Goals

“Nobody goes to the gym for no reason” – Brad Martin

When you begin your journey in the gym, no matter what your starting point, it’s important to set quantifiable goals to work towards. body weight, body fat percentage, personal maxes are all good options.

I began going to the gym with the specific goal of weighing 200 pounds. I’ve been super skinny my entire life, and after retiring from high school sports, I felt even more so. My most physical activity during the summer after senior year was taking my dogs on walks around the neighborhood. Combining that with the appetite of an 18-year-old boy was a recipe for disaster. I put on fat and lost muscle for half a year, which resulted in me feeling tired, lazy, and overall feeling of poor health. At this point, I decided I wanted to make a change.

I decided to begin a reformation period. With easy access to sarceys and healthy(ish) food available to me at any time, my newbie gains were immediately noticeable. While my weight hadn’t made any substantial changes, I was replacing the fat I had built up, with muscle. While I was still happy with my progress, I wanted more.

When the new year came around, I made my new year’s resolution to weigh 200 lbs by the end of the year. With that goal set in motion, I began to put a plan together, which made my commitment and progress soar. This semester, I’ve already put on an amazing 30 pounds, and all of my maxes have increased by 50+ pounds. Goals and plans push you to rely on discipline as opposed to momentary motivation.

“A goal properly set is halfway reached”- zig ziglar