How did you choose your fitness goals?

SapiensPisces

Just curious about those of you with specific fitness goals and how you set them.

Did you have a particular task that you wanted to accomplish and train to be able to do that?

Did you have a particular physique you wanted and train to achieve that?

Was it some combination of both or other?

Did you aim for a long term goal, short term goal, or both? How did you go about setting up your expectations?

seltzermint555

I would love to be able to provide more thoughtful and specific answers to your questions. They are great Q's.

I don't have any specific fitness goals though. Basically just "anything is an improvement" from when I was at my HW of 307 lb and feeling winded from walking up stairs at the Amtrak station on a business trip. That's my fitness low point.

Being able to walk long distances, and jog a bit...that makes me feel good. Learning to run, if only a bit...that's on the horizon.

I rode a bike last year for the first time since my teen years. Now I want to be less afraid of riding on real streets.

I started messing around with some cheap tennis rackets as something fun to do with my husband. I want to get better.

Feeling fitter is nice. Lifting boxes at work (even though my job is a desk position and mostly sedentary) is nice to be able to do, and to even have people commenting "You lift properly with your legs, good job". Stuff like that is a win to me after being so clueless and weak. I'm still pretty pathetic strength wise for a healthy 30-something woman but I aim to improve always.

meshashesha2012

i divide my goals up by
- things that are strength related (ie being able to do x# of pullup, lifting X amount of weight)
- things are conditioning related (ie being able to run a 5k, improving 1 mile run by x%, able to row x mters in y amount of time)
- things that are mobility related (ie increase in flexibility, doing a handstand)

janeite1990

My husband really wanted to learn to dive and he wanted me to do it with him so I gave him lessons for Christmas two years ago. I knew I'd never be able to do it if I didn't exercise, and the whole thing really scared me. It was one way to be in control of the process. The more I exercised, the better I felt and I lost more weight than I expected, and so I kept at it. I've stopped for a few weeks here and there, but overall, I'm healthier now than I used to be, so I'm happy with that.

Now, I set me goals as I decide I want something. To do more pushups, to run farther, etc.

LoraF83

When I started working out and losing weight, my main fitness goal was to not die during a workout :laugh:

Then, as things started to progress, I found events I wanted to train for and worked towards those. I started with a 5k. Once I did my first one, it became about increasing my mileage and speed. Then, I trained for/ran a mud race. Then a 36 story stair climb. Then a 10k. Then a half-marathon. Now, it's an overnight relay race.

For me, having an event on the horizon keeps me going, keeps me motivated. I want to do things that other people can't. I want to do them fairly well too. That keeps me working hard.

I don't really set specific goals for lifting. I just kind of let it progress. I had a lot of great strength gains when I first started and that was nice, but now it's more about staying strong and slowly improving.

Hope that makes sense! :flowerforyou:

Joreanasaurous

The number one item on my bucket was to hike to Machu Picchu in Peru.... So I decided I was going to do it. And that meant getting fit.

Along the way in getting fit and healthier I found other goals as well. I ran the first mile of my life and decided I liked it and wanted to run a half and a full. I did a mud run and got addicted. I discovered I enjoyed lifting weights. Honestly, my goals are constantly evolving and changing. So it is hard to answer.

But Peru was the catalyst.

WhoHa42

Started playing football so I had to get stronger.

Got injured and couldn't play anymore so I switched to powerlifting.

Got tired of being fat so I dropped weight while still powerlifting.

Walter__

I hate cardio so I refuse to do it.

I like getting stronger so I picked up lifting. I actually enjoy it very much so it is a long term thing for me.

Otterluv

Sorry, I'm late to the party.

My overarching goals are to be able to do the outdoor activities that I love, without being held back by any fitness deficiencies. It's all about the adventures. For example, late next summer I am planning on backpacking the Southern trail at Olympic Park, in WA. There are parts of that trail that require you to be able to scale a rope ladder with a heavy pack on, go up some muddy/steep spots with the help of a rope dangling down, balance and hike across slippery boulders along the shore, climb over/under large driftwood trees. It's an ADVENTURE. I'm also planning on a rigorous backpacking trip in Crater Lake, which is at elevation. There are other fun things I want to do, too. Anyway, those things mean that I need to be strong, have good cardio endurance, and be at a decent weight to help with maneuverability in sometimes tight spaces.

Knowing that those are my goals, I have worked on figuring out good ways to be able to get me there. Trail running for cardio endurance, heavy lifting for strength, and eating at a deficit. Within those activities I have worked out individual goals as well that are measurable and incremental.

livingleanlivingclean

when I started losing weight (properly, with a sustainable lifestyle change not yo-yoing on silly diets) I trained because it would get me closer to my goal size/weight. I didn't care what I looked like, I was fixated on the size and number.

the more I trained, the more I liked seeing my muscles becoming more prominent, so I became more interested in the training....then got in to bodybuilding. my goal at the moment is to grow so that when I get on stage next time, I will be bigger than my previous comps.

after I've prepped and done my shows next year, my goals will change depending on what I choose to do. if I think i'll compete again, i'll continue to try and grow and make improvements to lagging areas. if I don't, i'll focus on maintaining a level of bf% I feel comfortable with, whilst probably losing some muscle intentionally.