[quote]N.K. wrote:
Goals are definitely an individual thing, but as a beginner some good things to go by:
10 lbs on lower body lifts a month
5 lbs on upper body lifts a month
1lb of lean mass/week
So, for example, say your strict press is 95, bench 135, squat 185, and deadlift 225 and you weigh 180. If you set your goals for 6 months (and I might even suggest you set goals for a year, with smaller goals @ 6 months), they might look like this:
125 strict press (this lift can be a bitch, but 5 lbs a month is definitely doable)
165 bench
245 squat
285 deadlift
bodyweight of 200 lbs @ around the same bodyfat %
Granted, there is no cookie cutter way to make goals. It’s all going to depend on your individual strengths and weaknesses. For example, you said you want to loose some weight first, so the gaining of lean mass might be sort of hard to measure at furst while you are simultaneously loosing bodyfat and getting stronger. Or, you might have a particularly hard time with a certain lift like O. Press, and have to work REALLY hard just to put 5 or 10 lbs on it.
Overall however, I tend to use these as a general guideline when making my goals. I think they are a good measuring stick for any beginner. Just know that you may be able to progress FAR faster than this, or you may be slower. In the end, you have to get to know yourself as a lifter and what you are lifting for. That is how you set the best goals.
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This is a great post.
All I can add, is that I personally use my assistance to help gauge my goals as well. For instance, through trial and error, you will find certain assistance exercises that will contribute directly to increases in the big lifts. An example is weighted dips, and rolling dumbbell extensions, which I find increase my bench as they go up. Sounds simple, but it’s an important point. Learning how to make assistance work for you by setting goals with them as opposed to using random lists will make you a smarter lifter in the long run. Realizing that X increase of weight or reps on Y and Z assistance will put you at about the right point for a PR on a big lift, has been a great tool for me.