Good weightlifting goals for women

Squatsandbench
Squatsandbench Posts: 24 Member
edited November 19 in Fitness and Exercise
So I have started SL 5X5/ Starting strength.
I will train MWF doing; Squats, bench press, deadlift and then Squats, push press and deadlift. After a while I will change one deadlift day to the power clean.
I was thinking that a good long-term strength goal might be:
Squat 1.25 x my BW
Deadlift 1.5 x my BW
Bench/press 0.60 x my BW and
Actually learn the power clean!

Does this sound reasonable?

I can already deadlift 72kg which is just over my BW

Any thoughts?

Replies

  • Luna3386
    Luna3386 Posts: 888 Member
    Good goals!
  • Squatsandbench
    Squatsandbench Posts: 24 Member
    Thanks!
  • Squatsandbench
    Squatsandbench Posts: 24 Member
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    your goal should be to be a little bit stronger today than you were yesterday. progression matters , the # on the bar doesn't.
    Very, very true :blush:

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    You may find this interesting.
    http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html

    Personally, as long as I am progressing I am happy.

    Cheers, h.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    I agree with @middlehaitch, as long as I am improving, I'm stoked!
  • Squatsandbench
    Squatsandbench Posts: 24 Member
    Yeah I agree actually. I will have them as background general ideas but will focus on improving each time
  • elizabethmcopeland
    elizabethmcopeland Posts: 167 Member
    This is also a useful tool: https://symmetricstrength.com/
  • Squatsandbench
    Squatsandbench Posts: 24 Member
    elizabethmcopeland wrote: »
    This is also a useful tool: https://symmetricstrength.com/
    Great site - thanks


  • Squatsandbench
    Squatsandbench Posts: 24 Member
    Also, is it worth me establishing 1RM
    I have lifted prior to this but I am starting from the beginning
    Last month I established my 1RM for the deadlift - which is 72kg
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Squatsandbench wrote: »
    Also, is it worth me establishing 1RM
    I have lifted prior to this but I am starting from the beginning
    Last month I established my 1RM for the deadlift - which is 72kg

    Unless you are competing, there's no need to try for a 1RM. You can do it if you want to but it's not a requirement in order to get stronger.
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
    I never go for 1RM, no reason to.
    Like others have said, numbers don't matter, progression does
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Squatsandbench wrote: »
    Also, is it worth me establishing 1RM
    I have lifted prior to this but I am starting from the beginning
    Last month I established my 1RM for the deadlift - which is 72kg

    Unless you are competing, there's no need to try for a 1RM. You can do it if you want to but it's not a requirement in order to get stronger.

    i never went for a 1rm until i started competing. Its really hard to get a true 1rm until you have mastered the form and technique for the lift and worked past the newbie stages, and that takes a while . It was that desire to know my 1rm that got me into powerlifting and competing.
  • Okiludy
    Okiludy Posts: 558 Member
    Having goals is great idea but I just want to see 10lbs on squat/deadlift and 5lbs on bench/press. If I do that things are working.

    By the way great job on lifting and picking a great program. To many women I see don't want to do barbell exercises. It's awesome when they do! Now if I could just get my wife motivated to do it.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    This isn't SL 5x5...where are the OHP and rows? Also, SL has you adding weight each session, so that is your goal, to progress each week until you plateau and then change up your program.
  • Okiludy
    Okiludy Posts: 558 Member
    edited July 2017
    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    This isn't SL 5x5...where are the OHP and rows? Also, SL has you adding weight each session, so that is your goal, to progress each week until you plateau and then change up your program.

    No it's Starting Strength, the one the guy from SL ripped off (personal opinion sorry if it ruffles feathers). Here are the basics:

    Phase 1

    WORKOUT A
    Squat 3×5 – work set
    Press 3×5 – work set
    Deadlift 1×5 – work set
    WORKOUT B
    Squat 3×5 – work set
    Bench 3×5 – work set
    Deadlift 1×5 – work set

    Phase 2

    WORKOUT A
    Squat 3×5 – work set
    Press 3×5 – work set
    Deadlift 1×5 – work set
    WORKOUT B
    Squat 3×5 – workout set
    Bench Press 3×5 – workout set
    Power Cleans 5×3 – workout set

    Moving from Phase 1 to 2 can take months. After phase 2 you start doing more assistance work. The book "Starting Strength" is considered by many the go to book on form for compound movements. Even if you don't follow his program. I do not as I don't follow his diet recomendations as I am already overweight. That part is more for hard gainers I think.

