Strength goals

[I-mon]

For those here who are working on such things - what are you currently working on?

For myself: recently acquired a 3x160kg deadlift and strict muscle-ups on the rings and the bars. Working on owning the muscle ups, I'll be satisfied when I can do 5x5. Same goes for "Climbups" - muscle ups on a wall.

Also aiming for:

40kg strict single arm overhead press - currently doing sets of 2 at 30kg
60kg barbell press - currently at 3x3 at 50kg
100kg front squats - just did 3x3 at 80kg
120kg back squats - just did 3x3 at 100kg
80kg bench press - haven't done it for ages, iirc last time was 3x3 at 70kg

I only train with the barbell once a week for about half an hour, so these goals are more about me learning the basic lifting techniques enough to be comfortable with them, and as a measurement of my progress from other activities to see how well they carry over to the basic lifts, and how the feeling of a weekly dose of some sort of heavy lifting stimuli carries back over into my other movement activities, grappling, and general sense of my body. I'm pretty happy with the way things are going, being a novice lifter means I make really rapid improvement, and the feeling of consistently moving much heavier weights than I'd ever encounter in normal life is really quite awesome.

Anyone else?

[Taste of Death]

I got my first one arm push up and pistol squat (with heel slightly raised; I do them on an incline) at the end of 2013 and spent 2014 getting better at them. That led to the one arm one leg push up which led to a press flag. I had practiced kicking up into the flag position but never came close to holding it until I had spent 3-4 months on the oapu and oaolpu. I can now hold a 1 sec flag on one side without focused flag training. The one arm pull up is a long way off but I can do a one arm one finger pull up and with some weighted pull up and chin up training may get there one day.

I also do kettlebell swings, snatches, cleans, presses and get ups. When I lift the heavy weoghts I always start with the bar on the floor and end up there, too. Yes, I and the bar sometimes end up on the floor. It happens with kettlebellls as well. You try 20 sets of 20 swings starting at the top of every minute and see where you end up.

[Patrick]

Doing bodywork things with people on me

[Orpheus]

I've been doing decent amount of power lifting as well. I've been following the starting strength 5x3 methodology, so the numbers below specifically reference that. Still very much on the the linear progression. The deadlifts and farmers walk have had immediate impact on my shuai jiao grip work.

Goals for the end of summer:
Deadlift: 335 lb - current 250 lb
Backsquat: 300 lb - current 230 lb (set back with back injury) - I have a supplemental goal of being able to back squat 220 x 20
Overhead press: 145 kg - current 125 lbs
Bench: 210 lbs - current 175 lbs.
Farmers Walks: 95 lb dumbbells = currently at 85 lbs
Pull ups: weighted, 15 lbs. currently body weight 8 x 3
Dips: Weighted - 45 lbs current weighted 10 lbs

I use kettlebells as well, but I use them HIIT and I don't try to go too heavy.

[David Boxen]

Squat - get back up to 405lbs (made this in February this year before going on vacation and then injuring my hip)
Press - 200 lbs
Deadlift - 455lbs
Power Clean - 200lbs
I'm 5'10" and hope to hit those numbers at about a bodyweight of 200lbs. Press and power clean will be the problems.

[Peacedog]

If you are fairly young (say 35 or under) most people agree the following strength ratios are pretty attainable off of 2 sessions a week and won't impact sports performance any with the exception of long distance running:

Press - .75-1.00 times body weight
Squat - 1.5-2.00 times body weight
Deadlift - 2 times body weight
Power clean - bodyweight
Bench press - 1.25-1.5 times body weight

This assumes someone who is 225 pounds or less and between 5 foot 6 inches tall and 6 foot 2 inches tall with normally proportioned limbs. If your body is an outlier in terms of either explosive strength potential (standing vertical leap using a Vertec tester in excess of 32 inches) or unusual proportions (extremely long forearms, femurs, etc.) this will change.

[I-mon]

Nice one guys. Peacedog those are basically the goals I am aiming for with the barbell. I do a lot of strenuous activity, parkour type stuff several times a week, and grappling, and my primary mode of transport is the bicycle, so I can't really manage more than one heavy session a week, but I play with clubs and KBs at home so I'm not really worried about it. As a martial artist and also a movement and rehabilitation professional, I sort of feel like it's my responsibility to be at least competent in good solid strength training. On the one hand, it helps me communicate with a huge pool of trainers and athletes and weekend warriors, and on the other hand it's just really good effective "bang for your buck" training.

[Peacedog]

I-mon,

Considering everything you are doing outside the weight room just keep going. If you keep going you will eventually get there. With numbers like those, most people will look at you as someone who has done some work.

Iron sports guys look to 200/300/400/500 (press, bench, squat and deadlift) as someone who has put the work in, but if you are squatting in the mid threes in a commercial gym you are already in the top 10% of the people there.

While most people will hassle you with unwanted comments while squatting two plates or less, by the time you are doing three plates with a full squat they shut up, and by the time you are doing four plates they are asking you for advice.

