{"id":87,"date":"2025-05-05T14:45:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/library\/?p=87"},"modified":"2025-05-05T14:48:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:48:37","slug":"how-strong-should-you-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/library\/how-strong-should-you-be\/","title":{"rendered":"How Strong Should You Be?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>How should you think about goals when you first start training? Or if you&#8217;ve been training for a while, you may be wondering how you stack up or whether you are &#8220;strong enough.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper\" title=\"How Strong Should You Be? | Stronger is Better Podcast #2\" style=\"width:640px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe hidef\" id=\"WYL_KL_3nx307qg\" itemprop=\"video\" itemscope itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"><div><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/library\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FKL_3nx307qg%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"embedURL\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KL_3nx307qg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT51M19S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-04-30T05:03:15Z\" \/><\/div><div id=\"lyte_KL_3nx307qg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/library\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FKL_3nx307qg%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\" itemprop=\"name\">How Strong Should You Be? | Stronger is Better Podcast #2<\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/KL_3nx307qg\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/library\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-youtube-lyte\/lyteCache.php?origThumbUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FKL_3nx307qg%2F0.jpg\" alt=\"How Strong Should You Be? | Stronger is Better Podcast #2\" width=\"640\" height=\"340\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In Episode 2 of the Stronger Is Better podcast, Nick Delgadillo breaks down strength standards into three categories: competitive goals, evaluative benchmarks, and personal targets. He explains why most people have skewed expectations about what\u2019s possible\u2014and how to set realistic goals without having to become a powerlifter. Nick introduces the widely respected 2\/3\/4\/5 baseline strength goals (200 lb press \/ 300 lb bench \/ 400 lb squat \/ 500 lb deadlift for men) and a proportional set for women. These aren\u2019t elite standards\u2014they\u2019re what you should aim for before considering specialization. Whether you\u2019re a coach, athlete, or everyday lifter, this episode provides a grounded, motivating framework for assessing and pursuing your strength potential. 00:00 - Intro: \u201cHow strong should I be?\u201d 01:20 - Why strength goals are often misunderstood 04:00 - What \u201cit depends\u201d really means 08:08 - 3 categories of strength goals: personal, evaluative, competitive 09:48 - Competition: using meet results to guide expectations 17:36 - Evaluative standards: don&#039;t copy powerlifters 29:28 - What is strength specialization? 34:49 - Beginner male milestones: 135\/225\/315\/405 38:52 - The 2\/3\/4\/5 baseline standard 41:55 - Female equivalents to 2\/3\/4\/5 45:17 - What comes after baseline strength? 47:01 - Final message: don\u2019t stop too early \u2e3b \ud83d\udd17 Brought to you by https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com \ud83c\udfa7 New episodes every other week on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify \ud83d\udce9 Send feedback or questions to: podcast@ssgyms.com *Connect With* #startingstrengthgyms https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/startingstrengthgyms https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/startingstrengthgyms https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/starting-strength-gyms \ud83d\udd17 *Book your free 30-min session:* https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/free-session.html?utm_source=youtube&amp;utm_medium=video&amp;utm_campaign=ytreferral \ud83d\udd17 *Own a Gym:* https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/own-a-gym.html?utm_source=youtube&amp;utm_medium=video&amp;utm_campaign=ytreferral \ud83d\udd17 *Train at a gym:* https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/locations.html?utm_source=youtube&amp;utm_medium=video&amp;utm_campaign=ytreferral \ud83d\udd17 *Coach at a gym:* https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/become-a-coach.html?utm_source=youtube&amp;utm_medium=video&amp;utm_campaign=ytreferral \ud83d\udd17 *Shop for apparel:* https:\/\/store.startingstrengthgyms.com?utm_source=youtube&amp;utm_medium=video&amp;utm_campaign=ytreferral #startingstrengthgyms #startingstrength #strengthtraining #fitness\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:640px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>In Episode 2 of the\u00a0<em>Stronger Is Better<\/em>\u00a0podcast, Nick Delgadillo breaks down strength