Monday Workout: Short

We’ve got a lot going on in a short circuit today.  Choose the step up to reverse lunge for more challenge.  Four rounds.

 

1 min cardio
step ups or step up to reverse lunge	30
pushups	10
flies	20
squat raise	30
renegade row	20
V sit press	10

Goal Month: Try 4

Rubrics we can try:

 

1.     Do x minutes of cardio x times per week.

2.     Complete x weight workouts per week.

3.     Eat x different vegetables this week.

4.     Drink x glasses of water today. 

Goal Month: Process & Outcome

Another way to think about goals is to consider process goals and outcome goals.

Process goals are the kind where we commit to an activity.  For example, when I say I am going to do two weight workouts a week, that is a process goal.  Outcome goals are about what results we want, like wanting to bench press fifty zilliabillion pounds (imaginary units again, because some of us get too attached to the numbers and ignore the words).

 

Obviously, the two are connected.  If I do two weight workouts consistently every week, I’m going to get closer to bench pressing fifty zilliabillion pounds.  And if I want to hit that bench press goal, I’m going to have to do weight workouts.  The difference is in the focus.

 

Much like Deion Sanders in that old ad, we want both.  The outcome goal gives us the distance perspective and the process goal gives us the to-do list for today.

Goal Month: Rubrics

Yet another way to approach goals is by using rubrics.  When we use rubrics, we decide in advance what an acceptable level of performance is and then we check our behavior against that.  This is a useful way to keep ourselves honest when we have maintenance-type goals.

So, for example, if we are feeling pretty satisfied with our general fitness, we might use a rubric to keep ourselves that way.  We might target something like five cardio sessions of at least 30 minutes per week, two weight-training sessions, and some balance/flexibility work.  At the end of the week, we can compare what we actually did with what we thought would be good.  If we hit most of our rubric most of the time, we’re doing just fine.

 

Note:  nobody is perfect.  When we acknowledge this going in to our goals, we are automatically extending ourselves grace as members of the human community.  This doesn’t mean we always let ourselves off the hook, but we don’t beat ourselves up for occasional lapses.  Love works better than guilt.  I promise.

Monday Workout: Compound and Balance

We’re working compound exercises and balance this week.  Three rounds.

 

push press	30
curls	20
bench dips	10
woodchoppers	30
skullcrushers	20
truck driver	10
1 leg deadlift row	30
db thrust	20
Russian twist	10

 

Goal Month: Try 5

Some dumb goals to try:

 

1.     Add a minute to whatever workout you’re doing today.

2.     Leave two bites on your plate.

3.     Add one more rep to your weight workout.

4.     Meditate for one minute.

5.     Drink one more glass of water.

Goal Month: Dumb Goals

I did my due diligence yesterday and discussed SMART goals.  They work great for some people, but here’s the truth:  I don’t love them.

For one thing, when it comes to fitness goals, those of us who are not personal trainers don’t have any idea what a reasonable or achievable goal might look like.  How long does it take to show cardio improvement?  Strength improvement?  How fast can I change my body fat percentage?  My weight?

 

For another thing, SMART goals are often about ultimate outcome.  Unless we construct them carefully, we think we have “failed” if we don’t hit the exact target we aimed for.  If, say, the goal was to lift one agabaga (a unit I just made up) and we only manage to life half an agabaga, we might think we failed rather than notice that before we started we couldn’t even say agabaga much less lift a tenth of one.  We made progress.  We have stuff to celebrate.

 

Even if we hit our SMART target, then what?  SMART goals are by nature finite.  Life is long and maybe we need healthy habits for the whole length of it rather than ticking a box for a month.

 

All that said, SMART goals work really well for some people.  If you like them, use them!

 

But let me suggest that there is another tool we can use.  Let me introduce you to the dumb goal.

 

A dumb goal is something that is more than we are doing now, but still really easy to achieve.  So someone just breaking up with the couch might choose a five minute walk every day for a week.  Five minutes!  We spend more time getting dressed than that.  We can do that.  And that’s the point.  After a week or so, we have the beginnings of a habit and we can build on that.  After a month, we’re maybe walking a half hour a day and thinking that maybe we could add a pushup or two to the routine.

 

The upside of dumb goals is that we’re never overtaxing ourselves.  The downside is that we have to keep paying attention and adding a little bit more.  Dumb goals are about building habits and about sustainability.  They’re for life, not just to look good at that reunion that’s coming up.

 

Try it.