Getting Started, Part 1: Define a purpose

You are an aspiring athlete, fitness enthusiast, or someone just looking to get healthy. You
know you need to start training, but you dont ha!e a "lue where to start. Do you lift, run,
do bodyweight e#er"ises at home$ %ow often should you train$ &he only way to stop the
'uestion "arousel that "an go around and around in your head is to first define your
purpose. Defining a purpose for your training will help you logi"ally answer many of
your training related 'uestions, allowing you to "ommit to your training and pursue
something that in"ites your passion.
Start by asking yourself, ()hat is important to me$* +arrow down a short list of physi"al
attributes youd like to attain. ,e fo"used in your "hoi"es. -any indi!iduals often end up
without anything to show for after many months of hard training due to a la"k of
"onsistent purpose. . useful tool that "an be used to help you de"ide on what you !alue
most in your training is a paired "omparison analysis table. &he table will allow you to
de"ide on the relati!e importan"e of some of the attributes you are "onsidering
de!eloping in your training program.
&aking a look at the e#ample paired "omparison analysis table below, /ll help e#plain
and show the utility of the table as a 'uantitati!e method to measure your !alues.
Physi"al
0ualities
Power Strength -us"ular
1nd.
2ow
/ntensity 11
%igh
/ntensity 11
Power Power 1 Power 3 Power 3 Power 4
Strength Strength 4 Strength 3 Strength 3
-us"ular
1nd.
-us"ular
1nd. 1
-us"ular
1nd. 1
2ow
/ntensity 11
%igh
/ntensity 11
1
%igh
/ntensity 11
Example completed paired comparison analysis table
Physi"al 0ualities S"ore 5ank
Power 6 1
Strength 7 4
-us"le 1nduran"e 4 3
%igh /ntensity 11 1 8
2ow /ntensity 11 9 :
Example paired comparison analysis score table
&he table lists e#ample physi"al attributes a"ross the !erti"al and hori;ontal a#is. &he
highlighted bo#es are head to head "omparisons of the same attribute and therefore
eliminated from the table. /nterse"ting at ea"h open bo# lies a "omparison of two physi"al
attributes. <sing a 1=3 s"oring system, 1 being marginally more important to 3 being
mu"h more important, de"ide whi"h attribute you !alue most and assign it a s"ore.
>1#ample: /n the upper left most bo# power has been !alued o!er strength with a
marginally more important !alue of 1.? .fter "ompleting all of the head to head
"omparisons, tally up your s"ores and rank the physi"al attributes in order of importan"e
like shown in the abo!e paired "omparison analysis s"ore table.
&his table does not take any amount of time to set up and "omplete. Sa!e time by using a
free e#ample of a similar table found in the link below:
http:@@www.mindtools."om@pages@arti"le@worksheets@PairedAomparisonDownload.htm
or read more about paired "omparison analysis here:
http:@@www.mindtools."om@pages@arti"le@new&1DB94.htm
Aompleting the table will allow you to 'uantify the relati!e importan"e of the many
physi"al attributes youd like to de!elop in your training. Ciguring out what you !alue
most is one of the easiest ways to help define your purpose. .fter figuring out the type of
work youll be doing in your training, the last step to defining your purpose is to answer
the 'uestion, ()hy is it important to me$* Dnly you "an answer this 'uestion. /f you do
not ha!e a deep=rooted reason that training is important to you, "omplian"e rates to a
training program often dwindle. You "ould be an athlete aspiring for an Dlympi" medal,
or a re"reational e#er"iser just wanting to lose a few pounds. /f you "an rationali;e why
your training will impro!e the 'uality of your life, your "han"es of following your
purpose and "ompleting your training plan will be greatly enhan"ed.
+e#t up in the Getting Started Series: Goal Setting