CYCLING FITNESS WITH ADAM COPLEY: GOAL SETTING
Hello and welcome to the ADAM COPLEY: PERSONAL TRAINING blog. Over the coming weeks I will be introducing you to the world of cycling specific fitness. Highlighting the importance of training on and off the bike. As well as covering mindset, nutrition and all things cycling.
As a keen cyclist and mountain biker. It is my passion to see cycling become as inclusive as possible. welcoming people into the world I love and also doing my bit to help these people be the best version of themselves.
Whether you ride for fun, fitness or to compete, I hope this blog will provide you with some interesting reading. Let’s get into it:
This week I want to talk about a particular favourite of mine: goal setting. Cycling is a sport of goals, whether you want to achieve a PB on a climb, achieve a higher average pace or cycle to lose weight. There is always a goal involved. And I find that goal setting is often something a lot of people fall over on. So, here is my quick guide to using goal setting to improve your cycling. Let’s get started:
Goal setting, the basics:
Goal setting is essentially thinking of something you would like to achieve. This could either be one thing, or a number of things. Basically, you are writing down what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it.
I would say there are three key things to think about when it comes to setting a goal, and this is where a lot of people struggle:
1: Be realistic. Base your goals around what you want to achieve, but also be realistic about time scale, the things you want to have in or out of your life, how much time you have to dedicate to your goals is also key here. Don’t set a goal to race in the tour de France if you only have the time to train for two hours a week.
2: Be emotional. A lot of people fail because they set generic goals. “I want to be faster on my bike”, don’t we all? “I want to look better”, so do I. The most important thing you can do with your goals, is develop a strong emotional connection to them. This creates power, it makes them much more important to you. And thus, increases the likelihood of their success. For example:
“I want to get faster on my bike so I don’t feel like I am holding up my friends” or “I want to lose weight, so I can have more energy to play with my kids in the park” These goals have much more impact and meaning to them.
A goal should give you butterflies, and excite you when you talk/think about it.
3: Visualise. Sticking with the theme of emotion here, visualise the end goal and how it makes you feel. Close your eyes, dig deep and think about that goal. For example: I am currently converting my van into a camper van. This takes time and money and is a driving force behind me doing the work I do, I close my eyes and imagine the next step in this journey and am met with butterflies in my stomach and an incredible feeling of excitement. It is this that provides me with the driving force to develop my business so I can complete the tasks needed to generate the income I need to do this. Write your goals down, keep pictures close by, meditate. Do whatever you need to do to make sure they stay with you and stay exciting.
Why is goal setting important?
Goal setting is important because it GENUINLEY is the difference between stagnation and progression. Anyone who works with me, and talks to me will quickly learn that I have no time for standing still. Maintenance is something that I look at and think NO. Because I feel like it eventually leads to regression.
Constantly setting goals keeps you moving forwards and progressing. Progression gives you a sense of ACHIEVEMENT, this gives you more MOTIVATION, this will cause you to push yourself to THE NEXT LEVEL. All of these positive, powerful emotions come from having a goal, achieving it and then picking the next one. And trust me. It is so powerful when it comes to improving your cycling performance, and your enjoyment.
A goal setting template:
So, now we know why it is so important, how do we go about goal setting? Below I have created a template for you so you can create a goal, stick to the goal and constantly develop:
I want you to write down three goals, one long term (6 months) goal, one medium term goal (3 months) and one short term goal (1 month). I then want you to create some actionable steps that you must take to achieve this goal. Remember what I have spoken about above. There is no right and wrong answer when planning a goal. You are no more or less dedicated for having a less extreme goal than someone else, or for not having as much time. So make this about you!
*Copy and past my template and create your own*
LONG TERM GOAL:
ACTIONABLE STEPS TO ACHIEVE THIS:
MEDIUM TERM GOAL:
ACTIONABLE STEPS TO ACHIEVE THIS:
SHORT TERM GOAL:
ACTIONABLE STEPS TO ACHIEVE THIS (WEEK BY WEEK ACTIONS):
Remember. If you struggle with this you can always drop me an email on accopley11@gmaill.com or head over to my Instagram @acopleypt and message me. Why don’t you fill in these goals, tag both myself and @fatladattheback in your posts about your goals.
I look forward to seeing your progress.
Adam.