Archive for Monday Motivation
Monday Motivation WHAT TEACHERS MAKE
WHAT TEACHERS MAKE
As a Trainer I feel I am certainly an EDUCATOR as well and this story really hits home with me. Enjoy!
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued,
“What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in
life was to become a teacher?”
He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers:
“Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”
To stress his point he said to another guest; “You’re a teacher, Bonnie. Be
honest. What do you make?”
Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, “You want to
know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began…)
“Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time
when their parents can’t make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.
“You want to know what I make?” (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)
‘‘I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them apologize.
I make them show respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn’t everything.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.
I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English
while preserving their unique cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given,
work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.”
(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) “Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn’t everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant… You want to know what I make?
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?”
His jaw dropped, he went silent.
A couple of things really hit home with me. Whatever you do in life make sure you are PASSIONATE about it. There is no sense in living unless you LOVE what you do. Live your life to the FULLEST.
Having an IMPACT on someone else’s LIFE is one of the most rewarding things in the world. Teachers, Coaches, and trainers, all have a POSITIVE INFLUENCE on people’s lives.
As an educator and a fitness professional it is important to realize it ISN’T just about getting more fit or performing better. It is about learning life lessons along the way. It is as much about PHYSICAL development as it is CHARACTER development.
Training with a strength coach or fitness professional helps you…
- Learn to DEAL WITH ADVERSITY.
- Learn sometimes you need to SACRIFICE things in order to get BETTER.
- Learn NOT TO QUIT when things get TOUGH.
- Learn to have the CONFIDENCE to PERFORM even when others think you CAN”T
- Learn to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!
As a trainer, coach, and educator I KNOW I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Pay it forward. Make a DIFFERENCE in your life and everyone else’s around you!
Don’t be Afraid to try something New
Don’t be Afraid to try something New
It is human nature to do what we are good at and steer clear of anything that is uncomfortable to us. Sometimes we need a coach or a good friend to tell us what we need to work on. I love lifting heavy things, squatting, pressing, deadlifting etc.
Sometimes my conditioning takes a back seat to my strength goals. As a strength coach I think it is very important for me to try out new methods of training from time to time in order to become more knowledgeable in my field. You can never have too many “tools” in the “tool box”. As well sometimes training may seem stale and in order to keep moving forward you need to change up your routine.
Powerlifting and classic strength training will always be my “bread and butter” training, but I realize there is more than just being strong and lifting heavy weight.
Some people want to train for endurance events like marathon, some people want to train to get a six pack for the beach, some people train to be an all American wrestler, and some people want to start on their high school football team. Each case has its own unique demands and requires a different training program to reach its goal. Certain tools work better for certain jobs.
Right now I am trying to learn as much as I can about kettlebells. The kettlebell originates from Russia and is one of the classic Russian training tools for both athletes and for military conditioning as well. Kettlebells can be used for strength development, but in the classical sense they are used for conditioning. I am currently working on my kettlebell form so I can coach the exercises better to my clients and athletes.
When training with kettlebells typically sets last no less than four minutes long. As a strength athlete I am used to doing less than five reps in training so this was very foreign to me. I could really see that kettlebell are a great tool to increase work capacity for a wide variety of people. In kettlebell competition the sets last 10 MINUTES long! Strong sport kettlebell competitions still last 4 minutes long. It is pretty remarkable stuff. These guys use a relatively heavy weight and can perform an insane amount of repetitions during this time.
As the minutes go by you are dripping with sweat and your legs start to burn, but you have to FIGHT through it. Lifting a weight numerous times for minutes at a clip works the endurance to the limit! Bring your THIRD LUNG if you are doing a kettlebell workout. It has been said that “kettlebells is closest thing to going through a fight without throwing a punch!”
The kettlebell exercises like the snatch work they entire body. It builds grip strength, hip strength, upper back strength, and much more. Every muscle is working in some way to perform the exercise correctly. Doing kettlebell sets is very humbling to strong person because it shows that a light weight when performed properly can really kick your butt!
Kettlebell lifting also requires a great blend of flexibility, mobility, and stability. It is important to have good thoracic spine mobility, lumbar stability, hip mobility scapular stability, and ankle mobility in order to perform the exercises correctly. These qualities are very important to overall health and athletic performance. Kettlebell lifting has forced me to focus on these areas a bit more, which is a very good thing. Being strong, fit, mobile, and mentally tough are all qualities kettlebells can enhance.
