Divisible Goals

Goal-setting can be infinitely divisible, much like the structures of the universe. By understanding the layers of your goals and framing your mindset accordingly, you can create a sustainable and resilient approach to achievement. This layered approach helps balance ambition with realism, reducing the emotional weight of any single outcome.

At a recent competition, I set layered goals to guide my performance. My primary goal was ambitious: achieving personal records (PRs) in my snatch, clean and jerk, and total. A secondary goal was more attainable: setting a PR in any one of these lifts. My tertiary goal focused on consistency, performing slightly better than my usual averages. Finally, my quaternary goal was simply to show up and complete the meet.

This layered system ensured I had multiple paths to success. Even in a worst-case scenario where I underperformed, my averages would drop, setting me up for an easier time at my next competition. This aligns with my ultimate long-term goal: to get stronger over time and keep competing. By thinking this way, I can stay rational and motivated, avoiding the mental traps of an “all-or-nothing” mindset.

Breaking away from that mindset isn’t easy. It requires practice to shift focus away from the pressure of achieving a PR every time. Negative feelings stemming from unmet expectations often cloud our judgment, making it harder to see the bigger picture. But it’s unfair to judge our progress solely on isolated moments of success or failure. True growth comes from improving average performance over time. The key to achieving this lies in staying injury-free, consistent, and persistent in training, while aligning your mindset with your long-term goals.

If your only goal is to lift more weight, you risk spending all your energy measuring yourself against that outcome. Instead, redirect your focus toward the process. Developing a process-oriented mindset not only improves performance but also fosters resilience. This mindset extends beyond the gym and into every aspect of life—the way you approach one thing often reflects how you approach everything.

While frustration can be a powerful catalyst for change, chronic frustration leads to physical and mental burnout. It can harm your health and reinforce negative thought patterns, preventing you from adapting and moving forward. Healing from this requires a conscious effort to let go of rigid expectations and reframe your goals.

Consider the analogy of climbing a mountain. Your primary goal might be to reach the summit. A secondary goal could be making it to a high base camp. A tertiary goal might involve ascending higher than you ever have before. Finally, a quaternary goal could be simply enjoying the climb and the view along the way while enjoying the company of your companions. But why are you climbing the mountain in the first place? If your purpose is to challenge yourself, connect with nature, or enjoy the journey, then even if you don’t reach the top, you’ve still succeeded. Aligning your mindset with the "why" behind your actions allows you to appreciate the process and maintain motivation.

The same logic applies to goal-setting. By aligning your mindset with the purpose behind your goals, you create space to appreciate the journey rather than fixating on specific outcomes. Success becomes less about the immediate win and more about the cumulative progress over time. In the end, the process is what matters most.

Why Setting a 5-Pound PR is Better Than a 50-Pound PR

Setting a 50-pound personal record (PR) is undoubtedly an exhilarating moment in your training journey. It’s the kind of progress that highlights why you started training to begin with and vividly remembered for years or maybe even for the rest of your life. The downside to this story: massive PRs are rare, and the time it takes to achieve one can feel like an eternity. Focusing on setting smaller, incremental PRs, as little as 5lbs or even 2lbs is a key to sustainable, long-term progress.

Incremental progress feeds consistency. When you hit a massive PR, you’ve lifted more weight than your body has ever handled. While this is an amazing achievement, it’s also a double-edged sword. The higher the jump in weight, the longer it may take to replicate or break that record. PR’s are OK but what needs to improve over the long term is what you can consistently hit any day of the week under any condition. Being a bit more conservative and setting small prs will allow you to incrementally build your lifts over shorter periods of time. This kind of consistent progress reinforces the feeling of accomplishment, releasing dopamine and keeps you motivated week after week.

To put it into perspective, consider a PR as a 1-2% increase in a lift. Over time, these small increments accumulate into significant gains. You step back and reflect you notice that it’s a lot easier, physically and psychologically to consistently improve incrementally, as long as you are extending the span of time at which progress is measured.

