Tag Archives: Goal setting

Good, Better, Best

Posted by Tim on

Good, better, best; never let it rest
Until the good is better and the better is best 

I’ve been sick the last couple of days. I hate being sick. Who doesn’t? But really; I hate being unable to do anything I want to do, and I hate being dependent on other people. So, I took the day off from work, slept a lot, watched some TV, and tried to get better. Things are looking good, and I should be ready to return to work tomorrow. Not bad, actually. I made my recovery fast by continuing to eat and get the nutrients my body needs to fight off whatever cold or flu I have. Megadoses of vitamin C – it works.

I guess the thing that upsets me most about being sick is that I stop progressing. My goal each day is to get better at something. For instance, a lot of the time I’m trying to set a view record here on WordPress, or I’m just trying to write better blog posts. I think they’ve improved since I started this blog in December of 2011, but who knows. In the end I’m not the judge of that – you are. The point is that I’m continually looking to be better.

I personally think it’s very important to keep our bodies in tip-top shape at all times. We should be able to get up and go, without aches and pains. We should be able to run without being out of breathe after half a block. We should be strong – able to bench press our body weight (at least) and deadlift twice that. I love setting goals for myself physically, and working to meet them. Whether it’s trying to get new PR, or looking to put a couple extra pounds of muscle on my back – it’s fun, and it’s great for the mind and spirit.

There’s the other one – the mind. I’ve talked before about how I wasn’t particularly stimulated by the education provided by my school. In fact, I would actually skip school to go to the library, because I felt that I’d learn more there than in class. Kind of sad, but it’s interesting that even at the ripe young age of 16, I liked to push myself mentally. “Book smarts” are often talked down, and are seen as inferior to “street smarts”. While the two are different, and both are very important, being a smart person provides you with something that the “streets” can’t provide you with. A powerful brain.

Spiritually – well, I think this one is the most fun because there is no end to it. With the physical stuff, you set goals and landmarks, but eventually you get to a point where you’re too old to actually get better. That doesn’t happen with faith. By studying scripture, listening to sermons, and talking with other believers, we can keep growing our relationship with God. Once you get started there isn’t an end. The relationship doesn’t ever become “full” or “over”. It’s always there, and if there is only one thing that we focus on – it should be this.

Progress – it’s a beautiful thing. Studying, training, always looking to be better than you were yesterday. In my mind, this is the way to get the most out of life; by developing better relationships, by being smarter than you were yesterday, and by being stronger than you thought you could ever be. Isn’t that what life ought to be about?

Training With a Goal In Mind (Part II)

Posted by Tim on

Having a goal as vague as “lose weight” is a sure fire way to never reach that goal. Goals need to be specific. It also helps to have a vision of what you want to look like after your goal is met. “Lose weight” doesn’t say what you’re going to look like. Do you want a body of Halle Berry, or Rosie O’Donnell?  For some people, Rosie’s body could be a step in the right direction, but I hope it isn’t anyone’s end goal.

The same applies to guys trying to gain weight. I’ll be honest – I’m no expert in losing weight. Frankly, I’ve never had to lose weight myself, so I’ve never put a lot of energy into studying it. I know enough to advise people, but not enough to go in depth. Gaining muscle, on the other hand, is something I know a lot more about. Just as “lose weight” is a vague goal, “gain weight” or “get stronger” is setting yourself up for failure.

For one thing, “gaining muscle” and “getting stronger” aren’t always the same thing. Decide what you specifically want to do, and focus on that. Sets & rep schemes, rest intervals, and % of 1RM, are all important factors in achieving your goal. Without going super in-depth, let’s go over some basics of designing a training program depending on your goal.

As I’ve already noted, if your goal is to gain strength you’re going to train differently than if your goal was muscle hypertrophy. If strength is your goal, first find out your 1 rep max (the heaviest weight you can lift for 1 full repetition). There are a number of formulas for doing this (just search Google), or you could spend a workout with trial and error. Work your way up to a weight that you can’t lift. Go down 10 lbs and, voila, you have your 1RM.

Once you have your 1RM for your 3 main lifts (squat, deadlift, bench press), take out your calculator and write down some basic lift numbers. You’re going to be sticking to low reps (1-5 reps), 5-8 sets, and 80%+ of your 1RM. Because the weight will be a high percentage of your 1RM, you won’t be doing 8-12 reps, but you can certainly bang out 5+ sets. For strength – keep the reps low, sets high, and percentage of 1RM high.

Muscle hypertrophy (gaining muscle) is slightly different. Again, you’ll need to find your 1RM for your three main lifts. Once you know your 1RM, grab that pen and paper, a calculator, and get down to business. Reps should be higher (8-12 reps), percentage of 1RM should be lower (60%), and sets should be about the lower (3-4 sets). Although the weight isn’t as high, you’ll be pushing out more reps and often times going almost to failure.

Now, weight training can also be used for endurance. In this case you’ll keep the reps very high (20+ reps), the percentage very low (40-50%), and the sets high (8+ sets). This would be important if you are in a sport that requires power on a steady basis – soccer for instance. Pure strength would be more applicable to football, where short bursts of a lot of power are the norm.

Your training should change depending on your goal. If you want to gain muscle, lose fat, gain strength, or build endurance, use a few basic guidelines and design a program that will help you reach your goal. Make your goal specific, and have a vision in mind. All of this will help lead you to your goal, and  hopefully prevent you from having the exact same new year’s resolution in 2013.