It could be that you have dreams of running a marathon. Maybe you want to compete in a strength sport like Powerlifting or Strongman. Or, maybe you’re just looking to lose 10 pounds…Maybe gain a bit of muscle.

Well, one thing is going to be constant no matter the goal. You will need some sort of plan. You need a strategy to take you from where you are now to where you’d like to be. Hey, being spontaneous and impulsive may be great for your love life, but it’s a shitty way to accomplish specific goals.

This begs the question, “So what’s the plan? How do I go about it the right way?”

Well, I’ll be as honest as possible. I don’t think it really matters that much. People have been successful taking countless different paths towards the great results. It’s simply foolish to go looking for the perfect approach towards anything. The trick is something else entirely.

A few posts back I made reference to the following Christopher Hitchens quote.

“…it is always how people think that counts for much more than what they think.”

Well, I happen to believe this is also the key to your exercise or training goals. If I may borrow Christopher’s tone, it’s not what you do that matters. It’s how you do it.

So, I’ve put together a little calibration figure – something that you can quickly review prior to a training session or a bout of exercise to remind yourself of what’s really important (and let me be clear, I need this reminder more than anyone!).

The Tool

Honesty – Be honest with yourself. Where are you now, and where can you realistically go over the coming weeks and months?

Focus – Out of all the things you could be doing, just focus on the one or two things that matter most. Work very hard on a few major exercises. Eat well. Rest hard.

Surf – Make sure to ride the wave. Some days you will feel great. Take advantage, but stop before fatigue sets in too deep. But there will be days where you will struggle. It’s inevitable. Just be patient and stay the course. You may only catch a small wave that day, but it’s worth the wait.

Ramp – Keep the big, long-term goal in mind, but take small steps to get there. Add pounds, miles, reps, and minutes to your training in small, manageable bits week to week. For more, click here.  I promise, it adds up very quickly. If you get too excited too soon, and take on too much, you risk burning out.

Tweak – Sooner or later you’re going to have trouble progressing. Now’s the time for a little change. Take a step back. Lower the amount of work just a bit, rest for a few weeks, then ramp back up. Also, now and only now should you add in some variation. Run sprints instead of only miles. Try a different exercise or two. This should be enough to get you going again.

Repeat! – After you’ve made some progress, and some changes, start again! Evaluate how far you’ve come. Refocus on the next leg of the journey.