My big-picture goals for clients
With the start of the new year, many people have ideas for goals and resolutions. Sometimes these get a bad rap, but I think anything that gets people motivated to work toward something positive is a win. But this post isn’t really about resolutions.
It’s more about my goals for clients when I write their programs, and the overarching direction of where I’d like their training to take them. If you’re not a coach, I hope you can use this to think about your own training and where you’re going.
The Big Picture
Coaches often use KPIs (key performance indicators) to measure progress. When working with athletes, these indicators are largely focused on performance. Is the athlete getting faster, stronger, more explosive, etc.? While some of these may be relevant to you, there are a few more important metrics I like to consider first. For athletes, improved performance in sport is the primary goal. For non-athletes, or “everyday athletes,” improved performance in life takes precedence. When writing programs, I use three overarching questions to guide the training journey. For the purpose of this post, I’m going to refer to my clients as “you” from now on.
Are you living pain-free?
Normal aches and pains are not uncommon when you train (or don’t train). But when this begins to interfere with everyday functioning, we need to take a closer look at the whole picture (both training and the rest of life). Ideally, pain does not interrupt your daily life. If that pinching in your hip gets in the way more often than not, maybe it’s time to get it checked out.
Are you feeling the way you’d like to feel?
This feeling will vary depending on the individual. Maybe you want to feel: strong, graceful, explosive, nimble, balanced, athletic, smooth, or simply comfortable and confident in your body. We all strive to feel a certain way through training. The type of training and specific movements you do will have an impact on this.
Are you able to live the life you want outside of the gym?
One of the best rewards of training is its ability to add to your life. My clients have mentioned being able to hike in beautiful places, take a dance class, start playing pickleball, or play comfortably with their kids on the floor.
In other words, are you able to do what you want to do?
Did you respond to these questions with three yeses?
If not, what do you think is missing? What is getting in the way? What do you wish you had or felt more/less of?
If so, that’s great. Keep things as they are. You might be surprised by this. Perhaps you’re thinking, “If I feel good, shouldn’t I push things a bit more?” The short answer is, surprisingly, no. Longevity in all athletic endeavors is about the “minimal effective dose.” This means using as little stress as possible to achieve a desired outcome. In other words, we want to be efficient. If you can achieve your goals with what you’re currently doing, this is a great place to be. Your body will let you know when it’s time to add more because you’ll reach a plateau.
How do you know if you’re achieving the minimal effective dose?
You leave your workouts feeling like you could’ve done a bit more, yet still accomplished something in your session. Perhaps you feel a bit of a “pump” post-training, or like you have a little more spring to your step.
You’re not sore, or at most, you’re mildly sore. Most people assume if they’re not sore, they didn’t do enough. The truth is that mild to moderate soreness usually comes from new exercises, and moderate to severe soreness comes from doing too much. Little to no soreness is what we’re looking for, as this allows you to train consistently.
You’re able to go about the rest of your day without feeling fatigued. Our bodies are smart. When we start pushing harder in training, we adapt by spending the other 23 hours of the day sitting and resting more to make up for the effort we exerted. This actually decreases our total daily movement as the body tries to conserve energy.
You’re looking forward to training—or at least not dreading it. When we don’t get the challenge we want from training (either too much or too little), we start to come up with reasons why it’s not working. When this happens, it’s usually time for a change. Maybe you need more variety, a different style of training, a recovery week, or a new focus or goal.
If you’re nodding your head in agreement with most of these ideas, you’re on the right track. If not, take a look at what’s missing and how you can fill the gaps to get to where you’d like to go. Whether it’s reading a training book, hiring a coach, or seeing someone about that nagging shoulder pain, there is always a path forward.
If you’re a coach, what are your guiding thoughts and principles when writing programs?
If you’re a client, where do you want your training to take you?
Feel free to email me through the button below if you’d like to share your thoughts!