50 Different Types of Fitness Goals To Work On
Your fitness goals don’t just have to be about your weight! Here are 50 examples of different types of fitness goals to work on!
Hey there, I’m Chantal – welcome to my website!
I’m a mom of two, longtime fitness blogger, certified personal trainer, and now a certified nutrition coach!
I’m so happy you stopped by to discuss setting smart goals!
Let me start by saying that I love to begin each post with a little bit of context and the backstory behind it.
If you’re not into that, go ahead and scroll down to the types of fitness goals to work on!
Okay! Here goes!
My website started out as a postpartum weight loss journal. I just thought that blogging about my journey would be a great way to keep me accountable on my fitness plan.
But you should know that I’m just a regular mom – I didn’t grow up playing sports or knowing how to work out.
Truthfully, I didn’t know a thing about strength training, the different muscle groups, high-intensity interval training, or anything like that.
I started out like anyone else – from the bottom! I had no knowledge about fitness.
When I became a new mom, I just sort of lost my way and began exercising to help me with my mood and confidence.
Related: Restore The Core Workout Program
I started this website BEFORE I became a personal trainer (that was in 2017) and I have learned so much about setting smart fitness goals!
Point is, I don’t know where you are on your journey – but I am personally several years in by now.
Not only that, but I have spent a LOT of my time in the last few years learning about exercise science, nutrition, and mindset.
So keep that in mind when you read about all of the different types of fitness goals to work on!
Some of these training or fitness goals might seem like common fitness goals, and some of them might seem odd, high-reaching, or extremely difficult.
I’m going to try to touch on every type of fitness goal so that someone at any level could benefit, but please start at your own level.
Maybe you’re not be ready for super heavy weights. Maybe you need to focus on cardiovascular exercise or flexibility exercises first.
Who knows!
Whatever your starting point, you have to honor the journey and not compare yourself to anyone else. 🙂
(It had to be said.)
If you’re like me, you’re ready to move past focusing on the scale.
I used to think that my health was literally all about the number on the scale. If I wasn’t in a certain range, I’d get super down on myself and not be able to focus on much else.
I’m here to tell you that the number on the scale is NOT the only factor you should be looking at when it comes to health!
Being healthy has so many different factors, such as:
- Blood pressure and blood sugar
- Resting heart rate
- Metabolic age
- Muscle mass & body fat percentage
- Visceral fat percentage
- VO2 max
- Cholesterol levels
- And more!
Now – it is not my intention to get super technical with you here, but I’m hoping that you understand my point. There are many other ways to measure health.
For example, just because you are overweight doesn’t mean you can’t also be strong!
I say all of these things to help you understand one thing – weight isn’t the only thing you should be focused on!
In fact, the deeper I get into fitness, the more I believe that focusing on weight can backfire and become very damaging.
If you’re here, maybe you already know that!
You’re ready to focus on other things so that you’re not obsessed with a stupid number. Right?
I totally get it! That’s why I can wait to share a whole bunch of examples of fitness goals that don’t involve weight!
Related Reading: 11 Tips For a Healthier Happier You
These different types of fitness goals include great fitness goals for women, gym goals for beginners, long-term fitness goals, and everything in between!
Last But Not Least – Make your fitness goals SMART
Have you ever set a lofty goal just to give up on it not long after?
Maybe it was too lofty, too extreme, or maybe you just didn’t have a good plan to reach that goal.
It’s easy to set a goal, but the most important thing is to make a step-by-step plan to actually reach it!
In personal training, we are taught a super effective way to set goals that we can actually achieve!
It’s called S.M.A.R.T. and it stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, & Timely.
In short, the idea is to quit setting very general, vague, or unreasonable goals and start setting more specific and realistic ones!
Instead of saying, “I want to stronger,” you would say, “I want to be able to squat my own bodyweight by the end of the year.”
Given you are starting early in the year, this goal is SUPER specific, realistic/attainable, and you have a timeline attached to it! Sweet!
I repeat: The most important fitness goal you can set is one you can actually reach! Don’t set exercise goals that aren’t realistic goals!
The next piece of the goal-setting puzzle would be to create “process goals” that will help you reach that goal!
To successfully reach this specific fitness goal, one might need to:
- Lift weights 3-4x per week, focusing on progressive overload
- Increase protein intake to help with muscle mass / muscle growth
- Add in core training 3-4x per week
- Perform specific weekly exercises that could help with range of motion
- Set other, smaller goals related to general movement, like steps per day
As you can see, it’s all very specific and broken down into smaller steps that one could work on daily and weekly – not just monthly!
I highly recommend doing this for general weight loss goals as well as all of these different types of fitness goals I’m about to share with you.
Trust me! You’ll greatly increase your chances of reaching ANY goal in life if you break it down into bite-sized goals.
Keep that in mind when you pick your different types of fitness goals to work on from going forward!
You’re already getting better at goal setting!
My Best Tips on How To Achieve Your Fitness Goals
Now – you know you should be setting goals using the SMART method. But is there anything else you can do to reach your fitness goals this year?
