How to create a goal contract
Once you have gone through each of these steps, now it is time to put all of the pieces together into a goal contract. Think of this as you would a recipe; you’ve already figured out the ingredients and the quantities, now you need to provide instructions on how you put these ingredients together with the set quantities in order to achieve your goal. When all done, it should look something like this:
Goal Contract:
It is October 2026 and, I Bob Hall will hike the Kalalau Trail in Hawaii with a 30 lb pack in under 11 hours with no more than 3/10 pain.
Agreement between: Bob Hall, Mickey Hall, and Elise Matthews - Effective Jan 20th 2026
Bob’s objective for phase 1 of 2026 is to start training to establish a good training base for his hike in October.
Phase 1: Feb-April 2026: Implement a regular training schedule
Phase 1 Objectives
Details of Bob’s specific Phase 1 objectives are as follows
2x week strength training on Monday and Thursday
Daily walking minimum of 15 minutes in the morning before work (increasing walking time by 1 minute every other week)
1x week hike minimum of 45 minutes on Saturday morning (increasing hiking time by 3-4 minutes each week)
2x week myofacial release minimum of 1 minute on Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, and Calves (in the evening before bed)
Phase 1 Consequences
Details of Bob’s specific consequences are as follows:
Bob will get to watch his favorite TV in the evenings on days he completes his morning walks and / or myofascial release (he can watch as he does his myofascial release)
Bob will not vape on the weekends if he does not complete his hike.
Bob will not be able to listen to music for a week if he skips his strength training sessions
To hold Bob accountable he will report the following:
Phase 1 Accountability
Bob will be held accountable by the following means:
Bob will log his daily walks, hike, and Myofascial release sessions on his Apple watch and share his workouts with Elise
Bob will record all workouts in his training log
Bob will give his remote, airpods, and/or vape pen to Mickey to lock in the safe for the length of consequence for any missed session.
Bob’s objective for phase 2 of 2026 is to improve both his strength and aerobic capacity.
Phase 2: May - July 2026: Progressive overload
Phase 2 Objectives
Details of Bob’s specific Phase 2 objectives are as follows
Maintain 2x week training with Elise tracking and increasing intensity of workouts to an RPE of 7/10.
Daily walking minimum of 20 minutes in the morning before work starting with 10 lb vest increasing weight by 1 lb every week.
1x week hike minimum of 90 minutes on Saturday morning (with pack weight matching daily walking weight)
2x week myofacial release minimum of 1 minute on Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, and Calves (in the evening before bed)
Finish strength training days with 15 minute pace tempo walk on treadmill alternating walking at 3 mph 4% grade for 2 minutes then 4.5 mph 4% for 30 seconds, each week increase the 4.5 mph walking time interval by 5 seconds and reduce the 3 mph walking time by 5 seconds
Phase 2 Consequences
Details of Bob’s specific consequences are as follows:
Bob will get to watch his favorite TV show if he completes his morning walks and / or myofascial release
Bob will not vape for a week if he does not complete his hike.
Bob will not get to have coffee the next morning if he misses a strength training
To hold Bob accountable he will report the following:
Phase 2 Accountability
Bob will be held accountable by the following means:
Bob will log his daily walks, hike, and Myofascial release sessions on his Apple watch and share his workouts with Elise
Bob will record all workouts in his training log
Bob will give his remote, airpods, and/or vape pen to Mickey to lock in the safe for the length of consequence for any missed session.
Micky will hide the coffee if Elise texts that Bob missed his workout
Bob’s objective for phase 3 of 2026 is to continue to improve both his strength and aerobic capacity while finalizing his preparation for his upcoming hike.
Phase 3: August-October 2026: Hike preparation
Phase 3 Objectives
Details of Bob’s specific Phase 3 objectives are as follows
Maintain 2x week training with Elise tracking and increasing intensity of workouts to an RPE of 8/10.
Daily walking minimum of 30 minutes in the morning before work starting with 30 lb vest.
1x week hike minimum of 240 minutes on Saturday morning (with 30 lb pack increasing hiking time by 30 minutes every week)
2x week myofacial release minimum of 1 minute on Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, and Calves (in the evening before bed)
Finish strength training days with 20 minute pace tempo walk on treadmill with a 30 lb pack alternating walking at 3 mph 4% grade for 1 minutes then 4.5 mph 4% for 2 minutes, each week increase the 4.5 mph walking time interval by 5 seconds and reduce the 3 mph walking time by 5 seconds.
Experiment with nutrition during his long weekend hike, consuming a 200-300 calorie carbohydrate rich snack every 60-90 minutes. Drink 4 oz water with electrolyte mix every 20 minutes during the hike
Phase 3 Consequences
Details of Bob’s specific consequences are as follows:
Bob will get to watch his favorite TV show if he completes his morning walks and / or myofascial release
Bob will not vape for a week if he does not complete his hike.
Bob will not get to have coffee the next morning if he misses a strength training session.
Bob will get to go out to his favorite restaurant for a big lunch after his hike if he successfully times his nutrition.
To hold Bob accountable he will report the following:
Phase 3 Accountability
Bob will be held accountable by the following means:
Bob will log his daily walks, hike, and Myofascial release sessions on his Apple watch and share his workouts with Elise
Bob will record all workouts in his training log
Bob will give his remote, airpods, and/or vape pen to Mickey to lock in the safe for the length of consequence for any missed session.
Micky will hide the coffee if Elise texts that Bob missed his workout
Micky and/or Elise will join Bob for his post hike lunch and discuss
