How to set your targets & goals!

‘If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got.’

Setting well-constructed targets makes a huge difference to your racing, mental state and longevity in the sport. Poor targets can lead to a lack in motivation, disappointment when they are not met and no direction for your training. Given the current circumstances, it’s crucial to make sure you are on the right path now that many events have been cancelled or postponed.

We set targets and check them against the ‘SMART’ acronym. Here’s what we mean by this to make sure you can check your own target to make sure you are getting the best from yourself…

Specific

Specific goals will have a significantly greater chance of being accomplished, to make this specific to you we need to ask the 5 W’s:

Who is involved in this goal?

What do I want to accomplish?

Where is this goal going to be achieved?

When do I want to achieve this goal?

Why do I want to achieve this?

Here is an example: The goal could be “I want to get in shape”. We would adapt this to make it more specific by having the goal as “I want to sign up for a Zwift membership and will work out 4 times per week so that I can lose weight and be healthier”

Measurable

You need to have a criterion for measuring your progress and being able to define when you reach your goal. You can make training much easier for yourself when you can visibly see that you are getting closer to that goal. When you are thinking about this, you need to ask yourself:

How many, How much, How far?

How will I know when I complete my target?

How can I track my progress?

For example: “I want to sign up for a Zwift membership and will work out 4 times per week so that I can be healthier and loose 4kg in 5 weeks.”

Achievable

You goal must be achievable and attainable to you. You need to be able to know and mentally visualise yourself reaching that goal, without that keeping your motivation high will become a big challenge. You goal should make you feel stretched and challenged but defined well enough that you can actually achieve it. Think about:

Do I have the resources and ability to achieve the goal? If you do not, what do you not have and how could I change that?

Have others around you done this challenge successfully before?

Realistic

You goal needs to be realistic in that you can realistically achieve your target given the correct time, technique and resources. You need to believe in yourself to make it realistic to be accomplished. Think about:

Is the goal realistic and within my reach?

Do I have the right resources and enough time to meet the goal?

Can I fully commit everything I need to meet the goal?

Time Bound

You need to make sure your goal has a start and finish date or time. If you do not have a time constraint on your goal, there will be no sense of motivation or drive. Think about:

Does my goal have a deadline?

When do I need to meet my goal?

How long do I have to be able to complete this goal?

Here’s an example of a SMART goal:

“On the 1st of May, I will to sign up for a Zwift membership and will work out 4 times per week for one hour and I will aim to lose 1kg per week for 4 weeks so that I will be 4kg lighter by the 1st of June.”

Using the SMART method will help push you further, gives you a clear direction, and helps you organise and reach your goals.

Get in contact for a free consultation

Use our ‘Contact Us’ page to get in contact and we can offer a free consultation for you to see if a coach would be a wise investment for you.