How to set your own goals and targets

Setting goals and targets is the very first thing you need to consider when trying to achieve some thing. You need to give your self some thing to work towards weather it’s a short term, mid term or long term goal.

Setting goals and targets is very important if you are trying to improve on any task or your physical well being, this might be losing weight, building muscle, increasing your weight, toning up or any other aspect of health & fitness that you wish to improve on.

First of all you need to pick your goals and targets from which you would like meet and achieve in a certain period of time, then you need to take a look at each goal and target you have set your self and see if it meets the criteria from the SMART goal setting guide which you can see below.

·        S = Specific

·        M = Measurable

·        A = Attainable

·        R = Realistic

·        T = Timely 

Specific

Your goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you would like to happen in the goal you have set yourself. Specifics will help you to focus your efforts and clearly define what you are going to do in your goal.

Specific is the What, Why and How from the smart guide.

·        What are you going to do? Use action words such as direct, organize, coordinate, lead, develop, plan, build and etc.

·        Why is it important to do at this time? What do you want to ultimately accomplish?

·        How are you going to do it? (By…..)

Ensure that your goals are very specific, clear and easy, instead of setting a goal to lose weight or be healthier, set a specific goal to lose 5lbs or to walk at least to miles every day.

Measurable  

If your can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.  You need to choose a goal that has measurable progress, so you can see the change occur. You need to be specific for the time you want to complete your goal in, for example my goal is to lose 4 lbs in one month so I am going to try to lose 1lb each week. This would be a specific and measurable goal. So if you set your self a goal just to lose weight then this will neither be specific or measurable.

It is important to be measurable in your goals because it keeps you on track so you can reach your target dates.

Attainable

When you identify your goals that are most important to you, you will begin to figure out the ways in which they can be achieved, your goals will become much more clear and achievable.

If you set goals that are to far out of your reach it is likely that you will not commit to them even if you start the goal to the best of your intentions, subconsciously you will no that you have set your goal to far out of reach and therefore you will not be working your 100% which will result in certain failure. So it is important that you make your goals attainable so you don’t fail your goals.

The success from achieving your goals will keep you motivated and wanting to work harder and harder.

Your goal needs to stretch you slightly so you can feel that you can attain your goal, which will need real commitment from you. For example if you set yourself a goal to lose 20lbs in one week then obviously it is not attainable but if your set your goal to lose 1lb then when you have completed that try to lose a further 1lb. this way your goal will be easily attainable.

Realistic

You need your goal to be realistic so the skills and knowledge you have are able to complete the goal, the term realistic does not mean that your goal should be easy, it means the goal should be Do-able. Your goal should push you but it should not break you.

Your goal needs to be realistic to you at this present time so for example if you could only lift 10kg in a bicep curl by setting your goal to be able to lift 15kg would be un-realistic.

Your need to set your goal so that it takes some effort for you to complete. Set your goal to high then you will fail, set your goal to low then you will send the message that you are not very capable. You need to set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement.

Timely

You need to set a time frame for the goal: By next week, in three months, at the end of my second year at university. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.

If you do not set a time to complete your goals, your goals will tend to happen in your own time when you feel like it. With out a time limit there is not urgency to start taking action now.

Time must be measurable, attainable and realistic.

So if your follow the smart guide to setting your goals and meeting your targets the benefits will show and your motivation and confidence will continue to grow, you will feel and look good and will continue improving.  

When setting your goals and targets out, write them down in big clear writing on a piece of paper. Put your goals in a place where you can see them every day to ensure that your goals and targets are always in view. Always ensure that when you have completed your goal or target that you give you self a new one.

Finally I’d like to say thanks to everyone who has been checking out my blog. If you have any suggestions don’t hesitate and message me, Grazie J 

6 Pack workout guide

6 Pack workout guide

3^rd Blog post

Ciao my friends, following up from my last post, I am going to give you a simple easy to follow 6 pack workout guide. It will consist of a stomach workout, cardiovascular workout and a muscle conditioning workout.