Yes! Mindset is everything when you’re trying to stick to a goal. If you need extra help along the way, here are a few articles to check out:
- 7 Ways To Get Yourself Out Of A Funk
- How To Make Working Out A Habit
- 6 Things To Do This Year To Make Sure You Hit Your Fitness Goals
- Why Self-Awareness Is The Missing Piece Of Your Weight Loss Journey
Okay! Let’s get to it – here are a ton of different types of fitness goals to work on this year!
50 Different Types of Fitness Goals To Work On
Gym Goals For Beginners / Different Fitness Goals For Gym Rats
– Try a new group fitness class.
– Take advantage of the free or introductory personal training sessions you get (at most gyms).
– Learn to use one new machine per week.
– Join a bootcamp session.
– Pay for a personal trainer for a month to learn new exercises and techniques.
– Make a new gym friend / buddy.
– Make it a goal to be comfortable at the gym – comfortable enough to wear a tank top, shorts, etc. instead of baggy and sweaty cotton!
– Ask someone at the gym to show you how to use various equipment. Learn something new and make a new friend while doing it!
– Work your way up to hour-long spin classes.
Long-Term Fitness Goals
– Go to the gym / workout 120+ times in a year (10 times or more per month).
– Get your body fat percentage below 30% (or choose your own). Read this to see the body fat ranges and percentages and what they mean.
– Run a marathon – you can choose completion as your goal, or you can choose a time goal.
– Be consistent in the gym / with workouts for 6+ months. (I.E. Go to the gym 3x per week consistently for 6 or more months.)
Bodybuilding Goals
– Get your muscle mass above a certain number. Get your body composition evaluated professionally every 6 months or get a smart scale like this one to track your muscle mass.
– 1RM goals – AKA “one rep max” goals – this is basically setting a goal for lifting heavy / strength! You can set 1RM goals for deadlifts, chest press, squats, etc. Just be sure to keep it realistic for your time frame.
– Set a goal for how often you want to be lifting heavy (not just cardio).
– Set a daily protein goal and for how often you want to hit those macros weekly.
– Participate in a bodybuilding or bikini competition.
Physique Goals
– Set measurement goals like waist size, etc.
– Set a clothing size goal – focus on losing inches instead of just pounds.
– Do a body recomposition that focuses on muscle building and fat loss instead of just slimming down.
– Set a goal to lose a specific body fat percentage (like 3%).
Fitness Goals For Women
*Can be used for anyone but might be extra helpful for women.
– Set the goal to fit back into your pre-baby clothes.
– Make it a goal to fit back into your wedding dress.
– Take an online nutrition coaching course to rebuild your relationship with food.
– Choose to reward yourself for making healthy choices by shopping or going on a trip instead of food rewards.
– Focus on feeling comfortable in a tank top and plan your workouts / goals around that.
– Make the goal to walk 10,000 steps or more at least 5x per week.
– Make the goal to meal prep at least 3 lunches per week.
– Only have one drink with your meal on the weekends (your goal is to cut back on sugary alcohol drinks & extra carbs).
– Work your way up to to a heavier resistance band
Fitness Goals For Men
*Before you come at me, these goals are for anyone. 🙂 They are just suggestions that men *might* find helpful.
– Set a bench press goal for the end of the year.
– Set a squat goal based on weight.
– Join a boxing gym & go 3x per week.
– Join a bouldering gym.
– Make it your goal to find another dude into lifting to exchange spotting & workout with.
– Learn about HIIT to maximize results.
– Learn about building male physique and how to eat for the male body. Here’s a good place to start.
General Fitness Goals
– Take your dog for a walk every day.
– Get outside for a short walk at least 5x per week.
– Crush your Apple Watch’s “Move” goal at least 5x per week.
– Lose belly fat by losing a few inches around your hips / waist.
– Start tracking your macros in an app 5x per week.
– Learn to cycle through cutting, bulking, and maintenance phases.
– Eat at restaurants less and at home more! A specific goal would be to only go out to eat 2x per week.
– Bulk prep a protein 1x per week.
– Switch to grocery shopping online to make better food choices.
– Try new healthy hobbies regularly to keep you healthier and happier. (Your goal could be to try something new once every 6 months.) Here are a few examples.
– Read a book about nutrition to keep learning & feel better equipped to hit your goals. Here’s a good one!
– Invest in a personal trainer or nutrition coach to help you with mindset and accountability.
– Train to complete a triathlon.
– Work your way up to cycling 10+ miles per day (or another mile goal).
That’s it, ladies and gents!
Hopefully by now you have some ideas for types of fitness goals to work on besides the common fitness goals you already knew about.
(And it goes without saying that you don’t HAVE to roll with any of these examples of fitness goals if they don’t suit you – just use them as inspiration!)
If you truly want better health and a better quality of life, it really just comes down to one thing…
Keep learning and keep going!
You don’t have to do a crazy fitness program or focus on your body weight to see improvements.
Best of luck on your health journey,
Chantal
