Long-Term Goals

[joeyb]

I'm starting to think about goals for the next challenge. For running, it's easy because, right when I started, I setup 4 goals that I wanted to achieve: run a mile, run a mile in 8 minutes, run a 5k, run a 5k in 25 minutes. So, to pick a running goal for the challenge is to just pick one of those goals. I don't have anything like that for strength other than be able to do certain exercises like pull ups, one-armed pull ups, one-armed push ups, pistols, etc.

So, I thought it would be fun for people to post their long-term goals. If you don't have any, maybe it's time to start thinking about some so you know where you want to go. If you already have some, maybe posting them here will give others some ideas for goals or motivation.

So, what are your long-term goals?

[joeyb]

Running

Run 1 mile (Check)

Run 1 mile in 8 minutes

Run 5k

Run 5k in 25 minutes

Pull ups

1x1 pull up (Check)

1x5 pull ups

5x10 pull ups

1x25 pull ups

1x1 one-armed chin ups

1x5 one-armed chin ups

5x5 one-armed chin ups

1x1 muscle up

Push ups

3x20 push ups (Check)

5x10 diamond push ups

5x10 one-armed push ups

1x1 plyometric push up

Squats

5x30 squats

1x1 pistol squats

5x20 pistol squats

Other

10x10 Burpees with pushup and jump

5 minutes of jump rope

[161803398874989]

Whoa, your goals are WAY apart. The 5x5 OAC is damn hard (like, holyfuckingshit hard), the rest is all relatively easy.

[joeyb]

Whoa, your goals are WAY apart. The 5x5 OAC is damn hard (like, holyfuckingshit hard), the rest is all relatively easy.

It's going to be years before I even get to a point where I'm attempting that one. If I figure out something to go in the middle, I'll add it later. In other words, that one is end-game material.

[Waldo]

Long term goals:

Flirt with the 20:00 mark on the 5K

Compete in a long race at some point in my life (long as in half/full marathon)

Hold a full front lever for 15 sec

Hold a full back lever for 15 sec

Hold a floor planche for 5 sec

Hold a 1 arm elbow lever for 10 seconds

Hold a human flag (both sides) for 5 sec

Hold a 1 minute freestanding handstand

Do a floor 90 degree pushup (bower)

Do 100 pushups in one continuous set

Do 50 chinups in one continuous set

[rtalencar]

1xBW Overhead Press

1.5xBW Benchpress

2.5xBW Squat

3xBW Deadlift

Run a sub 30 minute 5k

Run a sub 60 minute 10k

Complete a marathon

Complete a half iron man

[grz]

lifting goals looks like rtalencar's -

1xBW Overhead Press

1.5xBW Benchpress

2.5xBW Squat

3xBW Deadlift

fitness goals

do a kip up

dunk a basketball

[The Tin Man]

From my Epic Quest:

Bodyweight:

☐ One arm push up

☐ One arm pull up

☐ 10 regular pull ups

☑ Full ROM wall handstand push up (5/30/2012)

☐ Freestanding handstand push up

☐ Planche push up

☐ Pistol Squat

☐ Plyo Pistol

☐ Do a muscle up

☐ Do a full split

☐ Stand to backbend to HSPU

☐ Stand to Stand Bridge

☐ Touch a basketball rim

☐ Do a human flag and hold for 10 seconds

Running:

☐ Run a half marathon

☐ Run a marathon

☐ Qualify for and run in the Boston Marathon

☑ Run for My Life (5/5/2012)

☐ Run a Spartan Race

☐ Run a sub-22 minutes 5k

☐ Run 5k in minimal shoes or barefoot

Lifting:

☐ Bench 1xBW

☐ Squat 1.5xBW

☐ Deadlift 2xBW

Fitness Experience:

☑ Try Crossfit (started 6 weeks on 6/4/2012)

☐ Work with Kelly Starrett (of Mobility WOD) on mobility

☐ Try a martial art (Krav Maga, for example)

☐ Join a rock gym

☐ Help someone else reach their fitness goals

☐ Win an NF challenge

☐ Hike all 4,000 footers in New England

[Relic]

deadlift 400 lb, squat 300, strict press 175, and run a 5 minute mile, all completed in an hour

But that's only one goal. I really should write down a list of goals and get an epic quest started.

(thanks for the reminder)

[Kristen]

Long term goals are awesome! I have trouble taking small bites.