standards into three categories: competitive goals, evaluative benchmarks, and personal targets. He explains why most people have skewed expectations about what\u2019s possible\u2014and how to set realistic goals without having to become a powerlifter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nick introduces the widely respected&nbsp;<strong>2\/3\/4\/5 baseline strength goals<\/strong>&nbsp;(200 lb press \/ 300 lb bench \/ 400 lb squat \/ 500 lb deadlift for men) and a proportional set for women. These aren\u2019t elite standards\u2014they\u2019re what you&nbsp;<em>should<\/em>&nbsp;aim for before considering specialization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re a coach, athlete, or everyday lifter, this episode provides a grounded, motivating framework for assessing and pursuing your strength potential. You can listen to the podcast on all podcast audio service or on YouTube linked below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id='buzzsprout-large-player'><\/div><script type='text\/javascript' charset='utf-8' src='https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2470340.js?container_id=buzzsprout-large-player&#038;player=large'><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have topic ideas or questions for the podcast, please submit them to <a href=\"mailto:podcast@ssgyms.com\">podcast@ssgyms.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How should you think about goals when you first start training? Or if you&#8217;ve been training for a while, you may be wondering how you stack up or whether you are &#8220;strong enough.&#8221; In Episode 2 of the\u00a0Stronger Is Better\u00a0podcast, Nick Delgadillo breaks down strength standards into three categories: competitive goals, evaluative benchmarks, and personal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5],"tags":[14,13,12,15,8,9,11,10],"class_list":["post-87","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-podcast","category-videos","tag-coaching","tag-gym","tag-gyms","tag-personal-training","tag-starting-strength","tag-starting-strength-gyms","tag-strength-training","tag-stronger-is-better"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":137,"url":"https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/library\/programming-the-overhead-press-novice-to-advanced\/","url_meta":{"origin":87,"position":0},"title":"Programming the Overhead Press &#8211; Novice to Advanced","author":"Nick Delgadillo","date":"May 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the most common questions that people have about programming revolves around doing and improving strength in the overhead press. In this episode of the Stronger is Better Podcast, Nick goes deep on the press, why it's good for you, and how to program it long term. https:\/\/youtu.be\/vzUc7QNO_ME?si=9Qth1EmVX-tSzc5t Programming\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Podcast - Stronger Is Better&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Podcast - Stronger Is Better","link":"https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/library\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/vzUc7QNO_ME\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":188,"url":"https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/library\/strength-training-pregnancy-pelvic-health-with-becky-maidansky-stronger-is-better-podcast-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":87,"position":1},"title":"Strength Training, Pregnancy, &amp; Pelvic Health with Becky Maidansky | Stronger Is Better Podcast #7","author":"Bre Acosta","date":"July 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/csMs2-HeSCY In this episode of the Stronger is Better Podcast, Nick Delgadillo sits down with Dr. Becky Maidansky, pelvic floor specialist and founder of Lady Bird Physical Therapy in Austin, TX. 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In this kickoff episode, Nick lays out a comprehensive roadmap for barbell programming \u2014 from the simple and powerful Novice Linear Progression all the way to advanced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Podcast - Stronger Is Better&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Podcast - Stronger Is Better","link":"https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/library\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/BGOR6Ho8UXA\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":266,"url":"https:\/\/www.startingstrengthgyms.com\/library\/a-parents-strength-support-for-disabled-children-stronger-is-better-podcast-14\/","url_meta":{"origin":87,"position":3},"title":"A Parent\u2019s Strength: Support for Disabled Children | Stronger is Better Podcast #14","author":"Bre Acosta","date":"October 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/IvKT0M6dgLg In this powerful episode of the Stronger is Better Podcast, Nick Delgadillo is joined by UK-based client and father James Collinge to discuss how strength training has transformed his life\u2014not just in the gym, but in parenting a disabled child. 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