SMART is an acronym for:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Achievable

• Realistic

• Time bound

The purpose of SMART targets is to split up a long-term goal into smaller achievable goals which you are more likely to stick to. They help you to focus on what is important, help you to develop new strategies for achieving your goals and enable you to know how well you are doing in that area. Another important feature of them is that they increase your motivation to progress because your goals feel more doable.

• Specific means choosing a clear goal e.g I want to increase my bench press by 10kg

• Measurable means that whatever you are trying to achieve has to be measurable e.g using a stopwatch and track to time how long it takes you to run 1k

• Achievable means that you have to be able to reach your goal e.g a 12-year-old shouldn’t aim to sprint 100m in 10 seconds

• Realistic means choosing a target which you have the time, resources and money to be able to achieve

• Time bound means stating how long you will take to achieve this goal e.g I want to increase my bench press by 10kg in 28 days

You should check these targets regularly to see if you are progressing. This will enable you to know if:

• Your performance is improving and getting closer to your goal (your training is working)

• You have achieved your goal (so you can think about how to change your target)

• You need to amend an existing goal (It is unrealistic)