Here are some amazing kettlebell feats of strength and endurance. This really shows how far you can take kettlebell lifting! I would suggest you get a coach to help you learn proper technique for all of these lifts because when performed in properly you can put unnecessary stress on the wrists, knees, and low back. When performed properly it is one of the best strength and conditioning workout you can do!
One of the things the kettlebell people have taught me is when you are resting you need to relax. I think this is very applicable to combat sports because sometimes you need to be loose and other times you need to be tight. In kettlebell sport you are either resting or exploding. I think this increased work capacity will allow me to get more volume in my powerlifting sessions in a short period of time.
I think this type of training can be very usefully to a variety of sports and I will keep you posted on my kettlebell training and let you know if it is transferring to my powerlifting training. I just went to a Hardstyle Kettlebell seminar and I picked up some great drills that can be applied to many forms of lifting that I will share over the next few week.
Don’t be afraid to try something new. There is an old saying …
“If you always do what you have always done, You’ll always get what you have always got.”
If you have been on a training program for a long period of time you need to change something up to get better!
Whether it is a new sport, method of training, or starting up with a personal trainer you might be pleasantly surprised! Don’t be afraid to try something new if your progress plateaus or your training seems stale.
Just remember when trying something new you need to put in the TIME to see if it is actually working.
Monitor your progress and see how you do!
Good Luck!
Monday Motivation: Find the RIGHT Training Partners
The Right Training Partners are Key to Success
By John Gaglione
Finding good training partners is one of the MOST important factors when deciding where to train.
A professor of exercise science might have all of the knowledge in the world about training, but they might not be able to motivate you to get better.
A world champion wrestler may have the best SKILL in the world, but can he teach you effectively?
A training partner may tell you lift was good, but really it looked awful and you used very poor technique.
Finding a good coaches and training partners are incredibly important.
Good training partners and coaches will really help sky rocket your progress in a numbers of ways.
- They will motivate you when you don’t feel like training
- They will be honest with you when you technique is off
- They will give you suggestions for fixing your technique
- They will use verbal, visual or kinesthetic cues while you are lifting to help with technique.
The training partners combined with good coaching create a positive training environment. Good coaching will help you get in perfect position to lift every time. These training partners will help push you to the limit and break through both mental and physical barriers.
My training partners constantly challenge each other and we are constantly evaluating each other’s form. If the lift sucked we will tell them it sucked. At the same time we aren’t overly negative or critical of each other. The criticism is always constructive and we always strive to get better each workout. It is important to be both positive and HONEST when giving feedback.
In high school I was luckily enough to have a coach who was a former raw powerlifter who helped me push to my limits in high school. I trained with him all through college. Once I got into more serious power lifting competitions I sought out the best training partners I could find. I wanted improve m performance in powerlifting so I sought out the best lifters I could find.
Lifters like Chris Taylor, John Bernor, Chris Rodgers, Eric Hubbard, Sandy and Dave Tepper have been instrumental in my growth as a lifter. Everyone helped me with my form form and motivated me to be the best I could be. Also my friend Evan still helps us out at our meets even when he isn’t competing!
Chris and John work with a tremendous amount of kids and lifters and put a ton of time with them to help them get better and pick up a lifelong hobby. They are great advocates for the sport of powerlifting and I thank them so much for their help. They are always willing to spot and correct technique when you are training with them.
I would also like to thank Sandy, Dave, Vinny Scalice and the strongman crew for their help spotting and loading and calling my depth for coutnless squat workouts.
Chris Rodgers right know is really helping motivate me push my deadlift strength up right now and always invites me to do his deadlift assistance work with him. This is another good example of training partners motivating each other to do better. The deadlift is a lift I struggle with and Chris is pushing me to constantly get better at it.
I want to especially thank my main training partners Frank D’Angelo and Anthony Infante. A remember Anthony saw me performing pull throughs at a local gym and asked if I was a powerlifter. One thing lead to another and we trained together for quite some time after that. Anthony and Frank have always been there for me to help me with my training.
They always cue me when I am lifting. No matter how many times you hear “knees out” or “tight back” it still helps every time you hear it. That cueing is so important because it ingrains good technique when you lifting max loads. We always motivate each other every single workout. Whether we are doing a prowler challenge, high rep dumbbell rows, or max effort squat we constantly push each other. If we are pushing too hard or overtraining Frank and Anthony are smart enough to tell me when to back off when I am doing too much volume. We train HARD and SMART.
