Many people assume the importance of goal setting in bodybuilding. Goals are important not only in bodybuilding, but also in other aspects, such as business, career, family, and others. If you don’t set goals, you will just become a bum. You don’t succeed in bodybuilding by chance, you have to set well-defined goals for yourself.
Your goals need to be SMART for them to work. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. We will look at all these specifications one at a time.
1. Specific
You need to set specific goals for yourself when it comes to transforming your body. Many people are in the habit of setting goals that are not specific, such as “I want to get fit”, such a goal is very vague. In order for you to transform your body, you need to set goals that are specific, such as, I want to lose my tummy fat and build ripped abs, I want to grow my biceps twelve inches, I want to increase my chest muscles, I want to build my hamstrings, I want to build the muscles of my shoulders, etc. When you set this type of goal, it becomes specific and therefore you can focus on what you want.
2. Measurable
Once you’ve identified your specific goal, the next step is to measure it. Your goal must have the ability to be measured. It’s not just a matter of saying I want to increase my biceps, you have to go a step further and say I want to increase my biceps by 18 inches. When you do this, you have established a standard of measurement and, therefore, every time you find yourself in front of a mirror, you will be verifying whether or not you are progressing towards the realization of your goal. Every time you stand in front of that mirror, your main challenge will be to exceed the standard of measurement that you have set for yourself.
3. Achievable
You need to make sure that the goal you have set for yourself is achievable. If you want to transform your body, let’s say increase your arms by 23 inches, add 25 pounds of lean muscle, and lose about 40 pounds of body fat in three months. All of these goals are specific and measurable, but unless you’re using steroids, all of these goals are unrealistic if you’re using the natural method, unless you’re blessed with superhuman genes.
4. Realistic
The goal of increasing the size of your arms by 23 inches, adding 25 pounds of lean muscle, and losing about 40 pounds of body fat in three months is unrealistic. The reason is because the body takes time to transform itself and look the way you want it to look. For your body to transform and start to see progress you need to give it at least six months.
5. Timely
Your goal should have a time limit. If, for example, you want to increase your biceps by 12 inches, you should set a time limit of, say, six months so that you can determine if you are working towards your goal.