Having goals when you are training is incredibly important. You need to be aiming for something in order to work out what to do at the moment. Otherwise there is a likelihood that you will fail to achieve anything.
Why do I need training goals?
Not having training goals could be compared to setting out in your car without knowing where you wanted to go. Every time you reach a junction you would take the route that looked better and at the end of it you may have seen a few interesting looking pubs and some nice scenery but you will have wasted a lot of time and fuel and not actually have anything to show for it.
Similarly, if you don’t set out on your training with a clear goal in mind you will find yourself distracted by new programs and exercises as you come across them, changing your program frequently and never getting a consistent training effect.
Selecting appropriate goals
There are three main factors I tend to consider when setting new goals.
- What time of year is it?
- What other goals am I already working towards?
- Why do I want to do this?
Getting the right goals for the time of year
Sometimes there are things you would like to do but the current weather or climate makes it inappropriate.
A perfect example is my recent cutting goal. When I started the 6 weeks I knew I would be improving body composition, mostly through body fat reduction, during that time of year when temperatures suddenly drop, daylight decreases and the weather starts to get damp. It’s not a good time of year to be on reduced calories because of the decreased body temperature, and it’s not a good time of year to have to be mentally strong when all you want is a bit of comfort and cheer.
I only got through it because of the knowledge that I would be wearing a bikini for a week at the end of it all. But the achievements weren’t as great as they have been during previous cutting phases done in early summer.
Making sure your goals are complimentary
Your goals mustn’t contradict each other. This may sound like common sense but it’s easily done. An obvious example would be if you were trying to pack on new muscle for a powerlifting meet and preparing for a figure competition at the same time.
In the middle of the summer I forgot this and set myself two contradictory goals. To:
- cycle in my first time trial next spring, and
- compete in my first powerlifting competition early next year.
I’ve already got the leg strength for the cycling. For me the training would be about improving my lactic acid threshold and my mental stamina (dealing with both the lactic and the long sprint period). The best way to achieve this is through at least two bike sprint sessions plus some longer rides each week. A lot of time on the bike.
Powerlifting training will require a training structure much like I currently follow but with increased max effort work and plenty of good quality recovery through rest and food.
If I tried to do all the cycling as well as the necessary powerlifting I would quickly exceed my current work capacity and would almost certainly burn out. With all the cardio I would probably also remove muscle by cycling as fast as I put it on from weight training.
Do I really want to be doing this?
Finally, you shouldn’t be afraid to change your goals if you start out and find that they aren’t for you.
About 4 months ago I started on that time trialling goal. I drew up a training schedule of weekly sprint intervals and stuck to it, doing my intervals without fail on the allotted day each week.
But I came to dread the sprint-days. I was struggling mentally. The thought of spending half an hour doing an all out effort on a time trial course filled me with dread and all I was doing was 4 miles, broken up into half mile intervals. Some people take pleasure from dealing with the mental and physical pain of time trials but the more I got to know how my body felt on an all-out-effort sprint the less I enjoyed it.
During the last cutting phase I put the time trial training on hold – the two goals and the training associated with them weren’t compatible. It’s given me time to reflect and I know that I don’t want to start the time trial training again.
I’m reluctant to admit that I am going to give up on a goal. I’m single-minded enough that it shouts FAILURE at me. But there is no point spending the next 6 months doing something that I really don’t enjoy. Would I really be able to put in the blood, sweat and tears and the mental effort when I hit rocky times if I’m not enjoying it in the first place? Probably not.
There’s no shame in giving up on a goal, provided you find yourself a new goal to replace it. Trust me – the relief I feel is tangible!
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