Changing Lifting Goals by Body Weight?

thecrossfitter
thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
edited October 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm just curious to my fellow lifting friends... this isn't super important, but I was wondering:

I think it's often quite typical to set goals for certain lifts according to your body weight (or maybe it's just me?) But for example, my first goals were to strict shoulder press half my body weight (check!), deadlift my bodyweight (check), and squat my bodyweight (not there yet).

As I've met my goals, I set new ones, still in accordance to my bodyweight. New goals included things like deadlifting 150% of bodyweight, and then still trying to squat my full body weight. I made these goals, did the calculations, and wrote them down. At the time I weighed 150lbs, so for example my goal would be to deadlift 225lbs.

However, since setting these goals, my bodyweight is dropping. Thus far I've only gone down 6lbs, so this isn't a massive change, but if I had to guess from knowing my previous weights/history, I may lose as much as another 10 pounds. So should I reassess my goals and change the amount of weight I want to lift? Or just stick to it?

I know this isn't a major decision or anything, I'm just curious if anyone has experienced this same thing and what they did :)

Replies

  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    'eh, I don't have a whole lot of set goals. I really wanted to move up to the "big plates" on dead lifts and squats. I have on deadlifts, not on squats yet. After that I guess body weight would be a good goal but that's not much more.
  • aksildur
    aksildur Posts: 1
    Seing this a rember reading the following at crossfitoneworld.com recently

    "Strength is the end all. If you can lift 10# more than me or 250# more than me, I am impressed just as much either way. With a little bit of consistent training anyone can do conditioning workouts or run for long distances. Getting strong is much more of a long term commitment and way more impressive than a really good Fran time."

    It takes time to get strong.
    Your weight however will probably hit a plateau pretty soon - from there weight loss will no longer be desirable.
    Setting goals in strenght, once one becomes a bit consistent in training is really long term, during this long term your weight will not fluctuate so much so the goals wont be hard keep track of.
    For me for example ive stayed at a weight of 80kgs for the past 6years. My squat however has not come above 105kg, my deadlifts doesnt come over 165kg and my bench hasnt come over 105kg. The only lift i have gotten a bit better at is the press where im at 60kg and the clean that has come up to 75kg but both of these are mainly due to better technique.

    My point is that as you hit a plateau on you body weight this will sort it self out. You will probably find sticking points in you strenght around the same time.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Goals are something to shoot for but the real underlying goal is to always be improving. If my bench press goes up 2.5 lbs in a week then its a good week.
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    I think a good goal would be 'more'.
  • thecrossfitter
    thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
    Thanks guys - yeah, I really have no goal weight in mind, I was only guessing on it based on my weights historically/my body.

    I'm currently working with the Wendler 5 3 1 and increased my press by 5lbs and my squat by 10lbs in the past month. I know it's all about just making small improvements. I guess the info/library science major in my just loves my data haha. I like my graphs and charts and setting goals and logging stuff and organizing it.... it's probably kind of strange, but I like it for the sheer fact of having data (I know what you're thinking: I'm super cool.)

    Thanks for all the input :)
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Use a double progressive approach and log your success!
    Set what your highest rep should be depending on your goal, once you get to that rep easily add weight for the next session.

    "Each time you start a new routine, you’ll pick a weight that you know you can handle easily for approximately 6-12 reps. The starting weight may even feel a little on the light side. With each successive workout, you’ll add reps and/or weight whenever possible. Obviously, it’s not possible to add weight on every exercise at every workout indefinitely, otherwise you’d eventually be bench pressing 1000 pounds and squatting 2000 pounds. But that’s ok: If you aren’t ready to move up to a heavier weight, your goal is simply one more rep. When you reach the upper end of your rep range (usually 12 reps), then it’s time to increase the weight. This system of increasing reps, then weight, is known as the double progressive system."

    This can be adapted to squats and deadlifts too.
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