# Setting Goals in the Gym



## PillarofBalance (May 19, 2015)

We typically will ask a person here when they propose a cycle or training program or even just in an intro thread - "what's the goal?" The answers of course vary as all goals should be very individual.  I think most frequently what we see though is "I want to gain 10lbs of muscle drop from 20% to 10% BF, squat and deadlift over 5 and bench 315 for reps." 

Now what is so bad about that? Shoot for the starts right!

Not quite.  Your endgame can be lofty, but let's talk about how to set real goals and how to frame them.

First - all goals should be positive.  "Not eating poptarts intra-workout" is a lousy goal.  Not because poptarts are delicious, nutritious, anabolic and anti-catabolic but because you framed it negatively.  Removing the word "NOT" from that goal is one way to make it positive; however, you're still eating something you apparently don't want to eat.  Substitute it.  Instead, maybe say - intra-workout I will have a bcaa dextrose drink.

Second - You need to set a time frame! I have fallen into this trap.  I had a goal of tipping the scale at 300lbs.  Along the way I would divert from that goal from time to time because my blood pressure would go up, or I would feel fat and my pants didn't fit, or I couldn't tie my shoes.  Those diversions happened because there was no day on a calendar anywhere that said "you will weight 300lbs today."  After recognizing this fact, I got back to it with a date 1.5 years out.  I fought thru every issue that came my way - blood pressure, I cut sugars and sodium and took cialis - Couldn't tie my shoes, so I bought slip ons - getting too fat, I bought new pants.  Eventually I reached 287 and my wife was going to kill me and had to bail on it. But at least I understood at this point that with an end date you have some pressure and accountability. 

Third - Be realistic! If you bench 185 for 2 sets of 5 on "chest day" stop talking about benching 315.  Evaluate your training program to see how you can progress to the next benchmark in manhood - like say 225 for a double.  If you don't understand periodization or programming in any way, ask here. There are several guys on this board that can get you where you want to be.  

I'm curious to hear how some of you set out your goals...


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## Pinkbear (May 20, 2015)

I set all my goals low. That way I will always reach them, and never be discouraged


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## HydroEJP88 (May 20, 2015)

I seem to always set my goals a little higher than my last pr or whatever the circumstances are.

Like my last deadlift pr was 475, so now I want to get 500, ect

I'm finally weighing just over 200 pounds after months of heavy weights and a lot of chicken and greens. It's been a rough few months, was getting burned out on eating so much but it was nice to see that 204. The best part about it is that I haven't been taking any protein powder or weight gainer, it's just sitting on my bedroom floor. Money well spent right lol


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## PillarofBalance (May 20, 2015)

Pinkbear said:


> I set all my goals low. That way I will always reach them, and never be discouraged



We aren't talking about women pinkie...


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## PillarofBalance (May 20, 2015)

HydroEJP88 said:


> I seem to always set my goals a little higher than my last pr or whatever the circumstances are.
> 
> Like my last deadlift pr was 475, so now I want to get 500, ect
> 
> I'm finally weighing just over 200 pounds after months of heavy weights and a lot of chicken and greens. It's been a rough few months, was getting burned out on eating so much but it was nice to see that 204. The best part about it is that I haven't been taking any protein powder or weight gainer, it's just sitting on my bedroom floor. Money well spent right lol



So phrase your deadlift goal using the method I gave above...


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## ECKSRATED (May 20, 2015)

I want to deadlift and squat 700 some day. How I will get there is having u guys tell me what to do. 

My deadlift sucks and today I started my program from pillar and finally realized why it sucks so bad. Because i wasn't pushing myself hard enough. I had back pumps so bad today i actually wanted to hang myself from the pull up bar but couldn't get off the floor. Lol. But I pushed myself to finish my planned training and now I feel good about it. If this is what I have to deal with every Tuesday on deadlift day to reach my goal then I will happily do it, with some whining of course.


