By Connor | CrossFit Winnebago
A few months ago, I hit one of the biggest goals I’ve ever set for myself, running CrossFit Winnebago full time, with no other job to support my family. Three years of work, plenty of sweat and tears, and more support and accountability than I can count all went into making that happen.
And then I felt flat.
Not ungrateful. Not unhappy. Just… aimless. Like the thing that’d been pulling me forward every single day was suddenly gone. I started noticing it in small ways, less urgency in my mornings, less clarity about what I was working toward. It caught me off guard, honestly. I thought reaching the goal would feel like an arrival. Instead it felt more like the music stopped.
That experience got me thinking about goals, not just fitness goals, but the role they play in keeping us motivated, engaged, and moving forward in any area of life.
So I went looking for some answers.
What the Data Says
I came across a study that analyzed over one million MyFitnessPal users and the goals they set inside the app. The numbers are striking. Only 18% of users met their weight loss goals. Of that 18%, the biggest predictor of success wasn’t the size of the goal or even how hard they worked, it was consistency early on. The people who logged their food and tracked their weight regularly in the first week were significantly more likely to succeed in the long run.
The research also confirmed something most of us already know from experience: the goal itself matters. As the researchers put it, setting a good goal is critically important, too hard and you’ll get frustrated and quit, too easy and you’ll never unlock your real potential. And here’s the part that stuck with me most: despite how important goal-setting is, most apps and programs don’t offer much guidance in helping people find the right goal to begin with.
So when you look at the full picture, a few clear problems emerge:
- Fewer than 1 in 5 people achieve the fitness goals they set out for
- Early consistency is one of the strongest predictors of long-term success
- The right goal matters as much as the effort behind it
- Most tools leave people on their own to figure out what the right goal even is
What We Do at CFW
This is exactly why we do what we do at CrossFit Winnebago.
Every membership starts with a No Sweat Intro, a one-on-one goal setting conversation before you ever touch a barbell. We ask a few questions, we listen, and together we narrow down what actually matters most to you. From there, we set a clear, specific target to work toward in the next 90 days. Not a vague intention. A real goal with a real timeline.
And we don’t just send you on your way after that. We check back in. Goal reviews give us the chance to look at your progress, adjust the target if needed, and map out the next stretch of the road. It’s not complicated, small wins reinforce behavior change. Every time you hit a milestone, it confirms that what you’re doing is working, and that’s what keeps you moving.
Goals Are Fuel, Not Finish Lines
Looking back, the flatness I felt after hitting my big goal in January wasn’t a sign that something was wrong. It was a sign that I needed a new goal. The goal was never really the destination, it was the fuel. It’s the thing that gives each day a direction and each hard moment a reason.
That’s what we’re trying to build for every person who walks through our doors. Not just a workout. A trajectory.
If you don’t have a clear goal right now, or if the one you have feels too big, too vague, or too far away, come talk to us. That’s exactly what we’re here for.
Study referenced: Gordon, M.L., Althoff, T., & Leskovec, J. (2019). Goal-setting and achievement in activity tracking apps: A case study of MyFitnessPal. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7197296/
