How To Set Realistic, Achievable Bodybuilding Goals
When the phrase goal setting comes up in almost any walk of life, most folks glaze over.
But goal setting is especially vital in bodybuilding and weight training. And understanding how to set goals properly is even more vital.
Heres why;
If you dont set any goals then youre not holding yourself accountable - so setting goals does add some pressure, but it will help you to keep disciplined and stay on track.
Having said that, if your goals are badly thought out or just plain unrealistic, youll lose focus, get depressed and maybe even give up when you dont come anywhere near to achieving them.
So the first rule is to set goals that are realistic.
Heres a couple of ways of doing this;
First - if you want to gain muscle and build up your body - to do this you will almost certainly need to gain bodyweight.
So a sensible and achievable goal could be to gain say 1 pound of bodyweight each week. Imagine youre on a 10 week training cycle. This means your goal is to gain 10lbs of bodyweight in that cycle of 10 weeks.
Heres how you might do this;
Each week when you do your weight training, youll be adding weight to the bar, so youre lifting heavier each week. Only add the weight in small, manageable amounts, so your body can adapt to the extra stress.
At the same time, add some food to your diet. First, work out your maintenance calorie intake - the amount of calories you take in where your weight stays the same. Use a calorie counter and do this for two weeks to get an accurate idea.
Now add 200 calories a day to that figure. Test after 2 weeks - if youve not gained, add another 200 calories. If you add too much food too fast youre body wont adjust to it.
You should eventually get to the stage where you start gaining weight - one pound of extra bodyweight a week is a realistic, achievable goal.
Second - you could aim to increase your personal best lifts by a certain amount in a set period of time - for example, say you want to add 10b to your best dead lift or squat in 12 weeks.
Start out 10lb below your last personal best weight. Week two, add five pounds to that. Week three add five pounds again, so youre at your old personal best level. Week four, add two pounds to that. From now on, try to add just one pound a week.
After 12 weeks youve added 10 lbs to one of your major lifts - this should add muscle to your body if youve kept your form tight and lifted correctly.
Adding 10 lbs to a major lift is a realistic and achievable goal. If you do this regularly throughout the year, you can totally transform your body.
Set sensible goals to build muscle, and you could build the body youve always wanted much quicker than you thought possible, without having to spend your hard earned cash on pointless, expensive bodybuilding supplements!
Good luck.
But goal setting is especially vital in bodybuilding and weight training. And understanding how to set goals properly is even more vital.
Heres why;
If you dont set any goals then youre not holding yourself accountable - so setting goals does add some pressure, but it will help you to keep disciplined and stay on track.
Having said that, if your goals are badly thought out or just plain unrealistic, youll lose focus, get depressed and maybe even give up when you dont come anywhere near to achieving them.
So the first rule is to set goals that are realistic.
Heres a couple of ways of doing this;
First - if you want to gain muscle and build up your body - to do this you will almost certainly need to gain bodyweight.
So a sensible and achievable goal could be to gain say 1 pound of bodyweight each week. Imagine youre on a 10 week training cycle. This means your goal is to gain 10lbs of bodyweight in that cycle of 10 weeks.
Heres how you might do this;
Each week when you do your weight training, youll be adding weight to the bar, so youre lifting heavier each week. Only add the weight in small, manageable amounts, so your body can adapt to the extra stress.
At the same time, add some food to your diet. First, work out your maintenance calorie intake - the amount of calories you take in where your weight stays the same. Use a calorie counter and do this for two weeks to get an accurate idea.
Now add 200 calories a day to that figure. Test after 2 weeks - if youve not gained, add another 200 calories. If you add too much food too fast youre body wont adjust to it.
You should eventually get to the stage where you start gaining weight - one pound of extra bodyweight a week is a realistic, achievable goal.
Second - you could aim to increase your personal best lifts by a certain amount in a set period of time - for example, say you want to add 10b to your best dead lift or squat in 12 weeks.
Start out 10lb below your last personal best weight. Week two, add five pounds to that. Week three add five pounds again, so youre at your old personal best level. Week four, add two pounds to that. From now on, try to add just one pound a week.
After 12 weeks youve added 10 lbs to one of your major lifts - this should add muscle to your body if youve kept your form tight and lifted correctly.
Adding 10 lbs to a major lift is a realistic and achievable goal. If you do this regularly throughout the year, you can totally transform your body.
Set sensible goals to build muscle, and you could build the body youve always wanted much quicker than you thought possible, without having to spend your hard earned cash on pointless, expensive bodybuilding supplements!
Good luck.
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