Every time you attempt a PR, you’re pushing your body into uncharted territory, Big PR’s inherently increase. Big PR bigger risk-small PR smaller risk. Your muscles, joints, and connective tissues have never experienced that specific load before. This increases your risk of injury. Now, imagine that weight being 50 pounds over your previous max. The risk skyrockets. Will you body recover from this?  

By contrast, a 5lb PR (or 1-2% increase) introduces a manageable new stimulus. It’s enough to challenge your body without overwhelming it, allowing you to adapt and grow stronger while minimizing the chances of setbacks. Staying healthy is crucial if you’re in the game for the long haul.

Aside from the physical idea of continuing to make progress the psychological effect can be the determining factor to whether or not you continue to train. If you only celebrate massive PRs, you might feel like you’re not making progress during the months (or years) it takes to reach the next big milestone. This mindset can be discouraging and make training feel stagnant. On the other hand, regularly hitting small PRs builds psychological momentum. You’ll consistently feel like you’re moving forward, which makes showing up to train easier and more rewarding.

If every PR attempt is weighed down by the pressure to add 50 pounds, this is a sure way to set yourself up for frustration. Training should feel like progress, not a relentless chase for impossible standards.

Play the long game and remind yourself you’re training because you are trying to stay strong healthy and capable for as long as possible. The ultimate goal of strength training isn’t just to hit big numbers; it’s to stay strong, healthy, and capable for as long as possible. In order to get stronger you must put yourself in a mild risk to push yourself that’s how we adapt and grow stronger. The biggest risks we face is exposure to stimulus that is above our maximum know capability level. Keep in mind every time you attempt a max effort, you’re taking a risk. As you age, that risk increases, and so does the cost of recovering from an injury.

When I was younger, I used to push my limits all the time. I’d see how long I could keep my hand in the fire before getting burned. Needless to say, I got burned plenty of times. Some of the PRs I’ve set in the past aren’t even worth pursuing anymore because of the sheer time and energy it would take to attempt to break them is not worth my training time, attention and dedication. I now have other more important goals than setting 5 rep maxes. If I could go back in time, I’d focus on smaller increases gains, no more than 2% at a time, and give myself more time to develop skill, strength and hypertrophy. However if I were to go back in time and make that change it might not be the coach and athlete that I am today.

For new lifters, progress often comes quickly. Adding 5 pounds to the bar each session might feel easy at first, equating to a 15-pound increase per week. But as your training age increases, the timeline for improvement slows down. Weeks turn into months, months turn into quarters, and quarters turn into years. The initial phase of quick and fast training progress, step back and think more in terms of progression over years.

Taken an annual approach earlier in ones lifting career, helps mitigates injuries and builts a stronger foundation for future progress. This is the mindset I advocate for my lifters: focus on annual progress rather than obsessing over immediate PRs. By doing so, you separate yourself from the short-term mindset that often leads to burnout or frustration.

Take a sensible approach to PRs because the truth is every time you step into the gym and train with resistance, you’re putting yourself at risk. But with a sensible mindset, you can minimize that risk and maximize your gains. A 2 or 5 pound PR doesn’t sound fancy, but it will keep you moving forward. And when you add up those small victories over time, you’ll find yourself lifting weights you once thought impossible, without sacrificing your health or longevity.

So, the next time you’re tempted to go for a massive PR, ask yourself: will this serve my long-term goals? If the answer is no, grab those fractional plates and celebrate the progress that’s sustainable, sensible, and truly satisfying.

The Coach-Client Relationship: A Path Toward Autonomy

The relationship between a coach and a client is a symbiotic one, much like that of a teacher and a student. It requires effort, self-reflection, and a clear understanding of roles from both parties to be successful. But what are the elements that truly make this partnership thrive? And what are the common pitfalls that can derail it?

At the core of a client’s success is their ability to be self-reflective. Recognizing strengths, weaknesses, and areas for growth is essential. This self-awareness allows the client to engage more meaningfully in the process of improvement. A coach can guide and provide feedback, but the willingness to internalize and act on that guidance comes from within the client.

It’s important to note that this process is not about perfection. Everyone starts from a different place, and growth happens at a unique pace for each individual. The key is maintaining an open mind and a willingness to learn, no matter where you are in your journey.

