GOAL-SETTING AND EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

In the past, goal-setting research in the exercise performance domain has been plagued with methodological problems, resulting in inconclusi ve support for the theory. This study attempts to overcome these probl ems and provide support for goal setting, as has been found in cogniti vely based tasks. Consistent with the predictions of the theory, the r esults show that specific, difficult goals lead to greater performance improvements than ''do your best'' goals or no goals. Further, partic ipants with higher goal commitment and more self-report personal goals had the highest rates of improvement. Neither variations in the imple mentation of specific, difficult goals nor self-handicapping explained much variance in exercise performance. Results are discussed in relat ion to the general efficacy of goal theory in the exercise performance domain.