Many people approach fitness with one goal in mind – to burn calories to lose weight. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to shed a few pounds, this mindset can often lead to frustration, burnout, boredom, and even a love-hate relationship with exercise.
Instead, consider training for performance-based goals. Whether performing a squat or deadlift with a heavier weight, running or walking a faster mile, or mastering your first push-up or pull-up, focusing on what your body can do rather than just how many calories you burn makes training way more enjoyable.
🔹Why Performance Goals Make Training Exciting
- You’ll See Progress Beyond the Scale
When workouts revolve around calorie burning, progress can feel slow and discouraging – especially when the scale doesn’t move the way you want or as quickly as you want. But when you train for performance, you have multiple ways to measure success:
- Lifting heavier weights
- Completing more reps
- Moving with better range of motion, faster, or more efficiently
- Mastering a new skill
These small victories keep you engaged and motivated because you’re always working toward something tangible.
- Every Workout Feels Like a Challenge, Not a Chore
When exercise is just about burning calories, it can feel like punishment. But when you train for a goal, each session has purpose. Suddenly, workouts become an exciting challenge rather than a mundane task you “have” to do. - You’ll Develop a Stronger Mindset
Chasing performance-based goals teaches resilience. You learn to push past limits, overcome setbacks, and stay consistent even when progress is slow. This mindset shift carries over into other areas of life, making you more confident, disciplined, and mentally tough. - You’ll Improve Your Body Composition Naturally
Ironically, when you stop obsessing over burning calories and focus on getting stronger, faster, or more athletic, your body adapts in the best ways. Our Semi-Private Strength Training focuses on building strength and muscle, which boosts metabolism. High-intensity training like our Circuit Training focuses on building capacity, including both cardiovascular and muscular endurance. Without even thinking about it, you’ll likely see positive changes in body composition.
🔹How to Set Performance-Based Goals
Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas:
◦ Strength Goal: Increase your squat, deadlift, or bench press by 10-20%
◦ Endurance Goal: Aim for 7,500 steps 7 days a week, or run or walk a faster 5K
◦ Skill Goal: Learn to do a pull-up, push-up, or kettlebell swing
◦ Mobility Goal: Improve flexibility to touch your toes or do a deep squat comfortably
Pick a goal that excites you, utilize your coach to build a structured plan around it, and watch your motivation skyrocket!
🔹Final Thoughts
If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of viewing workouts as a way to “burn off” food, we challenge you to shift your mindset. Train for performance, set exciting goals, and watch how much more fun and rewarding fitness becomes. You’ll not only build a stronger body but also a more positive relationship with exercise – and that’s a win worth chasing.
Need help setting performance goals? You’ve got a team of coaches right here at Perdido Bay Fitness to help you create a plan that gets you excited to train!
~ Coach MJ