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## Rumpy (May 20, 2015)

My goal is to lift more than I did last time


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## trodizzle (May 20, 2015)

My goal is to look good naked.


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## Fsuphisig (May 20, 2015)

My goal is to reach 315 bench within the next month. I plan on doing this by following the simple 5/3/1 method and adding 10 pounds to my totals each month, last max out was 300 flat so I'm cheating a little bit lol also to gain 10 pounds this summer, I plan on doing that by tracking calories through my fitness pal and striving to be over 3000 each day of clean food (hard Cuz im on addy to study for law school). Last goal is to get back to sprinting and sports (torn acl) , I'll do this by the end of summer by continuing physical therapy no matter how much it sucks and hurts


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## #TheMatrix (May 20, 2015)

My goal is to spend as much time as i can with my daughter and lifting in between feedings.

Shell have her own play area in my gym soon...


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## Joliver (May 20, 2015)

You'll need to plan out your goal with incremental milestones so that you can monitor your progress along the way.


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## grizzldsealpoacher (May 20, 2015)

To set a goal is my goal. I have always done so well with a mission however breaking through the newb phase of strength going to the next level takes more dedication then I feel I am willing to put fourth . I know the next step is to step on the platform, pick a meet pay for it stop drinking program and diet correctly and put some hardware on the shelf . I go through this battle often with myself weighing pro's and cons . Pro I will finally prove I can do it , con I have to stop drinking . Pro I will will progress in the science of strength ie learn new techniques tighten up my form become more educated in my progression of lifting. Con its the summer and there are many times to drink eat and be merry. Con I have a serious issue with not having a goal I feel like my lifts are flat I am not progressing and just hanging in limbo doing the same old shit . it goes on and on so I am just here hanging in limbo until I get serious about something again  .


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## HDH (May 20, 2015)

joliver said:


> You'll need to plan out your goal with incremental milestones so that you can monitor your progress along the way.



I couldn't agree more. I set goals within my goal.

Each smaller goal met brings me closer to the main goal.

It also helps to keep me focused.

H


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## curtisvill (May 20, 2015)

grizzldsealpoacher said:


> To set a goal is my goal. I have always done so well with a mission however breaking through the newb phase of strength going to the next level takes more dedication then I feel I am willing to put fourth . I know the next step is to step on the platform, pick a meet pay for it stop drinking program and diet correctly and put some hardware on the shelf . I go through this battle often with myself weighing pro's and cons . Pro I will finally prove I can do it , con I have to stop drinking . Pro I will will progress in the science of strength ie learn new techniques tighten up my form become more educated in my progression of lifting. Con its the summer and there are many times to drink eat and be merry. Con I have a serious issue with not having a goal I feel like my lifts are flat I am not progressing and just hanging in limbo doing the same old shit . it goes on and on so I am just here hanging in limbo until I get serious about something again  .



I feel your pain brother.  There is always something out there trying to distract us from our goal.  It is not until that goal becomes important enough for us to look thru the distractions, stay focused, and persevere that we are able to achieve them.


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## DieYoungStrong (May 20, 2015)

I want to get more pussy then Bundy and out drink Yaya.

I'm pretty sure I get more pussy then Bundy now, unless paying back page hookers counts.

For my quest against Yaya. I will drink 10 High Lifes tonight, which is about RPE 7 for me. I will use linear progression and add 1 High Life per night until I can take down a case in one sitting.


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## Paolos (May 20, 2015)

I LIKE THIS POST!!! We get so wrapped around the axle with BS we lose sight of proper goal setting.

Since we are talking mostly about health and fitness I will stick to that.

I will normally set a quarterly goal that is really a goal. IMO a goal is not something you recently did but lost due to poor
effort or activity... Its a new conquest! A goal must also must have a measurable result and not a subjective result.

My quarterly goal is attainable with dedication and effort and would be something along the lines of "I want to widen my
silhouette with the emphasis being on the lats". I want to add 1" to my last spread for example.