A coach’s role is to provide feedback, share strategies, and create an environment conducive to learning and growth. This guidance is meant to empower clients, not to micromanage every detail. While it can be tempting to expect precise instructions for every step, coaching is about building skills and autonomy over time, not providing a script for every workout.

Imagine raising a child by helping them through every challenge without letting them solve problems on their own. Without opportunities to navigate difficulties, make mistakes, and learn, they wouldn’t develop the skills they need to thrive independently. Similarly, in the coach-client relationship, micromanaging every aspect of a client’s journey can hinder their long-term development.

Instead, the coach’s role is to guide clients toward independence, equipping them with tools to make informed decisions based on their intuition and objective feedback from their bodies.

It’s natural for clients to have expectations of their coach, especially when making a financial commitment. However, understanding the purpose of coaching is key to aligning expectations. Coaching is not about holding a client’s hand at every step but about providing strategies and feedback that empower growth and self-reliance.

If a client seeks constant micromanagement, they might be better served by hiring a personal trainer who focuses on making all the training decisions for you. Coaching, on the other hand, is designed to foster independence, helping clients build confidence and make decisions that serve their unique needs and goals.

The process of building autonomy is gradual. Early in the relationship, a coach may provide more detailed guidance and structure to help clients build a foundation. Over time, as trust and communication grow, the focus shifts toward empowering clients to take more ownership of their journey. This transition requires:

1. Trust: Both parties must trust the process and each other.

2. Communication: Open dialogue ensures alignment on goals and expectations.

3. Patience: Growth takes time, and everyone’s rate of progress differs.

As clients gain experience and confidence, the relationship between their intuition and their coach’s guidance strengthens. This evolution involves giving clients the space to experiment, make mistakes, and ultimately grow into more autonomous individuals. It’s about progress, not perfection, and celebrating the steps forward, however small they may be.

A coach’s ultimate goal is to empower clients to succeed without constant oversight. By fostering autonomy, clients develop the skills to navigate challenges, adapt to changes, and take ownership of their journey. For clients, embracing this approach means understanding that growth often comes from within and that a coach’s value lies not in micromanagement but in guidance, support, and encouragement.

If you ever feel unsure or overwhelmed, remember your coach is there to support you. They don’t have all the answers but do have strategies and tools that can help you move forward. It’s a partnership built on trust and mutual effort, and together, you can achieve your goals while growing in confidence and capability.

This journey isn’t about dependency; it’s about empowerment. By working together with your coach, you’re building a foundation for long-term success and resilience, one step at a time. 

Navigating Risks for a Resilient Life

Life is inherently physical. Beyond our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions, we engage with the world through our bodies. Existing comes with physical risks. You can sprain an ankle, tweak your back, or develop carpal tunnel from repetitive tasks like typing 40 hours a week.

Strength training is no different with one key exception, it’s deliberate. We intentionally impose controlled, micro-level stress on our bodies. Unlike an accidental injury, this stress is designed to push us just enough to disrupt homeostasis and signal the body to adapt. Over time, our bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles become stronger and more resilient, capable of handling greater demands. For a deeper dive into this concept, check out General Adaptation Syndrome — Chris Harris Training Systems.

The Risks and Rewards of Strength Training

Strength training, like life, comes with risks. But the rewards—a stronger, more robust body—far outweigh them. The ability to adapt and grow is fundamental to human evolution. Strength training taps into this quality, challenging us to find the “just right” level of stress that fosters growth without overwhelming us.

To optimize gains and minimize injury risk, I recommend increasing training stress by 1-2.5% increments. This slow, steady approach can be frustrating, often accompanied by setbacks. However, persistence and the right mindset compound over time, leading to training momentum, strength and resilience in both body and mind.

Embracing Constraints and Individual Differences

Let’s be real: some people are more prone to injuries than others. Genetics, personality traits, and prior injuries play significant roles. These individuals, myself included, may feel like they’re constantly walking a fine line. For us, conservative exercise selection and gradual progression are crucial.

