I’m clearly on a bit of a kick right now, because I keep having the same conversation over and over with people. Probably because I’m training for two very specific (and related) events — summiting Pike’s Peak this summer and Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) towards the end of the year. So, right now my training is very different from what it usually is — less kettlebells and S-Phase work, and more hiking, hills, and running stairs. I’m way more focused on my training and much more consistent at it now that I have something to work towards.
I’ve been having this same conversation with prospective and existing clients. I’m encouraging them to find a very real goal, and then we can align our training to that. I have two general approaches that I take with clients:
- Choose a physical goal that means something to you. Running five miles might be a fun goal, but if you struggle daily with lifting an aging parent, a better goal might be to get the strength and mobility to do that more easily.
- Find a professional athlete whose physique you admire and would like to have. Go to the bookstore and flip open a sports magazine or wander in to the fitness aisle. Once you have identified that, since you have a life outside of being a professional athlete, hire someone who can find out how the professionals in that sport train and pull the essentials out in to a plan that can be done in a few hours a week.
I’d love to hear what your goals are, whose physique you are attempting to emulate, and what you are doing to get there. Drop me a note or comment below!

Speaking of Goals, Jen, i’ve been thinking/experimenting a lot with myself and my students around
(a) choosing the RIGHT goal
(b) how to get rid of crap around goals to know they’re the right goal and
(c) how to make sure the steps being taken are optimal for said goal.
I wrote this piece about a month or so ago now, but the approach is really working.
http://begin2dig.blogspot.com/2009/04/sedona-method-getting-rid-of-crap.html
The effect on training has also been pretty profound in terms of improved but more effortless training.
good luck with your climbing,
and see you in July
best
mc