Case in point, I signed up with a crossfitish style gym a few months back since they had full Rouge racks and lots of bumper plates. As a guy in his forties weighting in at 205lbs, I got lots of unhelpful advice like "you need to shorten your rest times between sets to a minute max, focus on weight loss first, if you keep squatting that deep you'll hurt your knees, a belt makes up for weak abs, and you can't do the WOD with Olympic shoes." Six weeks later I squatted 325 for three sets of five and weighted in at 221. All of the dumbass comments stopped and a lot of the younger guys started asking me how to gain weight.

I took some time off recently to work on some other stuff, but when I go back in May I will ride it out to 435 or 455 in the squat and 500 in the deadlift. I expect to go through the same cycle of stupidity at the gym when I put 185 on my back for the first session back.

Keep in mind I only had a 26 inch vertical when younger and am in no way gifted in the weight room. Frankly even if I were back at 3/4/5, I'd still be on the newb racks in a black iron gym.

The nice thing about the compound lifts is that they will make you strong. And that is something every man should experience at least for awhile in life. Its like having your own superpower and anyone with just a little discipline can do it.

The only other thing I can add is that look to teaching these lifts to the elderly. You have to take it very slow, but this stuff can easily keep grandma and grandpa from needing a walker and give them a lot of their independence back. Frankly, meaningful strength can be maintained well into your 60s and basic fitness kept up for life.

[Fa Xing]

I've actually scaled back to just doing Pavel's Simple and Sinister, which is just the swing and getup for lifting. I also do solo grappling drills, shadow box, hit the heavy bag, throw around a heavy bag, and practice Xingyi and Bagua forms. I may sprint once a week as well.

I really like weight training and lifting, but I'd rather practice martial arts.

[Taste of Death]

I've actually scaled back to just doing Pavel's Simple and Sinister, which is just the swing and getup for lifting. I also do solo grappling drills, shadow box, hit the heavy bag, throw around a heavy bag, and practice Xingyi and Bagua forms. I may sprint once a week as well.

I really like weight training and lifting, but I'd rather practice martial arts.

Simple and Sinister is the perfect strength training program when one is just looking for a compliment to all their other activities.

[SteveR]

Anyone into strength training should listen to Pavel Tsatsouline on the Tim Ferriss podcast. Its ten years since I've done a full on weight training session, and only then because I was working in a gym. I used to train people and jump in on their workouts. I never went super heavy or kept a record of what I lifted, but I was definitely stronger then. I occasionally do a dumbbell workout, I like the feeling of being pumped, but just don't want to devote the time to that sort of training. Anyhow listening to Pavel made me consider doing some strength work with weights, he gives some cool hacks and tips.

Like I said I'm not as strong as I used to be , but I can use my body much more efficiently, deliver a harder punch, move people more easily and not be moved so easily myself etc.

The strength training I do most consistently is working with my own body weight, push ups, dips, holding turtle and plank posture, hand stands and scorpion pose. I like these for the balance element too. I throw in some standing postures holding maybe 2.5 kg in each hand, until the form break down. My main strength goal is to be able to hold my body together for as long as possible without injury whilst pursuing neijia arts.

Although deadlifts are beginning to sound quite compelling!!

Cheers
Steve

[fuga]

I lift once per week.

-deadlifts
-squats
-pull ups
-dips

At 47, my goal is resilience: to strengthen my body enough so I don't get injured with BJJ and stick fighting the rest of the week (or carrying bags of groceries).

I have found that more than one lifting session per week is non-productive to my other training (which also includes a steady diet of bodyweight warm ups).

[wiesiek]

goal : keep my ass moving with the power until the end

KB swing 5 minutes -change-for - sword cuttings
and
again...
3-5 days a week

[Fa Xing]

I've actually scaled back to just doing Pavel's Simple and Sinister, which is just the swing and getup for lifting. I also do solo grappling drills, shadow box, hit the heavy bag, throw around a heavy bag, and practice Xingyi and Bagua forms. I may sprint once a week as well.

I really like weight training and lifting, but I'd rather practice martial arts.

Simple and Sinister is the perfect strength training program when one is just looking for a compliment to all their other activities.

Exactly, I was doing Wendler's stuff plus Kettlebell for my accessory training and it was getting too much with all the martial arts I wanted to practice on top of it. S&S is just easier, and all I have to do really is just increase the weight over time.

[vadaga]

from what i can think of at the moment, near term is:
15 pull-ups
fingertip hindu pushup lockout 5x30 seconds
being able to spin the largest gear possible on my bike whilst climbing the big hill near my house
mastering the gymnastics body fundamentals 1
5x25 jump up burpees with good form

edit 6.9.2015

I've been getting back into rock climbing and realized that it's much better strength training than the calisthenics so now am just doing rock climbing with supplemental climbing exercise 2-3 times a week, burpees, swimming 1-2 times a week and hill cycling