“I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.”

Michael Phelps

If you don’t have a destination, you won’t ever get there – me

Goals are a vital part of training for athletes. Without SMART goals, training is just a series of workouts and, most likely, will not lead to any improvements. Goals provide a framework for all workouts, accountability, direction, and motivation. Setting goals is one of the first steps I take with athletes when they first sign up for coaching and is a regular part of ongoing coaching as well.

What is a SMART goal?

Let’s ask Google for a definition (I modified a search using BARD) –

• Specific – Your goal should be specific enough that you know exactly what you need to do to achieve it. For example, instead of saying “I want to get in shape,” you could say “I want to lose 10 pounds by the end of the month.”
• Measurable – Your goal should be measurable so that you can track your progress and see how close you are to achieving it. For example, instead of saying “I want to get faster,” you could say “I want to finish the HHH100 in less than 5 hours.” (BTW – this is an actual goal of one of the athletes I coach)
• Achievable – Your goal should be achievable, but still challenging. If your goal is too easy, you won’t be motivated to achieve it. If your goal is too difficult, you may become discouraged and give up. If it is a stretch you will have a sense of accomplishment upon reaching it.
• Relevant – Your goal should be relevant to your overall goals and objectives. If your goal is not relevant, you are less likely to be motivated to achieve it.
• Time-bound – Your goal should have a specific deadline. This will help you stay on track and motivated.

Goals are the skeleton of training and the workouts are the muscles that attach to that skeleton

When you go to the meat department in the grocery store, you see a lot of muscle piled up in neat stacks. It is formless and doesn’t really look like the form from which it came. In other words, that rib-eye steak doesn’t look anything like the cow from which it was cut. If, however, the muscles were all attached to a skeleton, it would be much more recognizable. Think of workouts like the packages of meat and the skeleton is your goal. We’ll look at the different cuts of meat in another post.

Goals provide the general form to guide workouts. If an athlete’s goal is to win a particular race, training will all be geared to the requirements of the race and the athlete’s strengths and weaknesses. Even if two athletes want to win the same race, the path to that win will look different based on the athlete. One may win by crushing the climbs while another will hang on to the pack for most of the race and then sprint to the finish line in the last 200 meters. This is where knowledge of the course, the rider’s phenotype, and response to training are vital.

“Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result”

Bob Proctor

It is essential to make your goal time-bound (the T in SMART). It is one thing to say, I want to lose ten pound and something entirely different to say I will lose ten pounds by August 31, 2023 (this is a real goal of mine). The “by when” provides accountability. I can break this down into even smaller goals such as “I will weigh 175 pounds by June 31, 2023”; “I will weigh 172 pounds by July 31, 2023.” etc. The accountability that comes with the time element is what keeps athletes honest and accountable. It prevents procrastination.

Much more can and will be discussed about SMART goals and their impact on training. For now, think on the goals you have (or come up with some if you don’t have any goals).