I suppose I'm a more experience based individual vs. goal oriented. Back ~15 years ago, I was competing in powerlifting and olympic lifting and couldn't tell you a single number I hit in a competition. I do, however, remember that one time in a training cycle somewhere when I showed up to the gym felling like absolute dogshit and somehow worked my way through a 5x5 squat session at 395# where every single rep was a total grind fest.
For me, it usually goes like this: Do something hard (a peak, a backpacking trip, a trail, a traverse, a backcountry ski line, scouting trip into the nasty or whatever) and then a couple of days or a couple of weeks later (once the "I suppose it wasn't that bad" sets in), I want to do it again and see if I can make a better experience out of it -do it with better style, with less breaks, manage my energy levels better. So, I really just focus on that aspect and everything else lands where it falls and I'm rather indifferent to goals and benchmarks. Fitness is like the stock market: it goes up, it comes down. Sometimes I'm stronger, sometimes I have more endurance, sometimes I'm weaker, sometimes I'm injured, usually I'm around a pretty good median of all aspects.
For you arbitrary goal zombies out there, I have seen this Bobby Maximus standard posted a number of times:
Back squat: 2 times your body weight
Deadlift: 2.5 times your body weight
Front squat: 1.5 times your body weight
Overhead squat: 1.25 times your body weight
Bench press: your body weight for 10 reps
Power clean: 1.25 times your body weight
Turkish getup: half your body weight
60-second fan bike: 55 calories
500-meter Row: 1:30
500-meter SkiErg: 1:30 60-second fan bike: 55 calories
1,000-meter Row: 3:30
1,000-meter SkiErg: 3:30
2,000-meter row: 7:00
2,000-meter ski: 7:00
5,000-meter row: 18:30
5,000-meter ski: 18:30
1.5-mile Run: 8:45
60-minute row: 15,400 meters
60-minute ski: 15,400 meters
10K run: 50 minutes
They really are nothing but arbitrary goals. If that’s what guys are into, cool. I’m more into self improvement, Setting my own goals and working towards them in the context of what I’m really trying to accomplish.
Some of my goals have been to do a few 10ks each week on my concept 2 in less than 40 minutes. Not an elite goal but I’m not interested in being an elite indoor rower, that would be lame.
10 consecutive pull-ups, I can do it, it took some work, I’ve never been super good at them, I have a long body and long arms but in my workouts I can get through 20-30 strict pull-ups but a max of 10 in a row. I think that’s good since I’ve had some injuries that made me go years without doing a pull-up, besides I’m not David goggins and trying to set pull-up records. I do believe it helps me paddle my rafts, toss around moose quarters and not get fatigued on 12 hour fly fishing days.
Other goals are usually just based around things I do, there’s a mountain here I hike up with my 35lb go ruck pack. I track my times and try to stay in a certain area but I don’t care if i go slower or faster on a single day.
My biggest fitness goals are to simply be consistent with my workouts, do my best to avoid injuries and consistently clamp down on lifestyle habits that aren’t leading to that. One example is reducing or cutting out alcohol completely. That certainly dosent help me get to my goals, without it I keep weight off easier, recover faster and feel more explosive/strong during workouts.
Other examples are just cutting back on things that aren’t great for me. I love going out and getting all meat pizzas, now once every month or 2 or when buddies are over and we want something fast. Not a few times a week like I did when I was younger.
The average 45 year old American likely can’t do a single pull-up, is carrying around excess weight and has a list of habits they struggle to break (alcohol, junk foods, lack of exercise). My main goal is to not be too average and not allow that mindset to creep in. It’s a struggle sometimes but that’s what makes it rewarding.
I work with people who are 10-15 years younger than me, are overweight, have zero discipline physically, financially or emotionally. They talk about stuff they “want to do” but those things never materialize weather that’s buying a home or going hunting. I don’t want to be like that, ever.
A guy I work with recently posted pics on Facebook of a vacation he was on, it was all just pics of crappy junk food, copious amounts of alcohol and general sloth and laziness. In other pics the guy could clearly drop 40lbs and he seems to have grown a pair of tits that you can see through his shirt, bad skin, overweight, tits, bragging about food and alcohol…..c’mons bro. What a crappy way to live, that is sub-average in every regard.
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