Motivation – What works?

If you want to motivate a client, your spouse, or your training partner, the words you use are important.

Charles Poliquin once noted that only a small percentage of people respond positively to well-intentioned insults in the gym. You know the ones: “One more rep, you p*ssy!” “Come on, fat ass, speed it up!”

Whatever the reason, drill-sergeant motivation just doesn’t work on many people. A new study digs deeper into this phenomenon and offers a more effective alternative.

Researchers put two groups of women through a 16-minute conditioning class. Each class was the same: same exercises, same instructor, same music. The only difference was the language the instructor used. In one class, the instructor made appearance-focused comments like, “This exercise blasts fat in the legs. No more thunder thighs for us! Get rid of that cellulite!”

In the other class, the instructor made performance-focused comments like, “This exercise develops strength in the legs!”

Afterwards, the participants filled out surveys and listed three words describing how they felt after the workout.

• Those who heard the appearance-focused script used words like “ashamed” and “disgusted with myself.”

• Those who heard the performance and health-focused script used words like “strong” and “accomplished.”

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU: If you’re a trainer, think of this as marketing psychology. You need clients, right? Well, if they leave feeling awesome, they’re more likely to keep paying you… and to tell a friend about your services. You can also use this info if you’re trying to help get your friend or spouse into lifting. Focus your language on muscle, performance, and strength, not on flabby body parts.

And you know, maybe we should change our own internal dialog, too. Even the most dedicated bodybuilder eventually tires of thinking about peaked biceps and striated glutes. Shifting your focus to things like strength, performance, and health might just keep your fire burning longer. And that’ll keep your fat ass motivated.