Setting goals
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UncleMac
Posts: 13,162 Member
One of the areas where I struggle worst is setting appropriate goals. Anyone else have this issue?
For example, I lift but I don't have a specific event, weight or other benchmark in mind for any of my lifts. When I started, the goal was to recover my range of motion and reduce pain. I've done both but since there is not particular benchmark to range of motion or reduction of pain, there is likewise no sense of achievement.
I do yoga, usually three times per week, again with rather open-ended goals... improving flexibility, reducing stress and suchlike... While I notice improvements, again, there is no sense of achievement.
At work, the most satisfying jobs are those with tangible goals and deadlines. I think that's why people end up so focused on the scale since it is one quantitative measure where setting goals is tangible. So... am I missing the boat on other fitness goals? I know I'm kind of frustrated about lack of progress so I'm thinking the way to change that would be to set some kind of tangible goal and/or timeline.
Some of my friends and coworkers have done activities such as running a marathon or doing a tri. Since running causes me to limp for days after, that's not an option for me. Maybe I should focus on the scale? Of course to do so would mean buying a scale since I don't actually own one.
Thoughts?
For example, I lift but I don't have a specific event, weight or other benchmark in mind for any of my lifts. When I started, the goal was to recover my range of motion and reduce pain. I've done both but since there is not particular benchmark to range of motion or reduction of pain, there is likewise no sense of achievement.
I do yoga, usually three times per week, again with rather open-ended goals... improving flexibility, reducing stress and suchlike... While I notice improvements, again, there is no sense of achievement.
At work, the most satisfying jobs are those with tangible goals and deadlines. I think that's why people end up so focused on the scale since it is one quantitative measure where setting goals is tangible. So... am I missing the boat on other fitness goals? I know I'm kind of frustrated about lack of progress so I'm thinking the way to change that would be to set some kind of tangible goal and/or timeline.
Some of my friends and coworkers have done activities such as running a marathon or doing a tri. Since running causes me to limp for days after, that's not an option for me. Maybe I should focus on the scale? Of course to do so would mean buying a scale since I don't actually own one.
Thoughts?
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I'm working toward 135 OHP, 225 bench, 275 squat and 315 deadlift. Still have lots of room to improve.1
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I'm always setting goals. The first year it was all weight loss, second year increasing my strength by exact numbers, this year I began running so I'm trying to reach time and distance goals. After fighting so many injuries I'm beginning to feel stronger again and so trying to reach new weight lifting goals again as well.
Another thing I've been working on is getting my protein macro up. I've been reading a lot of info lately that says as we age we actually need more protein than when we were younger, especially if we're active. I consider myself pretty active.
Since you have a trainer Mac maybe you should ask him to help you set some reasonable lifting goals. He should know what you'll be capable of moving forward.
Do you log your food? Setting macro and calorie goals really helped me along the way.
**Edited to add that I see you do log your food..........I don't normally read diaries so I should have checked first before making that suggestion.
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For the most part, the goal for training is rehab & avoiding acerbating legacy injuries. We only did a one-max lift once and that was several months ago (leg press... I pushed 850 lbs). Perhaps setting a few lifting goals would help to bring focus to the regime.
The dietitian suggested focusing on protein and watching sugars. I don't have diabetic issues but sugars are hidden in everything. The only exception for sugars are raw fruit. Apparently, the fibre and other components counterbalance the sugars when the fruit is eaten unprocessed/uncooked/unjuiced... One of my coworkers has a mini-blender from GNC and makes protein smoothies. He swears by 'em.0 -
You guys might find this interesting. I think it explains the reasons behind the fat, carb and protein macros and building muscle as we age. More muscle..........less injuries, higher metabolism and better bone health too. At least that's the way I understand it.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/how-to-eat-for-max-muscle-growth-at-any-age
Here's the part regarding protein but he also discusses a decline in carbohydrate needs and as that goes down fat goes up. Interesting to think about.
As you age, a diet rich in protein can help prevent age-related decline in muscle protein synthesis.