1.5 mile in 10:45 (current PR 12:30)

25 minute 5K (current PR 32:42)

100 pushups (current PR 72)

20 pullups (i can do one)

Aaaaaaaand, after all the talk about it on these boards, next year I want to do a Memorial day Murph. Just once. Without puking.

ETA: On the subject of long term goals, small bites, and all that, what is everyone's strategy for conquering a bunch of goals? I obviously can't make a 6 week challenge by doing all of them. Maybe just knock them down one by one? Or is it not that crazy to work on a few unrelated goals at once? I've found that to be somewhat unscuccessful for me, but it could be other issues. I have a lot of issues with fitness.

[VorJoshigan]

My goals are in an entirely different genre, but I'll put them out there anyway. dates are purely for fun and based on a 2lb/week loss rate.

1. First off, I want to get to 290 pounds some time in October because I have not been below 300 since some time in the 90s.
   
2. Next I want to get to 250 because that is the cutoff for a lot of things that have weight limits - from skydiving to riding a Segway. That should happen around February? of next year.
   
3. After that comes 220 because that will be the first time in my life that I will be overweight instead of obese. I hate the word obese so much. June 2013?
   
4. Finally, I want to get down to 191 because I will literally be half the man I used to be & that's just a fun thing to say. September 2013?
   
5. I have no idea what my body is like at under 200 lbs, so I don't know if I'd be interested in getting down to "normal" bmi at 183 or not.
   

Just brainstorming, but for strength goals, perhaps focusing them on some theoretical functional task would help with coming up with a good goal? e.g. "squat 191 lbs so I can carry the future version of my new friend Josh out of a burning building" or "dead lift 350 lbs because that's how much a rock weighs that I want to move in my yard"

[joeyb]

Those are all good goals. I didn't necessarily mean even fitness goals, just goals in general. I just didn't mention some of my long-term life goals.

[Ruth2301]

Reading this stuff is really inspiring. I have some time set aside tomorrow to try to put some specific goals down on paper. Seeing what others are doing and thinking and challenging themselves with is great. For a long time I've been in "lose weight and get more healthy" mode, which I'm still in, but I think it's time to complement that general goal with some specifics.

Here's a question, though: in terms of strength goals and whatnot, I feel a bit out of my depth when it comes to figuring out what is actually reasonable progress to expect in, say, 6 weeks. Like, for instance, I can finally do 2 regular pushups. I know, because I just tried. It was more like 1.5, but I'm calling it 2. My goals will be things like 5/10/15/2x10/2x15/3x10 pushups, but it would be helpful for me if I could set an actual deadline for whatever goal is in-progress.

I realize it depends on about a hundred different factors, but is there anything besides "just try it and see what happens" that any of you have found useful?

[Relic]

5 isn't a big jump from 2 so I would set that as one of your goals. When I go to set a goal I do the best I can at estimating any possible improvement but if I'm completely lost, I just make the goals more vague.

example: I have a running goal for the next challenge, but I just started running again so I don't know what times to shoot for. I am testing my mile at the beginning and end even though the goal is just to do 3 run workouts per week that way I have my goal but I will be measuring my progress also. After I'm done I should have a rough estimate for a new more specific goal.

[Choppins]

Enjoying this thread!

For me I have tried to work towards long term goals before (in fitness, business and life) and have found so often that life just gets in the way. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

This time around I'm doing things a bit differently - I'm setting levels to work towards that consist of a list of what I think are achievable goals in a reasonably short time period (a month for level 1). When the month is up I will see how things went and set a new list of goals for level 2 (if I've reached level 1 of course) that will be able to incorporate what's happening in my life as well!

Its a new approach for me and something I've just started but I think the theory is pretty sound! Obviously different things work for different people though.

[deerskin]

Ruth2301, I agree with Phylanx. Five is probably a decent goal. If you can do more, that's awesome. The problem with bodyweight exercises like pushups is that it's hard to "work up to" another one. You can't increase your lift by 10 lbs at a time like if you were lifting a barbell.

Phylanx you year-end goals in your sig are crazy! And inspiring. What I want by the end of the year is to be able to lift the 110 lb bar onto my shoulders for squats, add multiple pull-ups and chin-ups to my workout (I can only do assisted right now), and consistently go at a 10-minute-mile pace for my runs. Oh, and be able to run a 9-minute-mile (yeah, I'm slow, but I get there). After that, maybe I'll move on to big girl weights and races.

[Acc133]

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