How Do You Define Fitness Progress? Finding Your Next Mountain
Have you ever looked back after months of training and wondered, Am I actually making progress?
Every few months, we aim to check in with our clients—not just to see how their workouts are going, but to ask that exact question.
It sounds simple.
But for many people, it’s surprisingly difficult to answer.
Progress Isn’t Always as Obvious as We Think
If you’ve recently completed an assessment at PI, your goals are usually clear because you’ve just spent time identifying what you want to accomplish.
Maybe it’s:
- Getting stronger
- Losing body fat
- Returning after an injury
- Improving athletic performance
- Feeling confident in your body again
But if you’ve been training with us for several years (and yes—we have many clients who have been with us for over 15 years!), defining progress can become surprisingly difficult.
Why?
Because progress changes.
The goal that motivated you when you started training may not be the same goal that motivates you today.
What Does Fitness Progress Actually Look Like?
Progress can mean different things to different people.
For one person, it might mean:
- Performing 10 push-ups
- Deadlifting your bodyweight
- Completing your first pull-up
- Hiking without knee pain
- Running your first race
- Competing in a HYROX event
For someone else, progress might look completely different:
- Sleeping better
- Having more energy
- Keeping up with grandchildren
- Consistently attending training three days per week
- Feeling stronger walking up stairs
- Feeling fit again after pregnancy
- Returning to favourite activities after a car injury
There is no single definition of success.
The important question is:
What does progress mean to you?
Are You a Metrics Person or a Big Picture Person?
One of the reasons people struggle to recognize progress is because we don’t all measure success the same way.
Some people are motivated by clear, measurable outcomes.
Others are motivated by how they feel and what they can do in everyday life.
Neither approach is better.
They are simply different.
The Metrics Person
This person loves measurable goals.
They enjoy having a target to chase:
- Perform 10 push-ups
- Complete their first pull-up
- Lose 10 pounds of body fat
- Bench press 100 pounds
- Walk 5 km
- Complete a race
Every milestone creates motivation.
For this person, progress often feels real when they can see a number improve.
The Big Picture Person
This person enjoys the process of training and notices changes that aren’t always easy to measure.
They recognize progress through things like:
- More energy
- Less pain
- Better posture
- Improved confidence
- Clothes fitting differently
- Feeling healthier and fitter
- Being able to do more in everyday life
They don’t necessarily need a specific number to know they’re improving.
And that’s perfectly okay.
Sometimes You Need a New Mountain to Climb
I’m personally more of a big picture person.
I love the process of becoming or staying fit, so sometimes I need to remind myself that some clients need a specific goal to chase in order to feel like they’re progressing.
One of our recent client check-ins reminded me of this.
About two months ago, Sajeeda achieved one of her biggest goals—performing 10 consecutive push-ups.
From our perspective, she was making incredible progress not just in her push-up strength, but in other areas too.
Her posture was better.
Her movement quality had improved.
She was stronger in almost every lift.
She was now ready to explore more advanced training that wasn’t appropriate when she first started, including heavier strength work, plyometrics, and exercises designed to continue improving strength, power, and bone density.
But from her perspective?
She had already climbed the mountain she had been focused on.
The progress was happening—but it wasn’t as obvious to her.
She needed a new mountain.
Your Next Goal Doesn’t Have to Be Bigger—It Just Has to Matter
We set up a client check-in meeting to help Sajeeda identify what the next meaningful challenge would be.
Because as coaches, our job isn’t to choose your goals.
Our job is to help you identify meaningful goals—and then help you recognize the progress you’re making along the way.
For the Metrics Person, that might mean helping you create a clear, measurable goal to work toward.
For the Big Picture Person, it might mean helping you recognize the many ways you’ve improved that you may have overlooked.
Sometimes progress isn’t about climbing faster.
Sometimes it’s about recognizing how far you’ve already climbed.
Your Next Step: Find Your Next Mountain
Take five minutes this week and ask yourself:
Why did I originally start exercising?
Have I accomplished that goal?
If yes:
What’s my next mountain?
Ask yourself:
- What does progress look like for me right now?
- Am I working toward something meaningful?
- What would feeling stronger, healthier, or more capable actually look like in my everyday life?
And if you’re not sure?
Book a client check-in.
Sometimes an outside perspective helps you recognize progress you’ve completely overlooked—and helps you identify the next challenge that matters to you.
Because progress isn’t just about reaching the top of the mountain.
It’s about knowing which mountain you want to climb next.
Coming Next…
Once you’ve identified your goal, the next challenge is understanding that progress is rarely a straight line.
There will be weeks where you feel stronger, healthier, and more confident.
There will also be setbacks, plateaus, and moments where it feels like you’re moving backwards.
Next week, we’ll explore Why Progress Is Never Linear—and why setbacks are often part of the process, not a sign that you’ve failed.
Not currently training with PI?
Book an assessment and tell us about your goals. We’ll help you identify your next mountain and build a plan to help you climb it.