If you’re a gym rat, odds are you’re strong. But if you’re a smart gym rat, you know it’s not just the time you spend in the gym that has made your strength increase. Most elite athletes use a combination of specific nutritional and exercise fundamentals to reach their peak, and most have very particular goals they know they want to reach. The first step in any successful strength training plan is goalsetting.

It may seem trite and a little bit cliché, but setting goals provide great athletes with the incentive and specific measurable targets they need in order to get where they want to go. If I know my goal, then all I have to do is follow the steps to get there.

Most goals are performance based or results based. When you create a performance based goal for yourself, it is very easy to measure. For example, one goal I had for myself a couple years back was to bench 250 pounds. I knew my starting point, that I was benching 200, and I knew my ending point, that I wanted to bench 250, so all I had to do was develop a plan to get me through the 50 pound difference. This may seem silly, but honestly having a clear target in my workout made me work harder, it made my milestones more clear, and it made my time at the gym more rewarding.

Performance based goals are of course not just a matter of putting in the time at the gym. I knew if I wanted my bench to increase, I was going to have to do right by my diet as well. The first thing I added was a shake of whey protein chased by a regular multivitamin. Many lifters also incorporate creatine or other supplements, it’s as individual as the color of your eyes. These additions to my nutrition did wonders for my results. I felt stronger every time I preceded and followed my workout with these natural nutritional additions.

Another kind of goal is a results based goal. This is when the goal is measured more by what you can see in your physique. For instance, I once had a generic goal to have bigger arms. I had no idea how to get there, but I knew what I wanted to see in the mirror. Results based goals are different from performance based goals because they are far less exact in their measurement. "Bigger" arms is a pretty subjective way to measure success, but that having been said, it’s just as important to find a route to reach your goal.

The universal constant in gaining muscle and attaining your workout goals is good nutrition to increase your metabolism and overall health. And one way to improve your nutrition is by adding multivitamins and protein to your diet by preparing meals or using meal replacements with these ingredients. This can be done naturally or by taking pills, creatine, or other supplements like whey protein. Foods that provide you with essential fatty acids and protein can also support your goals naturally, but adding a multivitamin, increasing your fruits and vegetables, eating healthy chocolates, drinking more water or green tea, and utilizing natural fat burners can help you get stronger and lose weight.

Setting goals is an important part of any strategy to getting fitter. Whether they are performance based or results based, any good goal for your health will include a concrete foundation of good nutritional choices. Exercise is important, but having attainable goals may lead you to make the important changes you need in your diet to get you over the hump. Daily intake of multivitamins, whey protein, and any number of healthy fatty acids will improve your odds at reaching your goals. Do it for your body. Do it for yourself. Do it for your goals.