Goal Setting

By Eddie Gracio

If you are already doing CrossFit then you probably feel that this fitness regime is an amazing tool to set and achieve training goals. With that said I am here to help you set them correctly, to make sure you are aiming at the right stuff with the right timing.

An easy way to start is to set SMART goals.  If you haven’t heard about them before each letter corresponds to a particular way to set your goal. Although there are different acronyms for SMART goals, lets go with this one for now:

S – Specific: Its not enough to have as a goal “I want to be stronger”. You should be specific about what kind of strength you want to improve. I want a heavier back squat.

M – Measurable: Even better than just committing to have a heavier back squat is considering where you are and where you want to be regarding your back squat strength. I want my back squat to improve from 70kg to 150kg.

A – Achievable: I love the idea of aiming for the stars to reach the moon, however setting an unachievable goal can be very demotivating and we miss out a lot on celebrating important steps along the way. It’s much better to set a plan to hit something that you believe you can do.  It should still be a challenge, but knowing that in the end you actually get to celebrate (I love to celebrate). I want my back squat to improve from 70kg to 100kg.

R – Realistic: To make it realistic consider what it will involve and how can you commit to it. It’s not realistic to improve your back squat if you don’t work on it.  Equally it’s not realistic if you get overexcited and plan to work on it every day – not only will you fatigue, you will probably start to have nightmares about squatting. I want to improve my back squat from 70kg to 100kg, following a Programme that has 2 squat sessions a week.

T – Time bound: We have set a goal and it looks good so far. To finish our SMART plan we just need to put a time frame on it. It is a waste if we work hard on our squat goal and don’t set up a date to motivate us to reach it.  A date will also create an even stronger commitment for us to work on it and not to miss any squat session. I want to improve my back squat from 70kg to 100kg in 3 months following a Programmeme that has 2 squat sessions a week.

All these steps can be broken down into little smart goals depending on how simple or complex your goal is. For instance, if you really want to be able to do a Bar Muscle up but you still can’t do a pull up, you should remember that you have to consider T: TIME BOUND part of the Smart goal and have enough time to master strict and kipping pull ups before you start the process for the Bar Muscle up. If your goal is to lose weight, then you may want to consider our Newtrition Programmeme.  Here a coach will guide you through choosing a SMART goal, and support you to help you achieve it.

For some of us sharing that goal with someone is a great way to get a stronger commitment to it.  There is someone that can hold us accountable and could ask us every month, week or day how we are progressing.  At Tribe we are proud to have a goal review Programme which can help you to set goals in a SMART way.  Sit down with one of our goals coaches to review where you currently are, commit to specific action steps, and then meet again 3 months later to review. Sounds like a bulletproof plan to me.

So remember when you set your next fitness goal don’t drill like crazy without knowing where you are drilling and what’s underneath you (like Harry Stamper and AJ). Always set your goal in a SMART way and please remember to celebrate every single one of them. There is nothing better than a small or big treat to celebrate the hard work you have put into a goal that you achieved.  Remember that I love to celebrate too, so please share with me.

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