All too often we’ll set some inspiring new year’s resolutions, only to fall short on our goals before we make the end of January. Lots of men will set themselves the goal of improving their fitness and body, but very few will actually achieve this during 2018. This year, let’s stay the course and achieve something you can truly be proud of. Here are some handy tips to stick to your fitness plan like glue in 2018.

 

Come Up With A Fitness Plan

First things first, you need a plan. Building your fitness plan should be an exciting part of the process as you can decide exactly what you’re going to be working on over the next few months. You should focus your plan to your individual goals. Someone who wants to be the next Arnold is obviously going to need a different plan compared to someone who wants to run a marathon.

Decide which days you’re going to workout on and which workouts/cardio/training you’re going to do on each day of the week. It will be useful to do some research to make sure you design a plan that will deliver the end-result you’re after. Here are some good places to start:

 

Set Goals

The best way to stay on track is with clearly defined goals. Not just ‘get more muscle’ or ‘lose weight’ – this stuff needs to be actionable. I find the best way is to set monthly goals that slowly bring you closer to where you want to be. This also helps keep your energy levels up on those days when you just can’t face hitting the gym.

Use the Smart Goal method (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely). A good example of a Smart Goal would be ‘I want to be able to run 5 miles in 45 minutes by the end of this month’. This will enable you to set achievable goals that have a deadline – a great way to stay motivated.

 

Track Your Progress

If you don’t take note of your progress, you’re sure to grow tired of your fitness plan and start missing your workouts. Don’t let this happen! Track your progress every week or month to monitor results, see if anything needs changing and keep your motivation high over long periods of time.

A good way to do this is by measuring yourself at the end of every month. Weight isn’t a good metric to measure progress, so I tend to avoid it. That being said, if your goal is to lose a stone – go for it! A runner may take a different approach and record his running times over the course of a month and compare personal bests. You can go as detailed as you’d like with this.

When it comes to measuring your body, you want to focus on the below:

  • Weight (optional)
  • Forearm
  • Biceps
  • Neck
  • Shoulders
  • Chest
  • Waist
  • Hips
  • Thighs
  • Calves

This video from ScottHermanFitness will help make sure you’re measuring everything accurately

 

Visualise Everyday

Some of the top athletes in the world praise visualisation as being one of the keys to their success. Wayne Rooney and Arnold Schwarzenegger are two people who believe in the power of visualisation. You don’t have to be a professional bodybuilder or football player though! Envisioning yourself at the finish line of your fitness journey can be a great way to keep you on track for success and help you push that little bit harder when you’re at the gym.

 

Adapt And Overcome

You’re not just going to create a plan, execute it everyday and achieve your dream body no questions asked. Life just isn’t that simple! You’re going to make mistakes, have off-days, miss the gym and experience other setbacks. No one is perfect. It’s likely that your original fitness plan won’t be 100% perfect and will need reworking down the line. All these things are objects that you’re going to need to overcome.

Being adaptable is very important in fitness. Constantly re-working your workouts, technique, diet and other factors is something you’ll have to get used to if you want real success. If you deal with these roadblocks and stay the course, it will definitely be worth it!

 

Reward Yourself

Don’t forget to reward all your hard work! You need something that’s going to give you a sense of achievement for all the hours you’ve put into bettering your body. A weekly cheat meal on Sunday if you stay on track with your diet is one I hear people talk about often. Plan a reward that will keep you motivated, only you know what that might be. This is another small factor that will help keep you on track with your fitness plan this year.

 

So, those are a few tried & tested ways that can help you achieve your fitness goals this year. There’s no hiding the fact that you’ll need to work hard and put in a lot of effort, but achieving your goals makes everything worth it in the long run. Do you have any other fitness tips to share? Let me know in the comments below!