Learn how to break down your big goal into actionable steps to build your dream body
Do you have a big goal but don’t know how to tackle it?
Or
Do you want to make a big positive change in your health and build your dream body but don’t know where to start?
Then please,
Allow me to teach you, with the CK Goal Sheet, how to take a big goal, such as build 10lbs of muscle, and break it down into small, actionable steps, with little wins, that add up to a big victory.
Where do I start?
Trying to accomplish a big goal can seem so far out of reach and it can be difficult to know where to even start.
You know where you want the end result to be but what are the steps it takes to get there?
What should I focus on first?
How do I measure progress?
I’m sure these thoughts and many others have gone through your head, I know they have for me.
I tend to get overwhelmed and held captive in trying to figure out the small details and how to break down a complex issue.
Often times I try to do too much at once and it just ends up getting me beat down without making much progress.
Can you relate?
You need a simple way to break down your big goal
How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
And it is the same when trying to accomplish a goal that seems impossible and so distant right now.
One of the biggest lessons I instill into my clients is to focus on one thing at a time.
That is HUUUUUUUGE!
You need to get used to conquering small wins that add up to you hitting your ultimate big goal.
It’s complicated and intimidating to try to cut out all fast food, junk food, and alcohol.
So why not start smaller with limiting your fast food trips to twice per week for now or allowing for your favorite dessert only once this week.
Or to break it down even simpler just start with eating ice cream 3 days this week instead of 7.
You don’t have to cut it out completely just limit it a little bit. And this way you will go from, “Well I can’t do that” to “Oh, well I can do THAT.”
I have a diagram below that I think will really help you.
Develop a clear plan
It’s not enough to just say you’re going to do something. You need to specify clearly the actions you are going to take.
So if you say you are going to cut your ice cream intake down from 7 to 3 times next week don’t just say that in your head and expect yourself to stay strong; set yourself up for success by having a plan of action.
Write it down.
Get somebody to hold you accountable with clear expectations.
For example:
”I am only eating ice cream 3 times this week from Monday until next Monday, I can have as much ice cream as I want during those 3 times but other than that I will be eating fruit for dessert. And if I fail, I have to run 5 miles and I hate running.”
Do a kitchen clean up and make sure you only have foods that fit into your current plan. And if that’s ice cream, make sure you don’t have more than what fits in your plan.
If you are completely giving something up then take it out of the house! Get your family or roommate(s) on board with you.
Plan ahead. Plan ahead. Plan ahead.
Keep it simple. Plan each dinner the night before or plan them all on Saturday or Sunday before the following week starts.
You CANNOT go in blind or think you will figure it out as you go.
You’ve heard this a million times before but it is very true:
If you fail to plan then you are planning to fail. It’s very straight forward.
Develop consistency & discipline
The best plan for you is the one that you can follow consistently.
It’s probably not realistic for you to workout 5 days a week, sleep 8-9 hours every night, eat protein and veggies with every meal, and get a massage twice a month while you have 100+ other things piling up on your to-do list. Don’t forget about the dryer that has gone off 10 times now!
You’re busy.
But you need to develop a realistic plan and discipline that can be followed consistently.
So maybe the above example isn’t realistic for you right now so why not break it down this way:
Week 1: Establish an appropriate sleep and wake routine and get 8 hours of sleep.
Week 2: Shoot for 8+ hours if 8 was not enough. Continue with routine.
Week 3: Eat vegetables once per day.
Week 4: Eat vegetables twice per day and add in protein at least twice per day.
And you build from there.
***The point is to set a plan with easy wins that you can consistently hit over and over again and build upon them from there.
I’m going to stress this again- You need to establish a plan that is realistic for you to reach consistently and have the discipline to say no to things that are not in your plan right now.
Don’t make it any more complicated than that.
The CK Goal Sheet
Below I have two filled-in examples of the goal sheet and system I use with my clients to break down complex goals into small, easily digestible, actionable, weekly challenges.
Goal- Build muscle example:
What we are doing here is taking our big goal and breaking it down into 3 smaller chunks (goal breakdown) and then into 3 actions steps from there and finally into 3 weekly challenges for each action step.
In this example the client wants to build 10lbs of muscle using the MMBBS program.
The next step is to break the goal down.
As indicated in the example, we want to focus on building 3lbs of muscle first, then onto 6lbs and 9lb+.
From the goal breakdown section of build 3lbs of muscle, we need to establish action steps.
What are three action steps we can take in order to get there?
The first one from this example is to consume more protein.
From there we have what I like to call weekly challenges.
These weekly challenges are mini-goals my client and I set together in order to move them closer to their big goal.
We set these at the beginning of the week and they work on them throughout the week.
These challenges mostly have to do with things outside of the gym because we cover the workout goals together.
They are most often dealing with nutrition and additional forms of exercise outside of our meeting times at the gym.
But for the sake of this example, you can write your weekly challenges however you would like and I have a blank copy for you to print out and write on for your own goals!
Anyway,
Ok looking back on the consume more protein example you can see (you may have to zoom in or print it out) that the 3 weekly challenges for this action step are:
Consume .8g of protein per pound of bodyweight 5x/wk
Fill up 1/2 of your plate with protein for each meal
Consume a protein shake after each workout
So now we have gone from, “I want to build 10lbs of muscle” to starting with focusing on building the first 3lbs, to consume more protein, to tangible weekly challenges to be hit throughout the week.
Build 10lbs is too broad and ambiguous, these steps should help you clarify exactly what needs to be done to reach these goals.
Does this goal sheet make sense?
If not, contact me here.
Oh, and in case you are wondering what, “Amish Hour” is let me explain…
One hour before bed all electronics go off, the phone goes away, and all work is done for the night. This allows your mind to relax and get away from the harmful blue light that electronics emit and allows your body for a natural release of melatonin.
I learned this concept from Craig Ballantyne.
More on sleep hygiene in an upcoming blog.
I also mentioned protein and carb powders, here are some kinds that I like and work well for me:
For a full list of supplement and healthy product suggestions click here- https://ck.fitness/health-product-links
Here is the CK Goal Sheet example for somebody who wants to lose weight:
In this example I mention a core workout to do at home. Here is an example of one you can use in about 15 minutes without any equipment: Home core workout video.
Conclusion
Trying to reach a big goal can seem outrageous and hard to come by.
But when we can break your goal down into small actionable steps and set weekly challenges, it becomes much more maintainable.
You must:
Develop a CLEAR plan
Develop consistency & discipline
And make your goals small enough to hit over and over again
Then, your big goal can become a bunch of little goals and all you need to focus on is hitting them one at a time.
Hope you found this helpful and here is your blank copy of the goal sheet below:
And if you are unsure of where to start then start by filling out your big goal first, then your 3 goal breakdowns, then only focus on 3 action steps and the 9 weekly challenges that follow. Then week by week slowly start implementing 1 or 2 of those weekly challenges at a time.
Then once you have mastered those and made them habits, work back on your second goal breakdown and fill out the action steps and weekly challenges from there.
So to start, it should look like this:
If you would like some help with accountability and support for hitting your goals, then consider enrolling in one of my programs. You can check them out on my website and hit the contact button at the bottom of the page.
Check out the CK programs here: CK programs