My good friend Anthony Infante has recently left our group and moved down to Florida to live with his family. He will be missed and I wish him the best of luck. I made this video as a tribute to Anthony. I have grown a lot since meeting Anthony and he has pushed me through countless workouts and I look forward to visiting him in the future.
Find the BEST training partners you can. Help load, help spot, and be a team player. Find a good coach who can teach you proper form and find a group that has similar goals. We have a group of football players and a group of wrestlers that train here at AFT throughout the year. Their progress has been insane because they have
- Excellent Coaching and cueing
- Training Partners that Push Each Other
- A Positive and Intense Training Environment
Training partners and training atmosphere are crucial to success.
Keep Training Hard and Smart.
Educate, Motivate, Dominate
-Coach Gaglione
Dealing with ADVERSITY & The Don’t Quit Poem
Dealing with ADVERSITY
Never Quit
By John Gaglione
Today we will start off the week with the story of the second wrestler I trained back in high school before I started working here at AFTLI. He still trains with me to this day when he isn’t at wrestling at College.
The other wrestler’s story starts the day of the county tournament. This wrestler’s had a “bad draw” for his first match. He ended up having to wrestler the previous year’s county finalist in his first match. This wrestler had given him problems all season long and he could just never end up on the winning end of the score.
He fought a tough match, but ended up losing his first match at the counties. All of his hopes and dreams of being a county champion were shattered. Many other wrestlers would have packed it in right there.
This wrestler would have to win 5 matches IN A ROW just to take third place. He ended up winning his first two matches pretty handily and even had to beat a previous year all county wrestler just to STAY ALIVE. He certainly did not have an easy road.
To make it to the second day this wrestler had a tough opponent. The wrestler was losing the match and got caught in the cradle and was nearly put on his back. Just in the NICK of time the wrestler broke out of the cradle got the reversal and won the match 3-2 in an exciting fashion! He found a WAY TO WIN. He made it HAPPEN even when it seemed like he was going to LOSE. He stayed calm and cool and stayed in control even when he was down on the score board.
The second day the wrestler end up up winning his next two matches and ended up taking third place at the counties. This was one of the biggest displays of HEART I have ever seen by any athlete. He would not QUIT even when he was faced with GREAT ADVERSITY. This lesson is not only important to training, but also important to all aspects of life.
The poem and video below does a great job of explaining the lesson of the day.
I saw this video on Dave Tate’s training Log a few years ago and he recently printed the “Don’t Quit” poem in a recent article on elitefts.com.
Here is you Monday Motivation for this week.
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Never Quit on your TRAINING or YOUR LIFE DREAMS
KILL it in your next training session.
When you think you are on your last rep of your last set remember what you learned today….Find it deep within yourself and you’ll be able to get one more!
Educate, Motivate, Dominate
-Coach Gaglione
Monday Motivation: Don’t Make EXCUSES
Don’t Make an Excuse, Find a Way to Make it Happen
Before we get in today’s topic I want to share a story to you about one of the kids I was training before I got to AFTLI. At the time I was training two high school wrestlers and both of their goals was to become a County Champion. This week I will share a story from one the two wrestlers.
The one in this story was not even projected to place top 6 in the county. He was only 4th in his league the year before and wasn’t the starter on his team. He did not care about what anyone else thought and he had his goal and he stuck to it for the entire season. The only people who believed it was possible were the ones training with him.
He didn’t make excuses and always found time to train. Sometimes he was beat up, hurt, or sick, but there was always something to do to get better.
Sometimes he just did some foam rolling and corrective work and then went home. No matter have bad he felt they always did something that was going to help him reach his goal.
One night the wrestler lost a match he should have easily one. He got caught and pinned by a much lesser opponent. The wrestler seemed very discouraged, like all he had worked for was lost. I pulled him aside and I said “It is not about TODAY. It is about what happens at the COUNTIES.” After the match we went on to train. The match ending up going very late so the gym we trained at wasn’t open. The only option was to train outside.
The problem was it WAS SNOWING OUTSIDE! The wrestlers did a sled workout in the SNOW. The wrestler who had a bad day and could have EASILY QUIT and just stopped training that day. It took a lot of mental strength to just get through the workout in the snow let alone after losing a match he should have won. He turned a BAD MATCH into a POSITIVE TRAINING SESSION! He had the right mind set to win it. He didn’t let the bad match mess with his head. That day MADE HIM a CHAMPION.