Conversely, others may be naturally resilient, moving intuitively and making smart training decisions. Yet, even these individuals will face constraints eventually. Whether due to aging, overuse, or unforeseen challenges, they too will encounter limits that force them to adapt.

Here’s the kicker: both paths ultimately converge. Those prone to injuries are exposed to limitations earlier on. Meanwhile, the naturally resilient will face them later.

In both situations, you have the potential to grow and develop strategies for navigating progress effectively.

Turning Constraints into Opportunities

As simple and redundant as it sounds, the key to long-term progress is persistence. Those who persevere, adapt, and continue despite setbacks will succeed. Constraints—whether genetic, physical, or mental—aren’t restrictive. They’re liberating. They provide a framework within which we can live our best lives. By accepting these constraints, we can become the best versions of ourselves.

Mindfulness and self-awareness are crucial. Constraints are not barriers but rules to a game. Learn the rules, and you can win.

Strength Training as a Metaphor for Life

Strength training isn’t just about lifting heavier weights or looking better. It’s about resilience, adaptation, and embracing life’s risks with purpose. Whether you’re naturally injury-prone or intuitively resilient, the lessons learned under the barbell translate into every aspect of life. It’s not about avoiding setbacks but using them as opportunities for growth.

So load the bar, lean into the process, and let the risks guide you toward a stronger, more resilient you.

Progress, Patience, and the Plateau of Latent Potential

When you first start training, you make immediate gains in a pretty predictable fashion. These early improvements, often called the novice phase, come with relative ease. But after this phase, many people hit what is known as the Plateau of Latent Potential. This concept, popularized by James Clear in Atomic Habits, refers to the period where progress feels slow or even non-existent, despite continued effort. Clear explains that "we often expect progress to be linear," but real growth happens invisibly until a critical threshold is crossed.

Imagine you’re trying to melt an ice cube that starts at 20°F. You begin raising the temperature of the room by one degree at a time. At first, nothing seems to happen. The ice remains frozen as the room temperature slowly increases. It’s not until you hit 32°F that the ice begins to melt. As Clear notes, "breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash a major change."

To some, this slow increase might feel like wasted effort, tempting them to give up. But to others who understand the process, every degree added builds momentum toward that eventual melting point. Progress becomes visible only after crossing a threshold—a tipping point. The only way to reach this tipping point is to stay persistent in your actions and consistent in your efforts.

The Expectations Trap

Our expectations often tempt us to stop trying so hard. We expect progress to happen yesterday, and when it finally comes, we demand it in surplus. These unrealistic expectations can lead to frustration, disappointment, or a feeling of dissatisfaction. What’s tricky is that this entire thought process often happens subconsciously, in the blink of an eye, and manifests as an emotional burst. You might not even realize why you feel the way you do.

This is where self-awareness becomes crucial. Recognize these emotions as an opportunity to call yourself out and remind yourself that progress will come if you remain persistent. Gains happen when they’re ready, not when you demand them.

Respect the Process

Respecting your body by listening to how you recover and applying maximum intent and effort is the key to progress. Strength will come when it’s ready to.

Take bamboo, for example. When bamboo is planted, it spends years building its underground root system. During this time, nothing grows above the surface. However, those roots are spreading wide and deep, creating a solid foundation. After years of what looks like stagnation, the bamboo suddenly experiences rapid growth above ground. This burst of growth is only possible because of the strong root system—the foundational component of its success.

As Clear states, "You do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems." The habits and systems you create during the Plateau of Latent Potential are what sustain your persistence and lead to eventual success.

Lean on Your Systems

When you hit the Plateau of Latent Potential, this is the time to lean on the systems you’ve created. These systems—your routines, habits, and mindset—allow you to persist through periods of doubt and disappointment. Acknowledge that every effort you make is like increasing the temperature by one more degree toward that melting point.

There’s no way to rush progress, but there are plenty of other metrics to show that you’re improving. Celebrate small wins, track your recovery, and take note of improvements in form, strength, or mindset. Keep showing up, and strength will sprout when it’s ready.