Stomach workout

First up is the Stomach workout. This will consist of 5 exercises that will be completed one after another (no rest) with 2 circuits. After you have completed the first circuit of 5 exercises rest 60 seconds then repeat the circuit again.

Sit-ups – 15-30 reps

Crunches – 30 reps

Reverse crunch – 20 reps                             

Bicycles – 30 reps

Leg raise – 20 reps  

After we have completed the 2 circuits rest 60 seconds then we will finish with sit-ups. This will be completed once all the way through with no rest (focus on crunching your abs keeping a controlled movement, support your feet if you are not able to control a sit-up with good form). On the final rep as you are coming back down from the sit-up, hold your position halfway down and contract your stomach and hold for 10 seconds.

Sit-ups – 20 reps (On 20^th rep hold your position halfway down, 10 seconds)

               15 reps (On 15^th rep hold your position halfway down, 10 seconds)

                 10 reps (On 10^th rep hold your position halfway down, 10 seconds)

                  5 reps (On 5^th rep hold your position halfway down, 10 seconds)

               Max Reps (now finish with as many as possible)

Do this stomach workout 3 Times a week at a minimum.

Cardiovascular workout

Time to hit the treadmill, not! Come on why use a treadmill when you can do it outside! If you really want a six pack then do your cardio outside. The cardio workout I am going to give you is Sprint interval training (also known as HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training). For this work out you will be sprinting for a set amount of time then going into a jog for a set amount of time then back into the sprint then back into the jog until all intervals are completed (1-5 intervals)

Warm up – 5–10 minutes slow paced jog

Dynamic Stretches – Squats 10 reps, lunges 10 reps each side, calf raise 10 reps.

Static stretches – quadriceps stretch 10 seconds hold each side, toe reach hold for 10 seconds (hamstring stretch).

Re-warm – 2 Minutes slow paced jog

Interval 1 – 10 seconds Sprinting, followed by 50 seconds slow-medium paced jog.

Interval 2 – 15 seconds sprinting, followed by 45 seconds slow-medium paced jog.

Interval 3 – 20 seconds sprinting, followed by 40 seconds slow-medium paced jog.

Interval 4 – 15 seconds sprinting, followed by 45 seconds slow-medium paced jog.

Interval 5 – 10 seconds Sprinting, followed by 50 seconds slow-medium paced jog.

Cool down – Slow paced jog 5 minutes

Static stretches – Hamstring stretch hold for 15-30 seconds each side, quadriceps stretch hold for 15-30 seconds each side, Forward lunge hold for 15-30 seconds each side.

Aim to do this Interval workout 2-3 times a week. This is an intense workout so if you don’t exercise much and have never been jogging then I would suggest swapping this sprinting with jogging and the jogging with walking so you can get your body used to this type of training.

Muscle conditioning workout

This will be 10 minute non stop workout, working the full body. You will have to carry out a specific exercise for a set amount of time then move straight onto the next exercise for a set amount of time and so on until your 10 minutes of hell are over.

Stretch your full body before doing this workout.

Pre stretching – hold stretches for 10 seconds.

Press-ups for 1 minute

Tricep dips for 1 minute

Squats for 1 minute

Star jumps for 1 minute

Jogging on the spot for 1 minute

Press-ups for 1 minute

Tricep dips for 1 minute

Forward lunge for 1 minute

Jumping squats 1 minute

Wall squat hold; hold for 1 minute

Post stretching - Now stretch off, hold stretches for 15-30 seconds.

Do this conditioning workout 2 times a week.

That’s it you now have what you need to be well on your way towards getting your six pack, a healthier body and better looking physique, But remember your Diet is very important, with out a good diet your six pack will be hard to achieve.

The final thing to do is to give you is a workout diary example:

Monday – Stomach workout & Sprint interval workout

Tuesday – Muscle conditioning workout

Wednesday – Stomach workout

Thursday – Sprint interval workout

Friday – Stomach workout

Saturday – Muscle conditioning workout.

Sunday – REST

This is the way I would suggest doing these workouts, but you can set it out to fit into your schedule if needed.

Thanks for reading, hope you found my post useful, any problems just comment the post and ill be glad to help. J