Why is this? It appears the decreased response may be explained by a decrease in the activity of the protein mTOR and the enzyme p70S6K, both of which are involved in initiating protein synthesis. Furthermore, it appears that the decreased anabolic response in the elderly may be due, at least in part, to the natural increase in oxidative stress that accompanies aging. Oxidative stress is the type of damage that all those antioxidants are meant to mitigate. As levels of certain molecules known as "reactive oxygen species" go up, levels of protein synthesis go down.9
There is hope, however. Consuming a diet rich in protein—specifically, the amino acid leucine—can help prevent the age-related decline in muscle protein synthesis.
Muscle-building protein recommendations by age:
< 18 years: 0.6-0.8 grams per pound of body weight
19-40 years: 0.8-1.1 grams per pound of body weight
41-65 years: 1.1-1.3 grams per pound of body weight
> 65 years: 1.3-1.5 grams per pound of body weight
This means I should be eating close to 200g of protein daily which I can't really get close to although I have raised my goal a bit. I do drink an organic rice protein smoothie before a workout and sometimes after a hard run (hard for me is over 3 miles......LOL). Otherwise, I just eat egg whites, lean meats (mostly), fish, plain greek yogurt (in my smoothie), cottage cheese and some beans and a few nuts (peanut butter mostly.....
). I'm still lucky if I get to 120-130 grams of protein a day. So obviously I'm still working on that goal. 
I do think weight lifting goals would be good for you though.2 -
No - I take classes so I'm not in charge, but I'm pretty careful to push myself unless I think I'm going to throw up.1
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That's a great article. I'm trying to imagine what a diet with 336 grams of protein would look like...
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Interesting article, but there is no way in hell I am going to eat that much protein. It is much too taxing on the kidneys. I know it is the trend to eat a lot of protein, but for a while low fat was the hero and has turned out to be crap. Eggs used to be bad. I will definitely do weights and cardio, but for me, it cannot be my life. As for goals, it can be too obsessive and disappointing to concentrate on the scale. I have been doing different challenges to keep me moving in the right direction. Pick things you would like to do and set challenges for yourself. I have been in a healthy weight range for 5 years, after weighing over 200 lbs at 5'6". I am way too busy to be a gym rat and I don't enjoy it. Controlling my diet and exercising has helped me, but you must find what works for you.1
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My husband can't eat a lot of protein because of his kidneys but since I have no kidney issues, or any health issues really, my doctor told me the extra protein is fine for me. My kidneys will just flush out any extra.
I don't know why I love the gym and lifting weights so much but I think if that's what I love I probably should be eating a little extra protein but I'll never get close to what they're recommending.
I agree we all need to find our own path to better health and fitness. I think it's really interesting to see what works for everyone and how we're all so different. That's one of the things I enjoy so much about MFP.2 -
MostlyWater wrote: »No - I take classes so I'm not in charge, but I'm pretty careful to push myself unless I think I'm going to throw up.
Part of the reason why I decided to go with a personal trainer was that, left to my own accord, I will push myself until I break. Yes, I know better... but my knowledge base for exercise isn't great so I end up doing stuff I know well repeatedly... without doing counterbalancing lifts to build up the stabilizing muscles... Each time I've started back to lifting weights over the years, within 3 months, I will have injured myself. This time, with the trainer, it's been over a year and no major injuries.0 -
OK, you have to do what works for you.0
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Although I don't think of myself as a highly competitive person, I push myself harder than I would consider pushing anyone else... and without even thinking of it... It's almost like a curiosity thing; how much can I felt? Oh, that didn't hurt... let's try a bit more... Hmmm, that was pretty tough but I still managed it. I wonder... and then boom- injured.
I know... it sounds ridiculous and intellectually I know better... Perhaps I am mature enough now to focus on a program rather than just driving myself to injury. At this point, my medical benefits are paying for a trainer. That won't always be the case so I might as well enjoy the benefit and learn how to lift properly.
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My medical insurance pays for my gym membership but I pay for my trainers myself. I've had 3 in the last 3 years, the current one has 3 more weeks to show me what he knows......LOL. I have benefited enormously from the training but still manage to injure myself. But of course I'm a klutzy girl so all the training in the world won't prevent some of my injuries. I am trying harder to be more careful and listen to the warning signals my body gives me. Maybe that will help!
