Goal for deadlifts and squats

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Raegold
Raegold Posts: 191 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all... I'm new to 'lifting', have recently been working on some functional exercises, and I'm trying to figure out what my goal should be for deadlifts and squats. I'm not looking for hardcore, unmaintainable hypertrophy, I'm really looking for functional strength. I've already been doing Pilates and kettlebell classes, but now I'm adding in heavier weights and different movements.

I'm 34, a stay at home mom, was a nurse... 5'3, 135 lbs. I was thinking like 50 lbs as a goal for both deadlifts and squats...? I have a SI injury from childbirth in 2012, so I don't want to push things too much. I usually do RDL or sumo DL and goblet squats (usually in my home gym, only have dumbells).

Any insight would be much appreciated!!!
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Replies

  • Frankenbarbie01
    Frankenbarbie01 Posts: 432 Member
    edited July 2017
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    http://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards/female/lb

    The Olympic bar weighs 45lbs =)
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    As heavy as you reasonably can? I mean, goals are great but you'll find that once you hit them you'll immediately want to hit new goals. It's just the way it is.

    As far as a reasonable first goal, I don't know, 135lbs? 50lbs is very light, I guarantee you can do it already.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
    edited July 2017
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    50 lbs is a bit light. I understand SI joint dysfunction sucks and you need to be careful though...

    I'm 5'4" and 135. My next deadlift goal is 350 and squat 260. But I started with the bar (45 lbs) a couple years ago.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    The lower body is much, MUCH stronger than most people realize. I bet you $5 you can already squat and DL 50lb already.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    i just had a sacroiliac quirk thanks to a pelvic rotation for the first part of this year, so i'm still twitchy about anything that could mess with that joint. not sure what an 'injury' could be, but i can well understand your caution.

    with that said, i think that whatever weight feels reasonable and attainable to you is a good goal to start with. there are more objective-type standards charts out there, based on factors like age, gender and body-weight. but if you don't fit into the demographic group that they're based on/addressed to, then they're sort of irrelevant.

    for reference: i'm your height and weight, but 18 years older than you and certainly think 50lbs is achievable. all other factors being equal i don't think it's anywhere near what you're probably capable of once you gain some experience. but go to 50 and then once you get there take stock and see how you feel about it. the typical process with most progressive strength training programmes is not so much about lifting a specific weight as a finite goal. it's a lot more about the incremental differences between weights or volumes from one workout and the next.

    and when in doubt about the s.i. - find a trainer or possibly a physiotherapist to work with you.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    50lb is likely to be problematic with deadlift unless you have access to bumper plates. The bar itself is 20kg/45lb and the plates needed to bring it up to 50lb are tiny meaning it'll be hard to get the bar to the right height.

    I'm slightly shorter than you at 5'1" but also heavier at 157lb and my very first target for deadlift was 60kg/135lb so i could use the big plates and then not need to use anything to raise the bar to the correct height. Then my target was bodyweight (which was higher than it is now) and now it's 100kg (I'm at 98.5kg but have a mental block).

    With squats the lighter weights don't affect form in the same way, but bodyweight still seems to be a good starting target. My new target is to hit intermediate level on strengthlevel.com which varies depending on weight and age.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
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    First goal should be to squat the bar (45lbs)...deadlift 65lbs (bar + 10lb bumper plates). After that...the sky is the limit.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
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    The goal is always "more weight". Given a proper linear progression, and presuming no injuries, you should be able to squat your bodyweight and deadlift 185 lbs in less than a year.
  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
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    My big goal right now is to squat body weight (half way there - this is a hard lift for me), and and deadlift body weight (10 lbs short!). Intimately, I'll be really excited to squat 250 lbs and deadlift over 300 lbs.

    But what are your goals? Do you just want to be a trim, happy person? Or do you want to compete in powerlifting or something of the sort? Why you lift weight will effect how much you want to lift.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    Raegold wrote: »
    I'm really looking for functional strength.

    If you're trying to stay strong for everyday tasks, don't feel pressured to lift more than around half your bodyweight, since that's rarely experienced in daily life. Most injuries outside the gym involve relatively light loads, but in unexpected or untrained movements. Developing overkill strength can't compensate for skill deficits. With that in mind, i would keep doing goblets & RDLs, and add dumbbell squats, where you hold 2 dumbbells down between your thighs. Very practical lift. Lunges & farmer's carries are also good to add, to train stability while moving. :+1:
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Cherimoose wrote: »

    If you're trying to stay strong for everyday tasks, don't feel pressured to lift more than around half your bodyweight, since that's rarely experienced in daily life. Most injuries outside the gym involve relatively light loads, but in unexpected or untrained movements. Developing overkill strength can't compensate for skill deficits. With that in mind, i would keep doing goblets & RDLs, and add dumbbell squats, where you hold 2 dumbbells down between your thighs. Very practical lift. Lunges & farmer's carries are also good to add, to train stability while moving. :+1:

    Ignore all of the above quoted text.

    Being stronger prevents injuries by strengthening not only muscles, but all those ligaments, tendons, and bones that hold you together. Someone who can deadlift one hundred pounds is going to have to exert more of their total power on ANY lift off the floor than the person who can deadlift two hundred pounds.
  • Raegold
    Raegold Posts: 191 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Cherimoose wrote: »
    Raegold wrote: »
    I'm really looking for functional strength.