I will normally set an annual goal that is much harder to reach, but again attainable with the correct effort & activity.
This might look like"I want to add 10# of pure muscle by the end of a year when cutting to contest body fat. 
This is measurable BC you are going to compare scale weight to a confirmed body fat measurement. And for those
that really know, 10# of pure muscle (annually) is difficult to attain after you have been in this for a while.

Stretch goals are very important to me. They are not easily attainable but can be met if you have a plan and enough time
to work your plan. Mine is to qualify for the NPC National Masters Championships in 2017. Qualifying is not so hard but
to meet my goal I need to qualify and finish in the middle of the pack or better.


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## widehips71 (May 20, 2015)

I don't make goals because once I reach them I quit and take up stamp collecting or knitting.  Also, if you don't total 1800 you're a pussy


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## deadlift666 (May 20, 2015)

1 more pound, 1 more rep. 


Little goals to get to the big goals....  life 101 right there.


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## SFGiants (May 20, 2015)

joliver said:


> You'll need to plan out your goal with incremental milestones so that you can monitor your progress along the way.



It's how I do it!

Main goal is followed by some (could be a few) smaller goals.

It's like this, this is what I want to do but I must do these 1st!


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## PillarofBalance (May 21, 2015)

joliver said:


> You'll need to plan out your goal with incremental milestones so that you can monitor your progress along the way.



Right on

Also it helps sometimes to be a dork like dizzle. Dude has a spreadsheet for everything from sups to how often he drops a deuce.

So for a guy trying to bench 315 keep track of your accessory stuff like floor pressing etc as well.


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## McDuffy (May 21, 2015)

I was at bench 275x5. My goal was to bench 315 for reps and i've achieved that goal (315x5). Current goal is to not loss gains during PCT. My next cycle the goal will be to bench 350 for reps. If I bench 340 for reps I'll be happy though, not sure if 350 is too optimistic.

Also goals are to just make general strength gains, pack on size and be sexy. Also have fun


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## Yaya (May 21, 2015)

DieYoungStrong said:


> I want to get more pussy then Bundy and out drink Yaya.
> 
> I'm pretty sure I get more pussy then Bundy now, unless paying back page hookers counts.
> 
> For my quest against Yaya. I will drink 10 High Lifes tonight, which is about RPE 7 for me. I will use linear progression and add 1 High Life per night until I can take down a case in one sitting.




Baby steps... my beer consumption is pretty high.. I now preferably drink peronis and this chinese shit "tsingtao".. averaging 7 peronis per 45 minutes. .


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## Tren4Life (May 21, 2015)

My next goal is a gram of tren 















What???


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## jdusmc1371 (May 25, 2015)

My goal is to stick with it and look like Thor


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## DieYoungStrong (May 25, 2015)

Yaya said:


> Baby steps... my beer consumption is pretty high.. I now preferably drink peronis and this chinese shit "tsingtao".. averaging 7 peronis per 45 minutes. .



I noticed this on Sat night. But, you also had supplements to keep you going. It was like being in a PL competition natty and competing with a guy on a gram of test lol. 

Tell me that wasn't the ultimate man cave to drink in though.


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## Lilo (Jun 1, 2015)

I've never set an exact one. It's kinda difficult to tell what makes a good goal. If it's unattainable, we get disappointed. If the goal is too easy. then reaching it won't mean much. It has to be something which brings satisfaction, but is realistic at the same time, and it all depends on nutrition, training, nutrition...

Adding X inches to arms or shoulders, in Y amount of time sounds like a good plan if you focus on bodybuilding, much as adding X lbs to bench is for powerlifting.  But as a noob, when every body part is a lagging body part? Setting realistic goals is one of the most difficult tasks, one of the biggest reasons why some quit and it is frustrating.