Good luck with your lifting Mac, but always be just a little careful too. Those injuries can really set us back!0 -
@luluinca, my coverage is the opposite. They won't pay for gym membership but they are paying for a trainer.
In most (if not all) forms of physical activity, minor injuries are inevitable. For the most part, it means modifying your training regime to allow for healing and/or to prevent re-injury. I wish I'd been more careful with my rehab when I was younger since much of my current restrictions are based on injuries from the 1980s when I was still immortal.0 -
I'm looking forward to the day when I can emulate my hero, Groundskeeper Willie...
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If it's no Scottish it's shite1
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You guys are too funny!
But back to the subject at hand, one of the most useful "tips" I found early on has been really good for me. It is the acronym SMART which hangs by my desk and refers to this journey I have found myself on. I have always been terrible at setting goals, and not just fitness stuff. Either my "goals" were so easy there was no satisfaction in acheivement, so difficult I gave up before I got started or so convuluted I had no idea what I was trying to do. Being SMART has helped me enormously.
S- Specific (you need to pick something you want to accomplish) Keep is simple.
M- Measurable (longer, faster, further, heavier, whatever) Know how to define it.
A- Attainable (Is it something that can actually be done?)
R- Realistic (Is it something YOU can actually do....No point in me training to swim in the Olympics)
T- Timely (set a date for you to see how far you have come toward success) Keep it short.
My first successful goal went something like this...
S-I want to re-lose the 10 pounds I just regained
M-Well, we all know how to measure weight
A-Yes, anyone can lose weight
R-Yes, even I can lose 10 pounds. I had already lost it 6 months ago. It just found me again.
T-I gave myself 12 weeks, that was 1 pound per week with a little room for error. I limited myself to weighing ONCE per MONTH....I didn't want to see the daily fluctuations and figured anything at the end of the month would be more satisfying.
Now I am doing a challenge with some MFP friends...there are lots of different challenges out there to try. Adding friends that I already know and care about has made it more successful for me because I know we are all in it together.
S-Improve my upper body strength
M-How many push-ups can I do at the beginning/how many in the end
A-Yup, it is possible to use your own arms to get your body up off the floor
R-Yes, I have sporatically tried to improve my arm strength over the past 2 years...I had to do push-offs on the wall when I started. I was not able to get myself up from the floor! But I was able to do one REAL pushup when I started the current challenge)
Timely-30 Days ...says so in the challenge
We are nearing the end of our month and I will be doing 40 push-ups. Guess that will be a success! Now on to some abs!
Long story short, find something you want to accomplish and break it into small, manageable pieces. (I totally left out the 250 squats I will also be doing Saturday. I wasn't focusing on building that strength, wasn't sure I was up to the task and about died when I found out what madness I had gotten myself in to!) Keep your goals simple. Don't leave out any of the parameters. Keep the time short and switch up what you want to focus on (This is not a reccommendation to stop doing what you have already successfully done...I haven't stopped swimming because I met the goal of reaching the deep end without drowning. I just don't focus on swimming for improvement every time I set a goal. I still swim, I may not need to be SMART about it this time around.)
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Brilliant advice Kathi! Sorry, I didn't mean to sucker-punch you on the challenge, but I knew you could do it. I still can't do a real push-up, but my girly ones are much better and I can do more than 5 at a time now.. On to abs, next week, I can't even do one sit-up.0
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Thanks for all the great advice Kathi. You really have a handle on what you're doing. I think those challenges you girls are doing are great! I'm not doing them because I already do all of those things on my own, and quite a few of them......LOL, but I know how important some of those exercises are. I think you guys are doing a fantastic job of sticking to it and setting goals that challenge you.
My goals right now center around lifting heavier weights and running......and I enjoy doing both. My swimming is more for relaxation than anything else. Some of the other exercises I do like planks, leg lifts, pushups, situps, etc. help set the stage for my lifting. Right now I'm working on my shoulder muscles, my hamstrings and hip flexors.
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SMART... I like that!!0