He didn’t make excuses he found a way to train even when he didn’t want to. This wrestler ended up upsetting the number one seed and taking second in the counties that year. Even though he didn’t reach his goal he showed tremendous heart and dedication during that year of training and I am confident that this mindset will carry over to the rest of his life. The second story of the second wrestler will be revealed next week.
The moral of the story is you can make an excuses if you want, but you need to be honest with yourself if you are not getting better.
Are you truly doing everything in your power to get better?
Are there workouts that you might have missed just because “you didn’t feel like it?”
Did your diet not work or did your cheat on it a “few” times along the way?
Here are a few videos of athletes “getting it done” no matter what the circumstance is.
Here is a video of one of my wrestlers who is training his upper body with a broken hand!?! Would you train if you had a broken hand?
Now did I get a little creative in order to give him a training effect? Absolutely, but it just goes to show you that when there is a WILL there is a WAY. If you have an injury there are way to work AROUND the injury. There is always something you can do to get better.
Here is a video of a wrestler named Dustin Carter. He was born with several limitations, but he still finds a way to train. I don’t think the word excuse is in his vocabulary.
If Dustin can find a way to perform better shouldn’t we all be able to find a way to get in shape and get to the gym????
Here is a video on a soldier who was injured and is forced to train with one good arm. Only having one good arm doesn’t stop him from achieving his fitness goals…
Don’t make EXCUSES. Find a WAY TO TRAIN! Don’t wait another DAY.
START TRAINING TODAY.
If this doesn’t get your FIRED UP to TRAIN there is something wrong with you!
Monday Motivation: Don’t Be Afraid Of Failing
Failure Can be a GOOD Thing
“The greatest accomplishment isn’t in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”
Don’t be afraid of failing when you set a lofty goal. There are going to be times when we make mistakes in life and we need to learn from those mistakes. Being afraid of failing is a huge obstacle in meeting a goal and it is one of the reasons people don’t get started. You have to BELIEVE you can do it before it is even possible. ” You have to BELIEVE before you can ACHIEVE it.”
There are many versions of the Thomas Edison quote, “I haven’t failed, I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work” Every time he failed at inventing the light bulb he didn’t get discouraged he learned from his mistakes and grew from them as a result.
He is a short motivational video on people who “FAILED” in life. I think you will understand that “Failure is not falling down, but it is refusing to get up.”
FAIL your way to the TOP. Nick Tumminello posted this video on his facebook recently and I think it sums up the whole lesson for today quite nicely.
I hope this FIRES you up to TRAIN this week. I know it gets me going! Take a risk, take a chance, and make it HAPPEN!
My Trip to Strength and Performance Headquarters!
Monday Motivation: The TRAINER becomes the TRAINEE
My Trip to Strength and Performance Headquarters
By John Gaglione
About a week ago I took a trip to upstate New York to visit a strength coach named Joe Hashey. I have followed his work for awhile now and he has loads of effective and innovative training techniques for strength and conditioning. We did some basic lifts like deadlifts, picking up stones, and farmers walks and some crazy conditioning with sleds and ropes!
One of the best things about Joe is that he LEADS BY EXAMPLE and pushes himself to the limit. I noticed that Joe’s attitude “trickles” down to all of his athletes and they all train with INTENSITY. Joe also makes sure, if an athlete is lifting with improper form, to point out the mistake and they will work on it.
The workout looked like this
A) Deadlifts
We Worked up to a max single. A classic exercise for the entire posterior chain(lats, low back, glutes, hamstrings), which is typically weak in most people. This was the strength builder for the workout.
B1) Stone Lifting
We lifted an atlas stone from the floor to chest height and dropped it onto a tire. This exercise really works the entire body and forces you to be explosive. The athlete must have tension throughout their entire body and then extend their hips, knees, low back, and ankles in order to lift the stone.
B2) Farmers Walks
A great exercise for conditioning and grip. Walking is about as simple as an exercise can get, but add a few hundred pounds and you have a brutal performance enhancing lift! Joe has strongman style homemade handles, which worked great.
C) Prowler Push + PUPP(Push Up Position Plank) Rows
This one was a killer. We split up into teams for this one. Our partner had to hold themselves up in a push up position while rowing Prowler(sled) to them. This works on shoulder and core stability. Then the other partner would push it back. Once your partner was done he would switch exercises with you. This taxes the grip, the legs. Bring your “third lung” for this INSANE circuit.