Give everything and expect nothing back sounds like a good approach up to a point. Where to go from there... I want bigger shoulders, bigger lats, traps, less thigh fat, all of that. Focusing on one at a time would probably be a better idea... But exactly how much is "which brings satisfaction, and realistic at the same time"? I have no clue


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## saltylifter (Jan 13, 2016)

I go off looks.
set my goals more for how I look. then I have my goals I set in the weight room.
I weigh 230 lbs now and have a goal to be 240 by the end of this year with a not so bad 6 pack.


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## rburdge84 (Jan 13, 2016)

My goal is to be able to put on weight while still maintaining good definition. Also get better development in my quads such as the teardrop look and also my upper traps as well.


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## Go Away (Jan 20, 2016)

From a powerlifting standpoint, I've always set training cycle goals - usually 5-10 lbs on certain lifts that are moving well, sometimes it's a rep range i'm excited to try.
Long term, I set a yearly goal, an all-time goal and I always have state records on hand from the federations I fuxk with.

From a dietary standpoint, I've had a date where I would start and a date I would end. I've gained upwards of 40 lbs in 8 months and I've lost 65 lbs in 6 months. 
Now, I'm looking to get back to where I can shop for jeans wherever the **** I want... so 38" waist for dat ass is my new goal.


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## bigdog (Feb 10, 2016)

my original goal setting was in December 2014 and that was simply I wanted to live! I set a goal to lose 100lbs by December 2015 and I smashed the shit out of that in may only 5 months in! then I upped it to 175 lost by December 2015 and I killed that by losing 215 by Christmas. im just getting back to lifting but will put new goals in place real soon! I believe in setting goals because I want to prove to myself I can accomplish them. so far so good!


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## FordBoss3O2R (Dec 9, 2016)

I tried to set my goals 1-2 weeks at a time, while having a bigger goal in mind


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## FordBoss3O2R (Dec 9, 2016)

As an example, let's say I can do 3x15 on bench with 165, next week I'll move up to 175 and still with that weight until I can do that 3x15 as well and then add 10lbs again and push to reach 3x15.  While having a bigger Goal such as 225 X 10 reps etc...


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## Bro Bundy (Dec 9, 2016)

FordBoss3O2R said:


> As an example, let's say I can do 3x15 on bench with 165, next week I'll move up to 175 and still with that weight until I can do that 3x15 as well and then add 10lbs again and push to reach 3x15.  While having a bigger Goal such as 225 X 10 reps etc...



those gloves are holding you back bro


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## Omni (Jan 23, 2017)

Overall goal- Look amazing naked! 

Bench- Rep 225x25 or 30 best so far is 225x22
Bench- 405x2 then 405x3x4x5. Maybe I will be happy there.
Squat-  495x1 I'm happy here
Deadlift- 495x1 Good enough
Military Press- 225x3 I would like to get 315x1
I have a long ways till this one.


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## MikeC (May 13, 2017)

Pinkbear said:


> I set all my goals low. That way I will always reach them, and never be discouraged



I like your style my friend.


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## Tomass79 (Sep 29, 2019)

My current goal is to balance out my shoulders by building rear delt strength. It sucks when ya notice one should is pulled slightly forward compared to the other. And what sux even more is when you can’t remember which is which since everything in the mirror is reversed!!!!!


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## HollyWoodCole (Sep 29, 2019)

Tomass79 said:


> My current goal is to balance out my shoulders by building rear delt strength. It sucks when ya notice one should is pulled slightly forward compared to the other. And what sux even more is when you can’t remember which is which since everything in the mirror is reversed!!!!!


Hey Tomass......it's totally ok to be doing so.......but just wanted you to know that you're bumping threads that are pretty old buddy.


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## Tomass79 (Sep 29, 2019)

I apologize, I just can’t seem to “Forum”!  I will get better!


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## Tomass79 (Sep 29, 2019)

I apologize, I just can’t seem to “Forum”!  I will get better!


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## HollyWoodCole (Sep 30, 2019)

Lol you're fine man, just letting you know what is going on.


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## Tomass79 (Sep 30, 2019)

I appreciate the help, I had no idea.


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