workouts instead of weight training
- Walking instead of structured cardio
If you want to loop in the other aspects of training and recovery, that could include:
- Sleeping 7 hours per night
- Drinking 8 cups of water per day
- Prioritizing protein at each meal
- Eating at least 1 fruit and vegetable per day
These are merely examples. As always, meet yourself where you are when it comes to creating your non-negotiables.
What’s an action without being able to track your progress? Monitoring your progress is part of having a SMART goal. When you create your goal, understand how you are going to track your progress to ensure you’re on par for accomplishment.
You can track your progress by:
- Using an app like Notes or Notion
- Investing in a coach who uses an app or system to track workouts, habits, and overall progress
- Writing in a journal
However you choose to track your progress, know that consistency takes time. Not 4 weeks, not 8 weeks, but months and even years. Be patient. Especially if you are focusing on process goals over outcome goals.
Creating clear and concise goals that are specific, realistic, and trackable can make or break the likelihood of your success. Anyone can write down “I want to workout”, but without being specific as to what that means and looks like, it doesn’t hold any weight (no pun intended). If you want to be your strongest and fittest self, you need to start with your “why”, develop a SMART goal, and build a system that will support you through all seasons of life.
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