What drives you? Is there something you're involved in that requires you to exert yourself mentally, physically, or emotionally? Or even all three? If your answer is yes, then something is driving you to continue because what you're doing isn't easy. That something that is driving you is your purpose. Without a purpose, it is almost impossible to exert yourself in a significant way.
purpose
[ˈpərpəs]
NOUN
the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
"The purpose of the meeting is to appoint a trustee" · [more]
synonyms:
motive · motivation · grounds · cause · impetus · occasion · reason · point · [more]
VERB
formal
have as one's intention or objective.
Alexander the Great, Columbus, Leonardo Da Vinci, Muhammed Ali? What do these men from across multiple epochs all have in common? They had a clear, buring,driving Purpose for themselves, they made a methodical plan and went at it, when they experienced failures they reset and moved forward until they succeeded and we all know their names millenia, centuries, and decades later. A clear purpose can literally lead to immortality.
You may not want to conquer the known world, discover a new world, create the most famous works of art, or to dominate and eventually transcend a sport. But to accomplish anything in your life you must have a purpose. For us a StratFit, or for your trainer anywhere you are, we are concerned with your purpose for training. We want to achieve your purpose as it relates to fitness to set the stage for the rest of your achievements in life.
The overarching purpose of training is to cause adaptation(s) for anyone who works out. Once this is understood, you need to discover or decide your own training purpose. Driving adaptation(s) is the purpose of training, but what is your purpose for causing these adaptations? This specific purpose will determine many of your training program's variables (what exercises you will use, how many sets/reps you will do, what intensity(-es) you will use, etc.). Still, just as importantly, it will drive you to follow that program and keep you working in the gym.
Be Specific
The more specific your purpose, the more it will drive you and the more it will help with your training program's design (or choosing the right program). For instance, you might start by saying your purpose is just to "be healthy." Well, the key to being healthy is being strong. When you train to increase the amount of force and power your muscles can produce, this process will cause adaptations to all the body's subsystems to support the increased work capacity.
For you to be able to produce more force, your cardiovascular system must improve its efficiency to get nutrients to your muscles better; your metabolism must improve to get the energy to your muscles better, your motor cortex and the neuromuscular system must improve integration to use the muscles more efficiently, your endocrine system must improve to ensure recovery from the work, and on and on. So now you know that to be healthier, you need to be stronger, and you're slowly zeroing in on your purpose.
Now that you know that you need to get stronger, designing/selecting a training program becomes easier. You're going to want a program that contains the barbell bench press and barbell back squat (Powerlifting or Olympic Style) or front squat. Deadlifts and Military Presses would be good to round out the main exercises; pull-ups (or pull-downs), bent over rows, and sit-ups would also be good assistance exercises. Squats, presses, and deadlifts are high Force exercises, which are key to increasing maximum strength.
If power is important for your purpose, you will also want to include power clean & jerks and power snatches, which are the most effective exercises for developing physiological power. You'll want to include plenty of work with high-intensity and low reps to increase strength. These are just some basic facts about how training variables will look for developing strength. It's clear that the more defined your purpose is, the easier it will be to design/select a training program.
So why do you really want to be strong? If you're an older person with a family, it might be to really enjoy your time with your grandchildren and/or keep up on vacation when the family is on an adventure. If you're an athlete, it might be to be more effective in competition. If you are a busy professional, it might be to have the energy to power through every day efficiently. If you are a firefighter or EMT professional, it might even be the fact that other people's lives depend on your ability to perform. The stronger you are, the safer other people around you will be. All of these are examples of specific purposes that can really drive someone.
The takeaway here is that you need to zero in on your own purpose for training. Working out week after week is pretty hard, especially when you have other commitments. To fully commit to every session, you need a purpose. So, what is yours?