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A client has just come to me to ask whether I can do him a training programme for the London marathon. He is already a runner, well, more of a jogger actually, but that's OK, because he has about six months until the race to get into proper shape. Plenty of time.

If you don't know where you're going, how will you know if you've got there?
Now if I was a bit of a cowboy personal trainer, I might just print off my client (let's call him Dave) a training programme which tells him what days to run and how many miles to cover between now and April, take the money and run. But lucky for Dave, I am not.

In my opinion, giving someone instructions like this, without having spent some time finding out a little about his current fitness, his aims, his lifestyle and so on, is like giving someone directions when you haven't even asked them where they want to go. So Dave and I will be flexing a bit of mental muscle before we go near his trainers (thank goodness, because they don't half pong!).

Where are you now?
I need to know where he is now in the fitness stakes. For example, is this recent spurt of jogging the first time he's exercised in years, or has he always kept active? Has he had any injuries? When did he last have a check-up at the doctors? Is he aware of any health problems?

Then I need to get him to try a few tests so I can see for myself how fit he is. Even though he wants to be a long-distance runner, I still need to assess his strength and flexibility, as these both have an influence on his running efficiency, injury resistance and overall health and fitness. Once I've done that, I have a clearer picture of Dave - a snapshot of where he is now.

Destination, please!
But where does he want to go? To the finish line of the London Marathon is where. That will be on Sunday 23 April. So, we work back from that date to the present date to see how much time we've got, and what we need to do with it.

The next thing I need to know (Dave is getting really bored now! He thought he was going to get a workout, not the Spanish Inquisition!) is what his aims are. Does he want to get round in three hours or five hours? Or does he just want to get round in one piece? And just as importantly, how much time does he think he can commit to training?

It's all very well him saying he wants to break three hours, but if he can only train three times a week and is going on holiday for a fortnight in January, well, it's not very likely. All this information gathering is absolutely crucial in putting together a programme that is going to be effective, enjoyable and ultimately successful.

SMART training
Once I've found out what Dave's goals are, we put them through the S.M.A.R.T. assessment. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, Time-framed - and all goals should be formed with this in mind.

Let's have a go.

• Is Dave's goal specific?
  Yes, he wants to run the London Marathon in 2006.
• Is the goal measurable?
  Yes! He'll know if he's achieved it all right, when he's flat out under a foil blanket with a medal round his neck!
• Is the goal agreed?
  Now, this one means was he part of the process of goal forming and the important point here is that I didn't just come along and set the goal for him. If you are working with a coach or a trainer, goals should be agreed between you, not inflicted upon you.
• Is the goal realistic?
  Well, since Dave is already reasonably active, doesn't have any injuries and has said he is happy to get round in any old time, I'd say it was a realistic goal.
• Is the goal time-framed?
  Yes, the goal date is April 23rd.

If you have goals (sports related or not) - put them through the SMART test to see if they fit the bill. All businesses use this when they are planning how to get their share of the market or make their next buck...

Introducing periodization
An ugly word, but a pretty good concept. Periodization is all about dividing up the time you have into 'chunks', each which has its own specific purpose or aim, and each one laying the foundation for the next one, like building blocks.

As an example, I wouldn't get Dave to go out and do a 25 mile run next Sunday - I'd find out what his current running distance was and gradually build up his stamina by adding a little to it each week.

It's the same with anything in life, really. You start where you are, and then you take small, logical steps to get where you want to go. To see periodization in action, have a look at the training schedule I came up with for Dave.

One size doesn't fit all
But there are two important points to make here. First off, this programme isn't set in stone. If Dave is having the week from hell, then he may have to be flexible about his training and fit in what he can. Just because it says do 5 x 800m reps, the world won't fall apart if he skips it and goes for a 30 minute jog instead.

Your training has to fit in to your life, not take it over. And secondly, just because this is a great plan for Dave, it doesn't mean it's any good for you, your Dad or your best mate. No single plan fits everyone, you have to take individual needs, ability and preferences into account.

Have a plan
Periodization can work for any task or goal you have. It's just a posh word for planning! Imagine you wanted to enter a battle of the bands competition in six months' time. What would be your first priority? Maybe getting the band members together and ensuring that everyone mastered the instrument they wanted to play. You could call that period of individual practice the first, say, 8-week block of the periodized plan.

Next, you might want to get everyone together and start jamming, coming up with a few possible songs and some lyrics. That would be your next time block - say another 8 weeks. Then you'd need to hone in on the songs you wanted to perform at the gig and really make them good. So the next block of time would be spent practising just those songs.

Finally, with just a short time left before the competition, you might want to schedule in some rehearsal gigs, in front of mates, for example, and you'd need to think about the band's image, clothing and name. Come the big day, you'd be as ready as you'll ever be! Same as Dave...