Every spring clients tell me they want to be ‘in shape’ by summer. Then, life happens and by the time summer rolls around they have given up and say they’re too busy and will try again next summer. What if we changed this narrative? What if you trained consistently year round rather than for short-term goals? Strength training doesn’t only improve your physique! Strength training improves your confidence, mental health, decreases chance of injury and can improve health factors such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. In order to stay consistent, I recommend setting a goal to stay accountable and motivated!
Training for Longevity versus Events
At Titanium Performance, we train every age and skill level. People typically have two types of goals: health/longevity or an athletic event.
Strength training can improve quality and quantity of life so choosing a goal that supports one or both of these can be motivating and help with accountability! For example, choose a goal like “I will strength train once per week so my back doesn’t hurt while I garden.” This goal focuses on how you feel when you do something you enjoy to stay motivated while strength training.
Strength training for an athletic event is also important to prevent injuries and improve performance. We do NOT recommend training to LOOK a certain way for an event. These two types of goals should not be confused. Athletes (anyone from weekend warrior up to elite athletes) should focus their energy on training and nutrition to maximize performance not looks. For example, choose a goal like “I will strength train once per week so my legs are strong and I don’t get hurt when I go on my 60 mile backpacking trip.” In this example, the goal is about finishing a task that would be difficult without proper preparation.
You can see how both these goals focus on feeling and performance, not looks! When we attach training to looks, we can set unrealistic goals in our minds. Measurable goals like assessing how we feel or performance don’t take away from our personal value. Even if we try to perform a certain way or don’t feel as good as we wanted to right away, we can continue to work towards feeling better.
If you’re interested in learning more about goal setting or strength training for health and performance, try a FREE introductory session!
Written By: Morgan Maule
