The Paired Perspectives of our Workout Routines
By Brian Burmeister and Christopher Anderson
Specific Purpose: To inform our audience on the personal reasons we each workout.
Central Idea: The motivations behind exercising vary person to person but can include
the desire to look better, feel more confident, reduce stress, and be more athletic.
Introduction
Attention: What if I were to tell you that there is a way that you, as college
students could reduce stress, increase energy, and look better? Is that something you
would be interested in?
Reveal: Well, all three of these goals can easily be accomplished by giving up
just a tiny bit of your day to devote to a workout routine of some sort.
Relate: After all, who among you wouldn’t want to feel better physically and
mentally? Now, I know what you’re thinking, you don’t have time for such frivolous
activities, but we could all probably spend less time watching TV and facebook, and
more time watching out for ourselves.
Credibility: Brian and I are students much like yourselves, and, though we are
both very busy between teaching all of you and our own studies, we make certain to find
time most days to include a workout.
Preview: So today we are going to tell you the individual reasons and benefits
that we each receive from including a regular workout routine in our weekly lives.
Signpost: First, Brian is going to tell you about the motivation for his routine.
Body
I.
Brian’s routine is in place to look and feel better.
A. Brian works out for aesthetic betterment.
1. Many people work out to lose fat and gain muscle; weight
training accomplishes both of these goals.
2. The visual result of exercise on the body can be considered an
art form. (As Arnold Schwarzenegger says in the documentary
Pumping Iron, “Whereas an artist would just slap on some clay on
each side . . . we go through a harder way, because you have to do
it on the human body.”)
B. Brian works out to improve confidence.
1. Seeing the changes that have been made through hard work
brings a sense of satisfaction.
2. Feeling proud of the goals Brian has achieved in the gym gives
him increased self-esteem.
Transition: Now that we’ve seen that a person can achieve aesthetic betterment and
increased confidence, Christopher will show us some additional reasons why one might
choose to work out.
II.
Christopher’s routine is in place to help relieve stress and increase
athleticism.
A. Christopher works out to help relieve stress.
1. Taking and teaching classes at the same time can be very
stressful.
2. According to Elizabeth Scott, a therapist specializing in Stress
Management, exercise can be an extremely effective outlet for
frustration and stress relief.
Transition: While stress relief is good, improving my game gives me a better reason to
get away from work and hit the gym."
B. Christopher works out to increase athleticism.
1. Spring, Summer, and Fall are baseball and softball seasons.
2. The National Institute of Health states that maintaining a
moderate level of physical activity can help prevent injuries.
Conclusion
Signal the end of the speech: As we have seen, there are many different reasons
for working out.
Reinforce the central idea: Whether you’re hoping to look better, have more
confidence, reduce the stress you feel, or be more athletic, weight training can
help in achieving those goals.
Strong closing line: So the next time you walk through the doors to the gym,
recognize that you’re really walking through the doors to a better you.
Bibliography
Stress and Exercise: Look Better, Feel Better. 12 March 2006. About.com. 4 September
2007 http://stress.about.com/od/programsandpractices/a/exercise.htm.
Handout on Health: Sports Injuries. April 2004. National Institute of Health. 4
September 2007
http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/sports_injuries/SportsInjuries.htm#ra_20
Pumping Iron. Dir. George Butler and Robert Fiore. 1977. DVD. HBO, 2003.