Final Thoughts

The truth is, the Plateau of Latent Potential is where true growth happens. It’s not about the immediate gains but about cultivating persistence and resilience. Progress is coming; your job is to trust the process, respect your foundation, and keep moving forward. Just like bamboo and melting ice, the gains you seek will appear when the conditions are right. Stay the course—you’re building something remarkable.

Maintaining Momentum When Sickness Strikes

Have you ever been making great progress in your training and nutrition, only to have it come to a screeching halt because you got sick? It can feel discouraging, but don’t let it derail you. The truth is, if you had good momentum before falling ill, it means the habits you established were solid. Now is the time to lean on those habits and adapt.

The Power of Momentum

Momentum is a powerful thing. When you consistently make good decisions and string them together, you create a sense of progress and accomplishment. The numbers on the scale may be going down, the weight on the barbell going up, and overall, you feel unstoppable.

But when sickness strikes, everything seems to pause. It might be a week or even two where your usual routine is disrupted. For many, this becomes a slippery slope. An “all-or-nothing” mindset kicks in, convincing them that if they can’t do everything, they might as well do nothing. This thinking doesn’t serve you.

Adapting Your Habits

Even when you’re sick, there’s often something you can do to retain your habits and keep momentum alive. For example:

• Physical Activity: If you’re too unwell to hit the gym, consider a light walk or gentle stretching. If even that’s too much, simply focus on some breathing exercises. The key is to maintain the habit of moving your body in whatever capacity you can handle.

• Nutrition: When your appetite is low, focus on small wins like staying hydrated and eating whatever you can tolerate. Don’t stress about perfect meals. Instead, think ahead: create a grocery list for when you’re feeling better, plan simple meals, or stock up on easy-to-prepare foods like precooked chicken, rice, or single-serve Greek yogurt.

Easing Back Into Training

As you start to recover, remember to ease back into your routine. Don’t expect to pick up right where you left off. Your energy levels will likely be lower, so adjust your training accordingly:

• Focus on showing up rather than hitting PRs.

• Be open to modifying your plan and taking extra rest.

• Celebrate the small victories, like simply completing a light workout.

Using the Experience to Grow

Getting sick is a test of your habits and resilience. It’s an opportunity to break free from an all-or-nothing mindset and prove to yourself that you can stay on track, even when life throws challenges your way. By reinforcing the basics—hydration, nutrition, movement, and preparation—you’ll rebuild your momentum and get back to feeling unstoppable.

Final Thoughts

Sickness doesn’t have to derail your progress. By adapting your habits, being patient with yourself, and focusing on small, consistent actions, you can use the experience as a learning opportunity. Remember, the key to long-term success isn’t perfection; it’s persistence.

Switch From Outcome Based Goals to Habit Based Goals

We all start lifting weights for a reason. For me, it began with the desire to look like I was in shape. That meant having a flat stomach, looking athletic, and projecting the image of someone who prioritized health above all else. I thought if I could achieve that look, I’d feel accomplished. So, I threw myself into it. I got in shape, ran a lot, and sometimes trained three times a day.

But then I learned that weight loss boiled down to calorie intake. This realization sent me spiraling. I believed that eating less and exercising more would get me closer to looking like the guy in the magazine. Yet, no matter how much I starved myself or how hard I trained, that goal was forever out of reach. My hair began falling out, and I started hoarding calories so I could drink alcohol without guilt. My priorities became skewed, and my physical and mental health suffered.

At the same time, I wanted to be a strongman. That pursuit required heavier training loads and different types of exercises. But without proper recovery, nutrition, or goal setting, my eagerness led to an immediate back injury. Chronic low-calorie intake and focusing on trying to lift the 200lb atlas stone certainly didn’t help. The heart of the issue was my impatience and obsession with progress.

I made progress in some areas. I lost weight and improved my barbell lifts. But no matter what I achieved, I was never satisfied. I wasn’t waking up under 165 pounds, and I wasn’t squatting 500lbs any day of the week. My pursuit of outcomes became a never-ending cycle of dissatisfaction.

