by Andy Chasse

Created on: June 03, 2009

When I was younger, I used to simply hit the gym and move the weights. I went in there day after day doing the same movements using nearly the same numbers. I used no set progression. I had no goals. I wanted to get better, but in truth, I was doing nothing to help myself get better. Let's just call my younger self clueless. One of the most important things you can do to guarantee improvement is goal setting. With a proper set of goals and a little bit of motivation and drive, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

So I'm just going to put this out in the open right now: I am the type of person that believes anything is possible. If I say I want to do something, and I am serious about it, I will not stop until it has been done. So I might be just a *little* biased here. Nevertheless, this little lecture on goals still holds true. Goals may be just one of the tools that are used in the process, but they are one of the most important. They should be set for every little aspect of fitness.

I consider there to be a few different types of goals. I'm sick of the ordinary names we use to describe the different levels of things, so I'm gonna mix it up a bit. That being said, there are baby goals, mid goals, and milestone goals. Baby goals consist of the little things. These include not missing a workout for an entire week, making a 5lb improvement from one week to the next, etc. They may seem miniscule and unimportant, but you know what they say: It's the little things that count the most. That statement is usually something that guys hear quite often in relationshipsbut let's just not go there. Next are mid goals. These are as the name implies: in the middle. They are not quite baby goals, but not quite milestone goals. Included in this category are things such as losing 10lbs in 10 weeks and progressing from a 350lb squat to a 375lb squat in say 3 months. The final type of goal is the milestone. This is the big kahuna. Milestone goals make up the progress of both the baby goals and mid goals. Achieving a milestone goal proves your dedication to and motivation for what you do. These include hitting the common strength standard of 300 bench, 400 squat, 500 deadlift or achieving a six pack. Milestone goals are something that you should be extremely proud of. They should not come quickly. It should be a constant struggle to achieve milestones.

Okay. Now that all of that explaining is out of the way, there are a few general guidelines to follow when it

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