Goals Versus Identity

I’ve observed a gradual but important transition in fitness—specifically in strength training—over the last 30+ years.

In the 1980s, 1990s, and even the 2010s, men and women engaged in strength training presumably because they had “goals.” When a friend or acquaintance told you they were working out seriously, your natural response included follow-up questions like, “Why?” or “What are your goals?” These goals often involved weight loss, body transformation, or perhaps this person was part of the fraction of a percentage of adults who were interested in bodybuilding or figure competitions.

In the 1980s through the 2010s, you were a weightlifting person, and weightlifting people had goals (and some of these goals might have been judged as vain).

In 2025, fitness goals aren’t talked about as much. Instead, we’ve shifted to the understanding that smart people engage in strength training—and I’m a smart person. This is just what we do. We might still have goals (and goals are great), but we no longer need goals.

Instead, our identity has shifted. Maybe we’ve always identified as smart people, but in 2025, resistance training is one of the hallmark habits of a smart person.

Take-Home Message: We don’t need goals. Instead, we can adopt the identity of a smart person—and smart people engage in resistance training.