The Ultimate Fitness Goals That Aren't Focused on Weight Loss

Arm balances are a fascinating physical challenge often found in more advanced yoga practices. It’s exhilarating to lift your feet off the ground for the first time, and if you get the hang of Crow, you can progress to the even more demanding Crane pose (where your knees rest in your armpits instead of your elbows). This tutorial from Adriene is a great starting point for Crow, or choose another advanced pose to work toward, like side Crow or Firefly.

Running isn’t just about covering as much ground as possible. If you're looking for a challenge that tests your legs and lungs, without taking up hours of your day, work towards running a faster mile. Start with a time trial— a high-school track is four laps for a mile—and aim to beat your time by the end of the year. Find a training plan, like this one, that mixes up easy runs, long distances, and plenty of speed training.

How high can you jump? Use chalk to mark your fingers or attach a ball of masking tape to your fingertip. Reach as high as you can and make a mark on the wall, then jump and mark again. The distance between the two marks is your “vertical,” and you can boost it by training your strength, power, and jump form.

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The first pull-up can be a tough milestone, but you’ll eventually nail it. My advice: take a dual approach. Start with pull-up variations like assisted pull-ups and pull-up negatives (where you jump to the bar and lower yourself slowly). Secondly, don’t underestimate the power of strength training for muscles that aren’t directly involved in pull-ups. Building upper body strength in general will make a big difference, but focus on exercises like Kroc rows, bent-over barbell rows, and inverted rows to specifically target your back and arms.

If your experience has only been with solo training runs or time trials, treat yourself to the challenge of a race. Whether it’s your first 5K or you’re ready to tackle a marathon, it’s time to step it up. For a truly demanding challenge, you could even sign up for an obstacle race. Just be sure to give yourself enough time to train. If you already run regularly, expect to spend about four months training for a half or full marathon.

If you’re already squatting, benching, and deadlifting, why not show off your strength in front of a crowd that actually cares about how much you can lift? Don’t stress about whether you're 'good enough'; every competition has a few beginners, and there will likely be someone starting with a lower weight than you. Just mark the date on your calendar, focus on your training, and go have fun.

If you're not able to do a full pushup yet, simply accomplishing your first rep could be your primary goal. But if you're already able to do a few, why not challenge yourself to increase the number you can complete in one go? Unlike traditional strength training where you add weights, building your pushup endurance involves a blend of strength and muscular stamina. Set a goal to reach 50, 100, or whatever number feels like a stretch.

Performing one-legged squats is no easy feat. Not only must you lift your entire body weight on a single leg, but you also need well-developed stabilizing muscles to prevent yourself from falling. If you're aiming to do a full squat, also known as 'ass to grass,' you'll need ankle mobility. To prepare for this, follow the squat progression from the r/bodyweightfitness workout, which starts with split squats, progresses to shrimp squats, and eventually leads to the challenging pistol squat.

The first time you reach a new distance is an exciting milestone, especially because you'll be beating your own records for weeks ahead. If you’ve only ever run eight miles, you’re probably capable of hitting 10 miles—and the last two miles will have you thinking, “Wow, this is the longest I’ve ever run. No wait, now this is the farthest I’ve gone.”

You can pair this goal with a race or choose a distance that’s meaningful to you. How about five miles around the lake? Or twelve miles, so you can complete a round trip on that six-mile trail in the park? The choice is yours.