Process v. Outcome-based Goals; Which Do You Chose?
You’ve heard trainers everywhere talk about goals…
a lot.
There is no shortage of trainers telling you how to set goals, what makes a “good” goal, how to approach goals… it’s a pillar in what we do when we work with clients!
SMART goals. Physique goals. Performance goals. Bodyweight goals. Strength goals.
There are many ways you can set goals for yourself. And there’s one thing all of those types of goals above have in common; they’re outcome-based goals.
Whether you want to increase your bench press by 50# or lose 3” from your waistline, these goals are centered around the end result… aka the outcome.
There’s really nothing “wrong” with outcome-based goals.
When it comes to fitness, our approaches, processes & goals will vary from person to person. Not everyone wants or is interested in the same things in life & health/fitness is no different!
With all of that being said, in my time as a trainer I have noticed a trend.
Individuals who create outcome-based goals can get tunnel-vision & hyper-fixate on where they want to be instead of where they are & what' they're doing right now.
Instead of getting excited that their weight is trending in the direction they want, they see how “slowly” they’re moving towards their goal. Instead of feeling content that they’re recovering better from hard runs, they feel discouraged that they haven’t shaved any seconds off of their mile time.
No matter what kind of goal someone pursues, one thing is true: it’s going to take TIME.
Likely a lot more time than you want it to or hope it will.
So what tends to happen is we get frustrated by “lack of progress” (even though change is happening, just not as clearly as we thought it would) and throw in the towel or get distracted. We stop caring so much, feel unmotivated & end up straying from the path we had laid out.
Alas, our outcome-based goal ends up going to the wayside for months until we decide that before just wasn’t the “right time” & now is… so we dive back in.
But what if we took that goal & adjusted our perspective slightly?
Instead of focusing on the outcome, we consider what needs to be done to achieve that goal & focus on those things instead.
This is called a process-based goal.
And in my experience as a coach, works wonders to help us get out of our heads & start putting in the work that matters & gets us closer to where we want to be.
Process-based goals focuses on what you can do right now, today, this week to move the dial one tick closer to your ultimate end-goal.
What might that look like?
If you want to lose inches or change your body composition in some way, we know nutrition needs to be a priority.
Instead of focusing on “lose 3” off my waistline” maybe you decide your goal is to eat a veggie & lean protein source with every meal.
Or maybe it’s to check the grocery store ad & write a meal plan for your week that aligns with eating nutrient-dense meals.
This process-based goal is something you will repeat daily or weekly & is a small task/action that aligns with your overall goal.
Other examples:
Instead of focusing on running a half marathon this fall (outcome), you decide to focus on running at least 3 times each week (process) up until race week.
Or instead of focusing on hitting a new deadlift PR, maybe you decide to focus on lifting 4x each week & prioritizing hinge/lower body days in your program.
Personally, when I feel like I’ve hit a wall with my training (regardless of what my “end goal” is) I switch up how I’m approaching my goals. This past March I switched from focusing on an outcome to focusing on my process & it worked wonders for my enjoyment, “mOtIvATioN” and adherence to my plan (which is no surprise seeing as I witness this same thing with my 1:1 clients all the time!).
If you’ve been feeling a little lost or lacking excitement towards your training, why not try a new approach with a process-based goal?
If you’re interested in creating a process-based goal but aren’t sure what they should look like for you, drop a comment & tell me what outcome you’ve been working towards. Then we can chat about options & help you sort out what process to focus on right now to help you keep moving forward.
Hey, I’m Kirsi!
Certified Personal Trainer & online fitness coach
I help women explore their strength & challenge themselves with simple programming & comprehensive coaching.
Interested in 1:1 coaching? Fill out your application here.
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