By Cassie Shortsleeve, Men's Journal
It’s time to set your eyes on fitness goals for the new year. Usually they’re enormous (run a marathon) or unspecific (get healthy), which helps explain why, so often, we fail to achieve them.
So we propose two totally attainable goals that will help you create a solid base for all your fitness endeavors for the entire year: run your fastest mile and max out your pullups. Then, because it’s important to swing for the fences from time to time, we also laid out a plan for pulling off the handstand pushup.
These efforts cover different skill sets: aerobic training, total body strength, and physical and mental agility—all of which you need to be a well-rounded athlete. Believe it or not, it’s possible to master all of them by spring. Build off of New Year’s momentum and tackle the goal that most excites you, or that best aligns with bigger-picture priorities (like the running goal if you are working toward a triathlon). You can also do all three concurrently.
Once you’ve achieved the skills individually?
“I would take the challenge a step further and set a goal to complete all of these on the same day,” suggests Joel Martin, assistant professor of kinesiology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. “This can be a creative way to keep you honest in all aspects of your fitness.”
In the links below, you’ll find step-by-step directions for each goal. Follow the plans and put in the work. It’s the best way to break the New Year’s fitness curse.
It’s time to set your eyes on fitness goals for the new year. Usually they’re enormous (run a marathon) or unspecific (get healthy), which helps explain why, so often, we fail to achieve them.
So we propose two totally attainable goals that will help you create a solid base for all your fitness endeavors for the entire year: run your fastest mile and max out your pullups. Then, because it’s important to swing for the fences from time to time, we also laid out a plan for pulling off the handstand pushup.
These efforts cover different skill sets: aerobic training, total body strength, and physical and mental agility—all of which you need to be a well-rounded athlete. Believe it or not, it’s possible to master all of them by spring. Build off of New Year’s momentum and tackle the goal that most excites you, or that best aligns with bigger-picture priorities (like the running goal if you are working toward a triathlon). You can also do all three concurrently.
Once you’ve achieved the skills individually?
“I would take the challenge a step further and set a goal to complete all of these on the same day,” suggests Joel Martin, assistant professor of kinesiology at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. “This can be a creative way to keep you honest in all aspects of your fitness.”
In the links below, you’ll find step-by-step directions for each goal. Follow the plans and put in the work. It’s the best way to break the New Year’s fitness curse.
