The athlete in me wants to break personal records.
The working adult in me wants to be a better coach that can provide more for my lifters.
The wanderer in me dreams of exploring the vastness of Central Asia on a motorbike.
The student in me wants to learn new languages and earn more certifications to bolster my worth as a member of society.

These are just a few of my short- and long-term goals—and I’m sure reading this has brought your own to mind.

But because we’re human, we’re bound by the limits of time, energy, and life itself. Many of us know the feeling of “doing so much but getting so little done”, and we’ve all faced burnout while chasing progress. Then come the unexpected setbacks—injuries, illness, loss—each one capable of erasing weeks or months of hard-earned improvements.

Still, there’s something beautiful about our resilience. Somehow, we find the strength to bounce back. One way we express that resilience is by returning to the barbell—over and over again.

When life gets chaotic, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when the steps to achieving goals pile up like huge to-do list. For many, training is the first thing to go. And honestly, that makes sense, since lifting heavy is hard work, taking a break from training often feels like the path of least resistance.

So how do you stay motivated during hard times, track progress meaningfully, and come back stronger—even when life throws curveballs?

Let’s talk about goal-setting for strength and for life.

Goal “Trees” and Mini-Goal “Branches”

As we train for strength, the one marker that reflects progress is the load on the bar. Add weight, lift it, and this gives us data which indicates successful strength adaptation.

It’s important then to establish some goals that one feels can be achievable within a reasonable timeframe, which also helps with keeping some motivation up. Keeping track of your personal records (PRs) and setting your sights just above them is one way to do this.

For example, here are my current goals based on my most recent PRs:

Squat Goal: 90kg (Previous 1RM: 86.5kg)

Press Goal: 45kg (Previous 1RM: 41kg)

Deadlift Goal: 130kg (Previous 1RM: 125kg)

Bench Press Goal: 60kg (Previous 1RM: 55.5kg)

These modest goals are only 3–5kg above my existing PR. Most of the previous PRs were achieved within the last six months, despite inconsistent training and major life events. This track record also tells me that *in theory* with consistent effort, correct protein intake, and proper recovery, they’re likely within reach. Because if I can progress ever so slightly with less than desirable life factors, I should be able to perform better the next time I get back to heavier weights, right?

Of course, a planned path often never happens as imagined, as all sorts of life factors and events could thwart that straight line of progress into a big ball of “wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey” mess.

So do I need to hit these PRs at all costs? I used to train with a do-or-die mentality, and that only led to accumulation of fatigue and a nagging shoulder injury which continues to affect me. Some lifters may run on fear of failure to propel them forward, but not me: I’m a painfully average athlete, and that’s okay. Now, I’ve learned to focus. I choose one or two non-conflicting main lifts at a time. In the short term, that would be breaking a deadlift PR for the next Halloween Meet in October.

To reach that 130kg pull, I’ve mapped out a series of “branch” goals along the way that could be for grabs:

Weights lifted	Previous RM PR	Goal PR
116kg	1 heavy single rep during training	120-125kg x 1 during training
113kg	2 heavy single reps	2RM, or 115kg for 2 singles
111kg	2RM	3RM
102.5kg	3RM	5RM

With five months until the annual Halloween Deadlift Meet, these short-term goals serve as milestones, as every successful attempt tells me I’m closer to that main goal at the top of the “tree.”

Lift by Lift, Event by Event

From experience, I’ve found it more sustainable to focus on one upper-body and one lower-body lift at the same time. That doesn’t mean other lifts stop progressing—it just means their 1RM moment will follow some time later.

For example, while the deadlift is my current focus, it’s still possible to aim for a squat 3RM or even achieving pin press singles, as they are not as systemically stressful as the heavy deadlifts. These are smaller “wins” that support the bigger goals, keeping training morale high. Heavy singles for the main lifts are such incredibly intense lifts that, when stacked side by side in a queue towards breaking records, could very quickly burn out even the best lifters.

Another useful strategy is timing your training and peaking blocks around life events. If you’ve signed up for an upcoming meet, arrange the competition lifts to peak towards it in your program. If you know you’ll have a break in training which you can’t avoid—like a holiday, or an intense period at work—set some lifetime goals to hit beforehand. Ending a season of heavy training on a high note rewards the hard work you’ve put into the training!

Sometimes, a short linear progression (LP) on your next restart can serve as a way to remove stress to make way for other PRs. You might be surprised at where your next LP ends!

A Framework That’s Attainable, Manageable, and Sustainable

When you train with a purpose, you build new habits, enhancing the current training approach you are taking. You learn how to eat, sleep, and recover better with intention. These habits take time to improve according to your own needs – committing to the habits increasingly as you mature as a lifter helps you make decisions to keep doing what works, and strip away what doesn’t.

You also gain valuable training experience with managing intensity. You start to recognise what being well-prepared for PRs feels like. You know how it is to walk up to a heavy bar, confident and ready, as you are now familiar with it from your previous peak. This mental and physical preparedness matters, especially when it’s time to push into PR territory again.

The framework that works best with your learnt knowledge as a lifter will help to propel you forward, guiding you to your next goal.

Why Are You Training, Really? A Helpful Personal Reminder

In the short term, your map of goal “trees” and “branches” might look just like a bunch of self-serving numbers, and the tumbles of life may seem to block your path to them. Apply a sustainable, goal-oriented approach into your training psyche, and the process of training and breaking personal records should not keep you away from your true life goals.

For me, strength has always been about one main end-goal: I’m working hard so I won’t end up a decrepit, frail woman who needs help getting out of bed when I’m old, and I want to enjoy my life for as long as with a strong and able body. Managing milestones within realistic expectations across my strength journey transforms all of the hardest trainings into an enjoyable process, and hopefully I can stay strong and resilient enough to keep this up until the end of my time.