The 'Hows' of Goal Setting

Mike Patton MKin

CSEP Certified Exercise Physiologist

You've seen plenty of 'Goal Setting' articles before, I'm sure. Everyone is quick to use the SMART acronym (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Framed) when describing how to do it properly, but very few people write about HOW to measure goals or what measurement tools are available. The first and most important tool is a training log. The second is a powermeter. I'll explain why.

A training log in its simplest form is a record of each individual training session. Much more sophisticated training logs exist, and can do wonderful things in terms of showing you patterns that develop in your training. They can quickly answer questions like "why did I perform the way I did in my last race?" and "what did I do last year that worked, and what didn't?" One tool we use at TCR Sport Lab is called TrainingPeaks. It is a web-based training log system that we use to deliver training programs to our athletes, but our athletes really benefit because they can see how they are progressing on a day-to-day and year-to-year basis. TrainingPeaks is also extremely powerful because it can integrate and compile enormous amounts of data from the variety of gadgets that people now use for training. Then, it can distill that data down to key variables that help athletes and coaches alike understand the training the athletes are doing. All this makes setting measurable goals that much easier, because you can look at your training log and SEE where you're at, every day.

I also mentioned that a powermeter is an important tool for setting measurable goals. Powermeters can exist in a variety of forms, but the key is that progress is immediately obvious when using one. Some people are lucky enough to afford a powermeter that they can install on their bicycle (e.g. Quarq or SRM), but most people can benefit from a powermeter by going to a physiology lab such as ours for periodic testing. Our lab has a Velotron cycling ergometer, which is essentially a very accurate powermeter. We use this powermeter most often with our Metabolic Cart for VO2max testing, which provides information about your VO2max (the gold-standard measure of fitness) as well as your individual training zones. This testing is important because it not only helps you see if your training has actually improved your fitness, but it can help refine your training so that you can be more time-effective in achieving your goals.

Hopefully now that you are aware of some tools you can use to help measure progress and success, you can be one step closer to effective goal setting. Good luck!

Your next big goal can be a great experience....if you are ready. For more information on training, testing and coaching, please visit: www.tcrsportlab.com

The Math of Weight Loss

The Math of Weight loss and your Metabolism

By Cory Fagan, MSc

December is the month that many of us struggle to keep exercise consistent and the weight off. Christmas parties, the holidays and cold weather do not add up in our favor to battle the bulge! I do not expect people to start a marathon program or new workout in December, but what about January? How do you keep motivated in the New Year with your “new routine.” Do you workout like and crazy and see what happens? Many of us try this approach and then quit in frustration ending up back in the fridge! In my opinion, you need to see results in fitness and in the waistline soon. Results will come when exercise and nutrition are treated as equally important. People count their calories burned, track their heart rate and record their hours of training. However, what about food intake? This needs a closer look if you are truly interested in change. Below are some facts and tips that will keep you motivated and on track in the New Year.

What you need:

Resting Metabolic Rate. Get tested, you need this number.

This is the minimum amount of calories you need in a day to go to work, sit on the coach and just exist. Eating this much food keeps your body happy and prevents against the “protection of fat” or “fat storing” mode. You can try on-line calculation formulas or you can get accurate information by performed a fasting metabolic rate test at TCR.

Two Day Food log. How many calories do you eat?

I do not believe in tracking calories everyday as it can be time consuming and some people can get obsessed which drives up your cortisol levels preventing weight loss. However, you need to know how much you eat. It’s amazing how many people really do not know their caloric intake in a typical day, yet they want to lose a few pounds. Try the free website: www.fitday.com to track your calories. It has a simply drag and drop menu and thousands of food choices.

Exercise. Move your body regularly.

If your dog was over-weight, what would you do? Exercise the furry friend and control his food intake. Pretty simple, but humans make it complicated with excuses and too much access to food. Besides burning calories, one of the “cellular” changes that happen with movement is that our fat cells will release fat when we move consistently. No movement equals fat cells that get efficient at storing fat and we do not want this! At our TCR lab, we have seen hundreds of metabolic cases that show improvements in fat utilization by people who exercise regularly. As for the type of exercise, my first recommendation is just getting moving with consistency. You do not need to sign up for Ironman in order to lose weight!

The Math

Case Study One

80 kg male

Resting Metabolic Rate: 1750 kcals / day

Food Log Typical Day: 2500 kcals

Exercise: 250 kcals / workout

2500 kcals – RMR (1750) – Exercise (250)= 500 kcal surplus. There is about 500 kcals too much and hence no weight loss stimulus.

Case Study Two

80 kg male

Resting Metabolic Rate: 1750 kcals / day

Food Log Typical Day: 2000 kcals

Exercise: 250 kcals / workout

2000 kcals – RMR (1750 kcals ) – Exercise (250 kcals) = 0 or Break Even. This is what you want; a plan under control, realistic exercise and net score close to zero.

If you happen to exercise more, fantastic! You will have a deficit and really kick start weight loss. However, I have also seen this happen too much and become counter-productive. People will go out and exercise like crazy resulting in a deficit of 500-1500 calories at the end of the day. Guess what happens? We go out and reward ourselves with more food that night or the next day because we had a big workout. The person ends up with a surplus and maybe even weight gain. So keep it realistic and simple when you start out in the New Year.