There’s an old cliché: “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Strength training and nutritional goals follow the same principle. If you’re only focused on outcomes, you miss the bigger picture. It’s not the results that need improvement, it’s your systems you use to build and maintain your habits.

When you’re driven solely by outcomes, burnout becomes inevitable. You can end up creating psychological resistance, fostering beliefs that you’re entitled to achieving your goals. This mindset is a recipe for frustration and stagnation.

Instead, shift your focus. Change your goal from “I want to hit a 500lb squat” to “I will show up and put maximum intent into every session three times a week.” Streamline the process of committing to showing up, executing with intention and do this for years. When you focus on the process, you’ll be amazed at the progress you’ll make. It’s quite easy to leave a session saying “I gave it my all”. You are allowed to feel good about that and it is encouraged that you acknowledge it because those dopamine hits will allow you to keep that up for the rest of your life. On the other hand, it's much harder to walk away knowing you did try your hardest but the lack of praise for your efforts are overshadows by the thought, 'I still have a poverty squat.’ Don’t allow that to happen.

As James Clear puts it in Atomic Habits: “You don’t rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.” Build systems that prioritize consistent effort and smart habits, and the outcomes will take care of themselves.

Why You Should Use Variation in Your Life and Training

How do you approach life? Have you ever poured all your efforts into work only to find out that your personal life is unfulfilling? Similarity if you only put your efforts in the main lifts and progress stalls, what happens next? Identity crisis anyone?

We must break the disconnect. Let’s separate what we are fixated on and what we actually need to improve. Variation both in life and exercise helps you grow. When you pick hobbies or choose exercise variations, that exposes weaknesses and forces you to problem solve and adapt. This is a learning process and in order for long-term progress we must strive to continually keep an open mind and choose learning over being comfortable and complacent.

Growth is living. In order to grow we must disrupt homeostasis. If you choose to grow, you’ll need to explore new hobbies or trying new and different exercises. This will send you down a more mindful and judgment-free path of improvement. This keeps you in a beginner’s mindset which allows for a more robust development of strength and better helps you overcome weaknesses. 

In life and in training welcoming and embracing variety will lead to a fuller, more fulfilling experience. Remember, your identity is shaped by how you respond to successes and failures as well as how you define progress. Variation not only trains your body but your mind and character too.

Always Try Your Hardest

What does this phrase mean to you? Before you read any further, I ask you to just take a few moments to think about it and share it with me if you like.

I felt as though I always tried my hardest. In high school when I was on the football field, yes, I would get up right away after being knocked down, I would run my hardest and I would try my best to not allow my negative self-talk to inhibit my ability to keep playing. But mentally I got discouraged quite easily. When I was off the field, alone, with no one to judge me I fell apart even more. Did I just want everyone else to think I “always tried my hardest?”. From a young age I knew success came from those who tried very hard, but my life was pretty hollow when I was not around others. I didn’t have enough inner awareness to realized that. I solely relied on external factors to get me motivated. The effort I put forth was seasonal at best and only applied to a few thin slices of my life.

Flash forward decades later. I learned that “always trying my hardest” went hand in hand with “always do your best”. Say it out loud. It just feels different. A book called “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz, recommend to me by a good friend, Hannah, allowed these two phrases to meld together. If you are always doing your best, you are being the best version of yourself. That hit home for me. What your best is changes daily and it depends on the circumstances you are in and the bandwidth you have. When you do your best there is no extra energy to be spent on anything else because you know you are being the best version of yourself. This leaves no room for doubt.

I realized that “always trying my hardest” actually meant “always try my best”. When I am trying my best, I am waking up early and creating to-do lists. When I’m training, I am paying attention to my body pushing hard but not pushing through “bad” discomfort”. When I reflect, I think about what went well and what did not go well in order to shape my future behavior. When I am just going about life trying, I am trying to identify cognitive distortions patterns (IG: all or nothing thinking, catastrophizing or ego inflation) and use those as opportunities to change my impulsive thought patterns to ones that align with who I am trying to be.

So, I ask you to spend an extra moment to reflect on “what do you think always try your best mean to you?”. Then ask yourself “what does trying hard actually mean?”.