All conditioning sets were ON THE CLOCK and everyone always tries to beat their time. The athletes and coaches constantly try to beat their own and each others personal records. This creates friendly competition and helps everyone maintain progress.
D) Prowler Suicides
Push the Sled on the high handle setting to certain distance and then push it back with the low handles. We did this “suicide style” for 4 trips getting progressively bigger each time. Another KILLER CONDITIONING exercise. We did a few sets of this exercise. The prowler does a nice job of mimicking the acceleration position in sprinting. It is also a great exercise for any football player as it mimics the blocking position as well.
This workout was very humbling for myself because it involved many of my weak points. My deadlift needs work and so does my conditioning and my grip. Sometimes the best exercises are the one you are not doing! People tend to do what they are good at as opposed to working on their weak points. It is important to keep working on what you are strong at, but NEVER neglect your weaknesses. I know my grip holds me back on some of my lifts and this was a very good reminder that I need to work on it.
The best part of the workout was the ENVIRONMENT. Everyone cheered each other on during the entire workout. Training in an INTENSE and POSITIVE atmosphere is crucial to success. The coaches, athletes and interns all did the conditioning together and everyone pushed 100%. EFFORT is the MOST IMPORTANT thing in the workout above everything else.
This type of training not only builds up the body, but the it works the MIND as well. The MENTAL side of training is HUGE. After going through this type of training the practices and game seem easy and the athletes performs better as a result. This type of training builds CONFIDENCE and an IRON WILL to succeed in training and in life.
A couple of take home points from the trip. You can have the most well thought out, scientific program in the world and still get poor results.
Whatever program you are on you need to PUT IN THE TIME AND EFFORT.
Find a coach that FIRES YOU UP.
Find a coach that PRACTICES WHAT HE PREACHES.
Find a training ENVIRONMENT that INSPIRES you to WORK HARD.
Find a group that makes YOU EXCEL and BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE.
I hope everyone KILLS IT in their workouts this week! Keep training hard!
Monday Motivation: Why do YOU Train?
Zach Evan Esh asked everyone at his Blog last week the simple question: Why do you TRAIN?
It seems like a simple question at first, you might say to be healthy, be better at your sports and many other responses, but why do you do those things. I want to spread the question again and I WANT YOU TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. Really think about it.
WHY DO YOU TRAIN? This really could be why do you do ANYTHING, but we will focus on TRAINING with this post.
Here is my answer.
I think as a fitness professional it is of PARAMOUNT importance to lead by example and get UNDER THE BAR.
My athletes respect me so much more because I put myself through the same grueling workouts that they go through. How can I be an effective strength coach if I am not constantly trying to get BIGGER and STRONGER myself?
Training to me is a METAPHOR for LIFE….
I simply want to be the best I can be. Whether it is powerlifting, being a strength coach, or being an effective educator, I want to get a little BETTER each day. In life and training there are GOOD days and BAD days, but every day if you DO YOUR BEST and GIVE 100% every time you are going to get BETTER.
ATTITUDE is EVERYTHING! You need to have the right MINDSET to get BETTER. Stay POSITIVE and BELIEVE you are MAKING PROGRESS and you will!
I read books on training, watch instructional videos, meet with strength coaches, go to seminars, practice my techniques, and seek out the best methods for recovery. You can’t make EXCUSES. You have to FIND A WAY to GET IT DONE. FIND A WAY TO WIN!
Training gets me STRONGER both PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY. I seek out the BEST training partners I can find and learn from them. I don’t want to be the STRONGEST in my group I want to be the WEAKEST and then CLIMB to the top.
In life and in training you get better by surrounding yourself with POSITIVE people. People who will SUPPORT YOUR GOALS. Good Training PARTNERS will put you in your place when YOU ARE NOT PUSHING HARD ENOUGH or WHEN YOU ARE DOING TOO MUCH. They will tell you when your TECHNIQUE is on or when it needs some work.
Training teaches you to deal with ADVERSITY and NEVER GIVE UP. When you feel like you have nothing left to give you have to give that little extra, just like in life.
If you apply these life lessons you can be a WINNER in TRAINING and in LIFE.
I strive to be the best I CAN BE.
That is why I train.
Educate, Motivate, Dominate
Monday Motivation: SMART Goal Setting
Make your Goal Setting SMARTER
by John Gaglione
“You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.”
