Know Your Why

Know your why

Before you start your strength training journey, it’s important to think about your “why” or ‘whys’. Like anything in life, Without a clear purpose, it’s difficult to stay motivated for the long haul if you easily lose track of what you’re working towards and why it’s important to you. For some of you reading this, I imagine you want to get started for at least one reason, no matter how broad or specific. By broad, I’m referring to less specific goals e.g., “improving your fitness” or “losing weight”. By more specific goals, I’m referring to examples like “gaining 5kg of muscle mass” and “preparing for an upcoming marathon in November” etc. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how broad or specific your goals are, but having a clear why will help keep you stay motivated throughout your journey. 

Outside of sustaining motivation, It’s important to know your why/whys because this will directly influence the demands you need to meet to achieve your goals, both broad or specific. For sports fanatics out there, let’s start by taking a look at the demands of specific sports that need to be met in order to excel in your chosen field. Depending on what sport you want to flourish in, you need to work out which specific adaptations you need to prioritise in order to increase your performance. By adaptations, I’m talking specifically about strength, speed, power, endurance and muscle growth.  

Sport & Skill Specific Goals

So for those of you whose why revolves around increasing performance in a specific skill/sport it’s important to reflect on the following considerations before drawing out or choosing your workout plan: 

• Will being stronger make this task easier (e.g., a powerlifting). 
• Will moving faster make me perform better at my chosen sport (e.g., a tennis player sprinting to make a drop shot). 
• Do I need endurance to perform well in my chosen sport without getting injured (e.g., marathon running). 

• Do I need big muscles to excel in my chosen craft (e.g., a physique competitor / bodybuilder).

If your goal is to perform better at your chosen skill/sport, it’s important that your training revolves around improving your body to meet the demands of that specific sport/skill you are prioritising. 

Generic Health & Fitness Goals

Now let’s say that we aren’t talking about athletes with specific demands relating to their chosen sport e.g., the average person looking to lose fat, gain muscle and generally improve the quality of their life, there are still certain demands you will need to meet to achieve these goals. For example, take this person who is looking to lose fat and gain muscle, there are certain steps that need to be taken to make this happen (see below). 

• Choosing a sustainable and enjoyable workout plan that fits in with your weekly schedule. 
• Having a gym membership or workout space that you can access 2-3 times a week. 
• Finding and sticking to a healthy diet that is both sustainable and enjoyable. 
• Learning how to lift weights safely and correctly. 

• Seeking help from experts (Personal Trainers/Online Coaches) and online resources throughout your journey (think Youtube demonstration videos and podcasts like Mind Pump and WHOOP).
  

Therefore, regardless of how broad or specific your goals are, certain demands need to be met and it’s up to you to figure out a plan that will help you turn these goals into your new reality. 

My Why

Before I share my own whys with you, it’s also important to note that your whys will likely change and evolve throughout your own personal fitness journey. Take my own example, when I started weight training around 6/7 years ago I just wanted to gain muscle and get in better shape (a very broad why). But as I’ve grown and learned more about myself, I’ve developed new goals and my whys have now expanded (see below). 

• Getting stronger helps me perform better at tennis and golf, whilst staying injury free. 
• Training every week gives me confidence in myself and my body. 
• Consistently lifting weights (3 times a week) gives me mental clarity. 
• Strength training helps manage my back pain, addressing muscular imbalances from one-sided sports (tennis and golf). 
• Strength training improves my posture, which is important as I work a sedentary 9:00am – 5:00pm job. 
• Implementing regular strength training into my weekly routine will increase my longevity, allowing me to be active with my future children and grandchildren (yikes) for many years. 
• I don’t just want to just be playing golf in my 60s and 70s, I still want to be improving and maintaining/gaining muscle will help me achieve this. 
• I want to be hitting PBs in the gym when I’m in my 50s. 
• Training regularly builds resilience, preparing me for the inevitable hurdles and setbacks life will throw at me. 

• Lastly, I want to keep learning and developing so I can continue to share my wisdom and help others live a more fulfilling and meaningful life.

So on that last note, I’ll set my first HCC (Health Currency Challenge):

1. Have a go at writing down why you want to get started on your fitness journey.
2. Once you’ve written down your why/whys, choose a specific plan that will help you achieve your broad/specific goals. 
3. If you’re struggling for guidance, seek help from a Personal Trainer or Online Coach.