25 powerlifting goals for the squat, the bench press and the deadlift

Powerlifting goals for beginners

Beginner goals are about lifting to a standard a judge would pass. If you are new to the barbell itself, start with general weightlifting goals.

• Train the three lifts 3 times a week for 12 weeks.
• Squat below parallel on every rep for a month.
• Pause every bench press on your chest for a month.
• Add weight to each lift every week for 8 weeks.
• Test all three lifts on one day and add up your first total.

Squat goals

Squat goals work best as a share of body weight, with depth as the rule that never bends.

• Squat 1.5 times your body weight.
• Squat 2 times your body weight.
• Squat your old best for 5 reps.
• Add 10 kg to your squat in 12 weeks.
• Film every top set from the side for 8 weeks.

Bench press goals

Bench goals move in the smallest steps of the three, so plan them in single kilos.

• Bench press your own body weight.
• Bench press 1.25 times your body weight.
• Bench your old best for 5 reps.
• Add 5 kg to your bench in 12 weeks.
• Bench 2 times a week for a full training block.

Deadlift goals

Deadlift goals are usually the biggest numbers, and the ones where form under fatigue matters most.

• Deadlift 2 times your body weight.
• Deadlift 2.5 times your body weight.
• Add 15 kg to your deadlift in 12 weeks.
• Hold your best deadlift at the top for 10 seconds.
• Pull every rep from a dead stop for a month.

Total and meet goals

The total is your best squat, bench and deadlift added together. If you care more about speed and technique than raw weight, look at Olympic weightlifting goals.

• Reach a total of 4 times your body weight.
• Reach a 400 kg total.
• Enter a first meet.
• Make 7 lifts out of 9 at a meet.
• Go 9 for 9: make every attempt on the day.

What is a good powerlifting goal?

A good powerlifting goal is a number on a lift, set far enough out to be hard. A review of 35 years of goal research found that specific, hard goals lead to higher performance than being told to do your best. This sport makes that easy: the bar is loaded or it is not.

Add a goal about how you lift. A review of 27 studies of goal setting in sport found that process goals, the ones about how you carry out a skill, had the largest effect on performance. Depth on every squat and a pause on every bench are process goals. They also decide whether a lift counts on meet day.

Write the target the way SMART goals are written: "Squat 1.5 times my body weight at the meet on 14 June." One lift, one weight, one date.

How to track powerlifting goals

Log the top set of each lift, every session. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often, and that writing it down beat keeping it in your head.

Sessions are a day count, and a year of training is not far from a 100 day challenge done twice a week. The total is an amount that only moves on test days.

That is why it helps to count the sessions as well. A picture that fills up one session at a time keeps moving in the months between new bests.

Frequently asked questions

What are realistic powerlifting goals for a beginner?

Train the three lifts 3 times a week for 12 weeks, to competition standard, then test them and add up a total. Your first total is the number every later goal is measured against.

What is a total in powerlifting?

Your best squat, best bench press and best deadlift added together. At a meet you get three attempts at each lift, nine in all, and the best of each counts.

Should I set goals by body weight or by kilos?

By body weight if you want a fair target, like a squat of 1.5 times your own weight. By kilos if a round number motivates you more. Either works as long as it has a date.