I recently watched a scene in the documentary Stand Tall, the story of Lou Ferrigno’s comeback to the bodybuilding stage some years ago. In it, Arnold Schwarzenegger was asked about his thoughts on Lou’s decision and how motivation plays into competition.

In a very absolute way, Arnold talked about how some competitors had a very difficult task ahead of them. He went on to say that when you are comfortable, such as Lou was/is with a nice house, a great family and money from a career in show business you tend to not possess the eat or be eaten mentality that is necessary to win.

It is those who have nothing to lose that are able to conjure every ounce of their being and have the drive to accomplish great things and have the opportunity to become a champion.

Now, we all do not have such lofty goals and the tunnel vision to devote every minute and bit of energy to a singular goal. After all, if you are like me you have a wife, child, job, hobbies, training, reading and writing – did I mention wife and child?

What we CAN possess is focus and purpose toward our muscle-building, fat-fighting fitness goals.

Do you find yourself without direction when you step into the gym? If you have goals, are they specific enough? Are there deadlines and/or numbers to hit?

Sometimes our goals can be too vague such as: I want to get into shape. Or I want to get bigger or lose fat.

In order for you to commit to a purpose you must first design a plan with specific (and realistic) goals in mind. Without any real target you are simply maintaining your current state.

Try taking from some of the following:

I want to gain five pounds of pure muscle in four months.

I want to lose five pounds of fat in two months.

I want my body fat percentage to be in the single digits by my next birthday/wedding/or other significant event.

If you get detail-minded you will find that you will have more commitment and focus getting you one step closer everyday to your goal.

Write it down. Post it up where you can see it and read it word for word out load if needed every single day. The simple act of writing things down, especially personal goals goes a long way in strengthening our focus, drive and rate of success. Each day will not only be a brand new opportunity for improvement but also continued progress to your ultimate vision of accomplishment.