Setting weight lifting goals

marissafit06

I've been lifting weights for a while now and I need to set more goals to keep myself motivated.

My initial goal was to squat my weight and eventually bench my weight.
Squat has been achieved, but bench is nowhere in site.
What are some manageable lifting goals people have used to make sure they feel a sense of accomplishment and don't quit?

Willbenchforcupcakes

Well, right now, for squats and deads I'm just working towards being able to hit the correct percentages in my training sessions. I'm hitting between the right percentage of my working maxes and true maxes so I'm not unhappy right now.

Bench? Every brutal bench day I write down my gold, platinum and diamond goals for the platform in two months. I know I can hit my gold target as long as I stay focused, but platinum and diamond are a huge stretch. Seeing those numbers up on the board drives me and pushes me to trust the program and hit my numbers so that I can bench to my absolute best.

DopeItUp

It's always a moving target. Hit one, on to the next. Even another 5lbs is cause for celebration eventually.

armylife

@marissafit06 are you currently lifting on a specific program?

FrankWhite27330

Well.. my goal deadlift 4 plates each side. But I need to rep 315 10x first. Huge goal for me. Then rep 225 on bench 10x. Right now I got it 4x

lisalsd1

Deadlift & squat my weight, then my husband's weight (deadlift accomplished; still working on the squat, but I just keep adding 5 lbs until I get there. I'm only about 20+lbs from there). Now, to deadlift 2xBW. Just set one large goal, and appreciate the 5-10lbs increases along the way.

McCloud33

I've used the strength standards to see where I am and to set new goals for myself. http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.htm

marissafit06

McCloud33 wrote: »

I've used the strength standards to see where I am and to set new goals for myself. http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.htm

This is really helpful thanks.

marissafit06

armylife wrote: »

@marissafit06 are you currently lifting on a specific program?

Yea, I follow a program. It's just somewhat monotonous and while adding weight provides some sense of accomplishment. I feel like there is less of a goal in sight than with cardio where I can train for a specific race with a specific pace. Goal setting is important for me to maintain interest in something.

armylife

I can understand that, the reason I asked about the program is because they sometimes come with benchmarks. You could apply the same thrill of competing in racing to your lifting and go to a local meet.

jemhh

I follow 5/3/1. My daily goal is to meet or surpass the number of reps I previously did for the same weight on + sets. Then my goal is to raise my training max each cycle. I don't really have 1RM goals.

My other goals tend to be non-numerical. For example, this year I've worked really hard to just improve on squats, which was my most difficult lift. Improvement to me meant getting to the point where I didn't dread every squat workout and come out of them feeling dispirited because they went so poorly. I'm there now; I actually enjoyed my squat workout yesterday. It's way more touchy feely than I generally tend to be but that was huge for me.

shor0814

Lifting goals tend to be arbitrary. You can try setting a 3 lift total a couple months down the road and take a week to test your 1RM for each lift to see if you made it.

Set a realistic goal by doing one set of as many clean reps as you can and calculate your 1RM. Now you have a rough baseline to work from. Maybe set a near term goal of actually lifting each of your calculated 1RM at the end of the month.

I am aiming for a 3, 4, and 5 plate max by the end of the year which is 1215 total. Confident on the squat and bench but my deadlift is a bit shaky depending on the week.

denelifet

jemhh wrote: »

My other goals tend to be non-numerical. For example, this year I've worked really hard to just improve on squats, which was my most difficult lift. Improvement to me meant getting to the point where I didn't dread every squat workout and come out of them feeling dispirited because they went so poorly. I'm there now; I actually enjoyed my squat workout yesterday. It's way more touchy feely than I generally tend to be but that was huge for me.

lmao!!! I still dread squatting (knee surgery makes for a mental game)....but there are so many benefits to it that I feel guilty leaving it out...so I press onward!

I've met my goal with squats at 145 lbs tho....now to add more reps to it without being a puss...

Deadlifts are far more fun for me...with a bad back it's been a long journey but just completed a 1RM of 195 lbs...i'll try for 200 in a week or so....

Bench press is a whole bag of beans....I switched over to dumbbell incline press to perhaps build up shoulders as well....and managed to lift 40 lb dumbbells for 3 sets....next week i'll grudgingly ask for a spotter and attempt 45's if my elbow holds up...

do I sound old??? lmao!!!!!!! I got a lot of aches n pains here....

Sam_I_Am77

marissafit06 wrote: »

I've been lifting weights for a while now and I need to set more goals to keep myself motivated.

My initial goal was to squat my weight and eventually bench my weight.
Squat has been achieved, but bench is nowhere in site.
What are some manageable lifting goals people have used to make sure they feel a sense of accomplishment and don't quit?

Lifting goals are really going to relevant to the individual. My best suggestion would be to establish your long-term goal and then set short-term goals as well. For instance a longer-term goal for me is to squat 455lbs for 5 reps. BUT, I know that I have to first squat 400 for 5 and 410 for 5, and so on before I can get there. Plus having the short-term goals will help keep you motivated because you'll have some sense of achievement along the way. Just make sure your training and nutrition accommodates your goals.