    In terms of linear progression it is the same as SL, except the idea of deloads is introduced to keep pushing the progression.

    Look up Mark Rippetoe and you'll see what he has done in strength sports. Some of the videos on youtube with him for different lifts are pretty damn good.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    Aim for BIG long term goals, such as bodyweight bench press, 1.5 bodyweight squats, and twice bodyweight deadlifts.

    Make sure you put a LOT of milestones along the way - celebrate getting to bodyweight deads, or adding another 45 lb plate to the bar.

    http://i.imgur.com/vrayEAz.png has a a pile of different fitness achievements - some are not safe for work (or, apparently, MFP) so use at your own peril.
  • VeronicaA76
    VeronicaA76 Posts: 1,116 Member
    Squatsandbench wrote: »
    So I have started SL 5X5/ Starting strength.
    I will train MWF doing; Squats, bench press, deadlift and then Squats, push press and deadlift. After a while I will change one deadlift day to the power clean.
    I was thinking that a good long-term strength goal might be:
    Squat 1.25 x my BW
    Deadlift 1.5 x my BW
    Bench/press 0.60 x my BW and
    Actually learn the power clean!

    Does this sound reasonable?

    I can already deadlift 72kg which is just over my BW

    Any thoughts?

    My weightlifting goal: to do 90° planch push-ups, then sping board into a pistol squat!

    And yes, that sound very reasonable. So long as you're doing this for yourself.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    I've really struggled with the upper body stuff, my bench and OHP are way behind my squats and deadlifts (been told it's because us females don't really use those movements as much but whatever) so you may also find progress slower in those lifts.

    My goals are fairly similar but I'm working on getting all my lifts up from Novice to Intermediate (on strengh levels) along with %s

    Deadlift : 1.5xbw (at 1.38x/100kg)
    Squat : 1.25xbw (at 1x/73kg)
    OHP : 0.5xbw (at 0.38x/28kg)
    Bench : 0.75xbw (0.59xbw/43kg)

    I've still got another 15lb or so to lose so hopefully my percentages will go up a tiny bit even without adding weight to the bar.
  • Squatsandbench
    Squatsandbench Posts: 24 Member
    DancingMoosie wrote: »
    This isn't SL 5x5...where are the OHP and rows? Also, SL has you adding weight each session, so that is your goal, to progress each week until you plateau and then change up your program.

    I'm pretty sure in my original post I said a mix of SL and starting strength. If not then sorry for confusion. I am following the lifts of SS and do the 5x5 of SL.
  • Squatsandbench
    Squatsandbench Posts: 24 Member
    canadianlbs wrote: »
    i wanted to know the same things when i first approached lifting, because i had absolutely no clue what the range of 'realistic' even was - literally didn't know whether a realistic goal for a given lift was 30 pounds or 306. i got really irritated and frustrated with having the question deflected or misunderstood. it's like saying 'how far is it to kitimat' and being told 'don't worry about it, just drive.'

    i finally forced google to cough up some strength standards charts so i could work it out by myself.

    *i've personally just made a semi-serious bet with the huge guy in my lifting club who's doing a whole year of keto. he's got a goal to get down to 220 pounds by the end of the year and he's halfway there. so i've said if he does it seriously, i will work seriously alongside him to try and get strong enough to deadlift him once he gets there*

    Thanks for this. I am the same. I get that my main focus should be progression and that's great but I wanted something long term to keep motivated, as I know this helps. Perhaps when I get more into it i will focus more on the immediate.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
    "Reasonable" people don't go to the gym, don't try to lift heavy things, and certainly don't try to lift even heavier things on a progression.

    Don't worry so much about trying to be 'reasonable'.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    Squatsandbench wrote: »
    Thanks for this. I am the same. I get that my main focus should be progression and that's great but I wanted something long term to keep motivated, as I know this helps. Perhaps when I get more into it i will focus more on the immediate.

    :) i joined this group on mfp almost immediately, and that's been great for me too. just being around other women like me has given me a general idea of the range. and it's so diverse that no matter where you are your own self, there'll be someone who's there as well.

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