Setting goals is important for any endeavor in life, and it’s certainly important for success in weight lifting. There are many different reasons a person might choose to start lifting weights, and each of those people is going to have a different goal and a different ideal way to get there.

For instance, if you’re looking to build a lot of muscle quickly you’re probably going to want to go about things in a different way than a senior citizen who’s just looking for more strength and improved balance or a new mom working off the baby weight.

So the first step in a successful weight lifting program is getting clear about what your goal is. Be as specific as possible. Do you want to see a little muscle definition or are you looking to compete in hardbody competitions? Would you like more muscle to help you lose a couple of dress sizes, or do you want to protect yourself against osteoporosis?

As you can imagine, reaching each of these goals requires a different path. Someone who really wants a lot of muscle definition will need to work harder, with heavier weights and more repetitions, than someone who’s just looking to increase strength to be able to catch himself before he falls.

Knowing your goal will make it a lot easier for you to know what you need to do to achieve it. You may need some help from books, websites, even a personal trainer to find out the specific exercises that will do you the most good, but once you understand the basics you’ll be able to propel yourself toward your goal much more quickly than you would have been able to do otherwise.

Reaching a goal is like hitting a target; you have to know where the target is in order to be able to hit it. Setting a goal that’s right for you can also provide you with a ton of inspiration and motivation to reach it. Imagine the body you have always dreamed of. It’s actually possible to get there with the help of the right strength training.

There’s no magic bullet in weight loss or muscle gain, but knowing the goal you are lifting toward and having a clear picture of what you’ll look and feel like when you get there will make the work you have to do to reach that goal seem a little easier than if you were struggling to get through a weight lifting routine and you didn’t really know why you were doing it.

Lift for your looks, your health, and your future. It doesn’t really matter as long as you’re lifting for the reason that makes sense to you.

Tim Nugent is the author of the Fast Muscle Formula, a guide to weight loss, fat burning and muscle development that makes it easy for anyone to lose weight. Learn more at www.tsnmaymembers.com.

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