    If you're trying to stay strong for everyday tasks, don't feel pressured to lift more than around half your bodyweight, since that's rarely experienced in daily life. Most injuries outside the gym involve relatively light loads, but in unexpected or untrained movements. Developing overkill strength can't compensate for skill deficits. With that in mind, i would keep doing goblets & RDLs, and add dumbbell squats, where you hold 2 dumbbells down between your thighs. Very practical lift. Lunges & farmer's carries are also good to add, to train stability while moving. :+1:

    Thank you for the advice! I am trying to stay strong for my everyday life- kids, groceries, etc. I'm not looking to do any sort of competitions at all. I think that lifting my body weight wouldn't really be helpful, and I'd probably end up injuring myself since my left SI is unstable.

    When you say dumbbell squats with the dumbells between your thighs, do you mean in a sumo type stance?

    I've been doing curtsy and reverse lunges with 10-15lbs, and walking lunges carrying asymmetrical loads. Have not done farmers carries, but I'll look that up tonight. Thanks!!
  • Raegold
    Raegold Posts: 191 Member
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    deputy_randolph wrote: »
    First goal should be to squat the bar (45lbs)...deadlift 65lbs (bar + 10lb bumper plates). After that...the sky is the limit.

    Thanks, that definitely makes sense!

  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    Since you mentioned hypertrophy, I think someone should point out that's very unlikely for a woman to develop by accident. You can lift heavy and not worry about turning into She Hulk. Very few women naturally have the hormones to develop huge muscles.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    Raegold wrote: »
    When you say dumbbell squats with the dumbells between your thighs, do you mean in a sumo type stance?

    I've been doing curtsy and reverse lunges with 10-15lbs, and walking lunges carrying asymmetrical loads. Have not done farmers carries, but I'll look that up tonight. Thanks!!

    Asymmetrical-load walking lunges & farmers carries are excellent complements to squats & deadlifts. Loaded stair climbs are great too. I'd skip the curtsy lunges. The hips & knees really aren't designed to bend that way with a heavy load, so it can be hard on them. For lateral training, side lunges are much better..

    Yes, the DB squat is sort of like a sumo. Typically the feet are just wide enough to accommodate your arms, which are parallel to each other, sort of like this:

    cyRtybv.jpg
  • Okiludy
    Okiludy Posts: 558 Member
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    Cherimoose wrote: »
    Raegold wrote: »
    I'm really looking for functional strength.

    If you're trying to stay strong for everyday tasks, don't feel pressured to lift more than around half your bodyweight, since that's rarely experienced in daily life. Most injuries outside the gym involve relatively light loads, but in unexpected or untrained movements. Developing overkill strength can't compensate for skill deficits. With that in mind, i would keep doing goblets & RDLs, and add dumbbell squats, where you hold 2 dumbbells down between your thighs. Very practical lift. Lunges & farmer's carries are also good to add, to train stability while moving. :+1:

    So you are saying someone who can lift 1.25x or even 1.5x body weight has "overkill" strength and would be just as likely being injured lifting a 20lbs object than someone who could not even lift their own body weight?

    If that's the case then I strongly disagree with that statement. A person with your "overkill" strength might make the same mistakes lifting an object as a weak person. It's just they are more likely to not injure themselves doing it because said weight is a much lower percentage of what they can lift.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Okiludy wrote: »
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    Raegold wrote: »
    I'm really looking for functional strength.

    If you're trying to stay strong for everyday tasks, don't feel pressured to lift more than around half your bodyweight, since that's rarely experienced in daily life. Most injuries outside the gym involve relatively light loads, but in unexpected or untrained movements. Developing overkill strength can't compensate for skill deficits. With that in mind, i would keep doing goblets & RDLs, and add dumbbell squats, where you hold 2 dumbbells down between your thighs. Very practical lift. Lunges & farmer's carries are also good to add, to train stability while moving. :+1:

    So you are saying someone who can lift 1.25x or even 1.5x body weight has "overkill" strength and would be just as likely being injured lifting a 20lbs object than someone who could not even lift their own body weight?

    If that's the case then I strongly disagree with that statement. A person with your "overkill" strength might make the same mistakes lifting an object as a weak person. It's just they are more likely to not injure themselves doing it because said weight is a much lower percentage of what they can lift.

    Bingo.

    Strength is never a weakness.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    Okiludy wrote: »
    So you are saying someone who can lift 1.25x or even 1.5x body weight has "overkill" strength and would be just as likely being injured lifting a 20lbs object than someone who could not even lift their own body weight?

    Nope, i'm saying that people who squat more than 1/2 their bodyweight can and do get injured due to skill deficits, so before progressing past 1/2 bodyweight squats, diversify the training to ensure that skills improve at the same rate as strength. There are people who can squat 1x bodyweight but can't do a walking lunge with a 1/4 bodyweight dumbbell in one hand without toppling sideways. That's a red flag.

    Once the weight increases past a certain point, the functional benefits start leveling off, and there's an increased risk of training injuries & burnout. So like with running, having huge lifting goals isn't realistic for everyone.. especially those with orthopedic issues like the OP. Fortunately it doesn't require a lot of weight to have good functional capacity. :+1:

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