Set and Achieve a Personal Fitness Goal

Proof required

Submit: (1) a written goal (one sentence: specific and measurable, e.g. 'I will be able to do 20 consecutive push-ups by week 8'), and (2) a video, timed result, or photo documenting your current ability at this goal (your starting point, not the target).

What gets checked

• Goal is specific and measurable — a goal that cannot be confirmed yes/no at the end of week 8 is too vague; 'run 2km without stopping' passes; 'improve my running' does not; 'do 20 push-ups in a row' passes; 'get stronger' does not
• Starting point is documented with the same evidence type as the planned final proof — if the final proof will be a video, the baseline must be a video; if a timed result, the baseline must be a timed result; different evidence types for baseline and final make progress unverifiable
• Goal is achievable in 8 weeks from the starting point — a goal requiring 2 years of training from the baseline is not appropriate; most achievable goals represent 2–3× the baseline performance over 8 weeks of consistent training

Common mistakes

• Setting a goal too vague to verify — 'be healthier', 'run more', 'get stronger' are not goals for this outcome; spend 10 minutes making the goal specific before starting training
• Setting a goal too easy — a goal achievable in week 1 does not represent meaningful 8-week development; the goal should require genuine effort and consistency across 8 weeks to achieve
• Not documenting the baseline in week 1 — starting training without a baseline makes it impossible to demonstrate progress at milestone 3; the baseline must be documented before training begins, not retrospectively

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• Check that the goal is specific and measurable — ask 'how will you know whether you've achieved this?' if the goal is vague; a correct answer names a specific test (number of repetitions, a timed distance, a held duration)
• Confirm the baseline uses the same evidence type as the planned final proof — a baseline video and a planned final proof of 'I can feel the improvement' are not compatible
• Check the goal is realistic in 8 weeks — a baseline of 0 push-ups and a goal of 50 consecutive push-ups is typically not achievable in 8 weeks; most progressions improve 2–3× from baseline; suggest adjusting if the goal appears unrealistic

Proof required

Submit: a training log covering 3 separate weeks of training toward your goal. Any format is acceptable: photos from sessions, a written log, a running app screenshot, or session notes. Show what you did, how many sessions per week, and how your performance is progressing.

What gets checked

• Covers 3 separate calendar weeks — the log must span at least 3 distinct calendar weeks; three sessions in a single week are 3 sessions, not 3 weeks; dates in the log should show progression across at least 21 days
• Training is specific to the goal — push-up training for a push-up goal, running training for a running goal; a log of gym sessions without record of the specific goal activity does not demonstrate goal-directed training
• Shows at least 2 sessions per week — training frequency is the primary predictor of improvement; at least 2 sessions per week in the goal activity is the minimum for meaningful 8-week progress

Common mistakes

• Starting training too late — beginning consistent training in week 5 of an 8-week block and expecting to achieve the goal by week 8 is optimistic; begin in week 1 and log consistently from the start
• Training inconsistently (2 weeks active, 2 weeks off) — two weeks off in the middle of the block significantly reduces the cumulative training effect; note any missed weeks in the log and adjust the final proof timeline accordingly
• Not tracking progress within training sessions — a log saying 'went for a run' without distance or duration is less useful than one showing '20-minute run, completed 1.8km'; tracking actual output reveals whether the trajectory will reach the goal by week 8

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• Check the log covers 3 separate calendar weeks — confirm the dates span at least 3 distinct weeks; entries all from the same 7-day period do not satisfy the requirement
• Verify the training is specific to the stated goal — push-up training for a push-up goal; running logs for a running goal
• Ask about current progress — 'how close are you to achieving the goal?' is a useful midpoint question; a student currently at 15/20 push-ups at week 4 is on track; a student at 9/20 at week 4 needs to increase training frequency

Proof required

Submit: a video of the achievement, a timed result from a GPS app or stopwatch, or a teacher/coach confirmation note — whichever matches the evidence type from your baseline. This should show the goal being achieved in a single attempt.

What gets checked

• Achievement is documented with the same evidence type as the baseline — if the baseline was a video, the final proof must be a video; switching evidence types makes comparison impossible
• Goal is fully achieved in a single attempt — a student whose goal was 20 consecutive push-ups must complete all 20 without stopping in the proof video; pausing and resuming does not pass
• Achievement matches the goal stated in milestone 1 — the proof must match the stated goal; achieving a related but different goal does not pass

Common mistakes

• Attempting the final proof too early without completing 8 weeks of training — the 8-week timeline exists because that is how long consistent training takes to produce the target improvement; attempting it in week 5 after 4 sporadic sessions typically fails
• Not filming the final attempt from the correct angle — the same camera angle as the baseline makes the comparison clear; for push-ups, arm extension must be visible; record every attempt that might be the achievement so the first successful one is documented
• Achieving the goal in a training session but not documenting it — improvements are only provable if documented; always record the attempt that might be the achievement

Resources

What a verifier looks for

• Compare the final proof with the baseline from milestone 1 — the baseline shows the starting ability; the final proof shows the goal achieved; if both are present, improvement is directly verifiable
• Check the evidence type matches the baseline — the same evidence type must be used for both; switching types makes direct comparison impossible
• Ask 'does this match the goal stated in week 1?' — confirm the achievement in the proof matches the specific goal (20 push-ups, 2km run, 2-minute plank); a related but different achievement does not satisfy the milestone