YOGI BERRA
People want to get stronger, leaner, faster, but often times they do not have a goal in mind. Let me ask you something, would you go on a trip without a destination? Would you travel somewhere without a map, GPS, or directions? If you do not no where you are going then it is impossible to get better and reach your goals.
In order to get better you need a PLAN of attack. You need to write down you goals. By writing down your goals this makes the task real and tangible. Before you write it down the goal is just a thought, an idea a dream. Make the goal real by writing it down and put the goal some place where you can see it every day in order to remind you of what it is you are working on.
Make your goals specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely. I will give an example of a goal I had of squatting 675 pounds at my last power lifting meet, but the information in this article can be applied to any goal.
Specific
I wanted to squat at least 675(which is 7 plates on each side on a normal 45lb bar). My goal was not to simply squat more, I had a specific number in mind for a specific competition. A person may want to lose 10% body fat or 15 pounds. These are all numbers than can be quantified and measure in a certain amount of time. Specific really entails of the other elements as well.
Measurable
Make sure the goal is measurable. I wanted to squat 675 at my next powerlifting competition. The way I measure the goal is by going to the meet and getting on the platform in front of three judges. The judges will make sure my form is good and I make good depth. If I don’t do a squat according to the rules the lift will not count.
If someones goal is fat loss they should know how much they want to lose. Numbers and units help us quantify what we are doing. I want to look better is not a good goal, because better is very vague. I want to lose 15 pounds in 3 months is a good goal because it is something we can measure with a scale. Some people may not care how much they weight, but they want a six pack. There will be certain weight and body fat percentage that will give them that look and that number should be their goal.
Attainable
Goals should be realistic. I squatted 690 in training, but it was a little high and my form was a little off. In a competition if you are a little high the squat will not count. Even though my depth was questionable I was confident that I had the strength to squat at least 675 to proper depth. I also had a plan of attack to reach my goal. I trained with several powerlifters who were better than me. Many of the people I had trained with squatted more than, 700, 800, and even 900 pounds. I surrounded myself with good people and I got better as a result. I was in a realistic setting for reaching my goal. I was consistently pushing to have better form and work harder each and every workout. The other thing that helped a lot is I saw many people squat in excess of 700 pounds every week so in my brain I knew I could eventually do it too.
The environment you are in is crucial for success. If you want to lose weight you should be around people who support your goals. If you want to become a better wrestler you should wrestle with people who have more experience and better technique than you. People need to get out of their comfort zone and be challenged in order to get better.
Relevant
Many times people ask me why do I compete in powerlifting? As a an athlete growing up I always went 100% in every drill and in every training session in order to get better. I learned as an athlete that the harder your work the better you will get, but you also need to work intelligently as well. Now I am a strength coach and a trainer I want to continue to get stronger and smarter in order to help myself as well as my clients. If I wasn’t constantly trying to get stronger why should anyone listen to me about strength. I will constantly push myself to my body’s limit, the same my I expect my athletes and clients to do. I strive to not only “talk the talk” , but more importantly “walk the walk.” I want to be a role model for my athletes/clients, inspire them to do better and achieve their goals.
Make sure your goals have meaning to you. Why do you want to get leaner, jump higher, or run faster? Make sure these goals are relevant to your life and have meaning. I know when I played sports I learned many life lessons about team work, work ethic, sacrifice, and goal setting. Training for sports taught me so much about life and helped prepared me for the real world and molded me into a better coach and trainer as a result.
Timely
Make sure you have a time frame for each goal and set mini goals along the way. I knew in order to squat 675 at some point I would have to squat 600 first, then 650 and so forth. My goal was to squat 675 on August 7th 2010, which goes back to being very specific. Make sure you have enough time to complete your goal and don’t be afraid to re-adjust your time frame if you don’t make it. Constantly log your progress in order to see if you are approaching your goal. I keep track of my lifts in an exercise journal on my computer to track my progress and to see if I am getting stronger. This also helps me see what assistance exercises are working for me.
If you are trying to get leaner keep a food journal. Keep track of what your are eating. Many times just by writing the food down will help you eat better since you are more conscious of how much you are eating and what you are eating. You should also weigh yourself once a week at the same time in the same clothes in order to monitor progress for weight loss.
I hope these tips will inspire you to have SMART goals for the rest of the year. And in case you are wondering I did get a 675 squat at my meet and I already have my goals written down for the next one!
Work hard and work SMART and you will achieve all of your goals whether it be in fitness or just in life!
Educate, Motivate, Dominate