Behavior Modification & Losing Weight

Here is a great little android application one can use when attempting to change a certain repetitive behavior. The application is free and is called "Buzz Clock"

This application is free and was initially intended to remind busy individuals of commitments or time schedules. However, this application can also be used to create a sense of mindfulness and adherence to targeted behavioral goals.

It is basically an application that sets your phone to buzz at regular or intermittent intervals. Once you have decided on your target behavior set your phone to buzz randomly and/or on regular intervals throughout the day. Every time the phone goes off it will reinforce your behavioral change creating positive momentum and help keep you more on track. Studies have shown that these simple reminders go a long way in terms of keeping individuals on track with behavioral changes and goals.

Resistance Training Isn't Just Found In The Gym

It is commonly known that in physics the harder or faster one pushes against an object the more resistance is produced in the opposite direction. We commonly accept this without even thinking about it. However, there also exists another form of resistance in the field of psychology or behaviorism. That rule is simply; The harder one tries to push someone else to perform a certain behavior the harder the other person will push back with the exact opposite behavior. In other words, the more you want someone to do a certain thing the more that person feels compelled to do the exact opposite. This phenomenon is usually exacerbated when there are emotions and relationships involved.

Examples of this are usually seen among interactions parents have with their children. However, these interactions are far from being limited to paren/child interactions. For example, have you ever tried to coach your son or daughter? This is a typical situation that most parents find themselves in. Wanting to pass down that knowledge they have gained to their kids. Usually, the son or daughter fights this tooth and nail. As a parent, you don't realize that this is not a personal issue against you but rather your child's natural reaction towards feeling controlled. Some of the best coaches out there have resorted to hiring fellow coaches in order to coach their own kids for this reason alone.

Spouses also will experience this "resistance" phenomenon in similar ways. One spouse pushes the other to become more fit or eat healthier and what inevitably occurs is the exact opposite behavior. Again, the resistance is not as much as being intentionally defiant as it is being a normal human reaction to someone exerting pressure on another. It really doesn't matter if that pressure is intended for the benefit of the other person. It will be perceived as unwanted and the resistance phenomenon will take hold.

Resistance training in the psychological sense is akin to resistance training in the physical sense. The more you push the other person the more resistance is created. The individual you are trying to help actually builds up a negative reaction to your efforts. This is not just true in parenting circles but also in all those relationships you find yourself in.

It is much better to lead or pull than to push. Pushing someone in your direction will only lead to more resistance on their part. However, using that person's already present momentum to move them forward in a more correct direction is much more efficient strategy and produces greater results in less time.

I Guess I Am A "Recovering Triathlete"

Having time to reflect on myself and my views concerning the sport of triathlon, I have come to the conclusion that I am what I would call a "Recovering Triathlete". Much like other addictions, you can not really grow as an individual until you admit you have had a problem. Too much of a good thing is not good.

At the same time you don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water. Triathlon is in fact a great sport and offers a great many positive outcomes both physically and psychologically speaking. I guess my main concern is that the negatives not be overlooked either. With the athletes I coach and those I come into contact with I feel it is my duty to not only share with them my passion for triathlon but also make them aware of the pitfalls of the sport.

It helps to initially define what it is you want to get out of the sport when you realize you have fallen in love with it. It is very intoxicating when you see your performances improve over time. The bar will inevitably be raised higher and higher. Before you get caught up in the competitive drive of it all it is important to keep everything in perspective.

WSJ.Com Article

I have to admit even I was a bit surprised when Wall Street Journal.com called to interview me concerning my post/article below entitled "Divorce by Triathlon". Here is the WSJ.com article.

Having now read it I am even more convinced that Olympic and Sprint triathlons are the way to go when it comes to enjoying a healthy and competitive life style. Unfortunately, all too often I see or hear about those who have spent years piling on the miles in their quest for age group supremacy in the 70.3 and full Ironman events.

In fact, I was one of those individuals myself. Not that wanting to be the best you can be at something is a bad thing. It isn't. However, please take a look at the sacrifices you are making in order to get there. Some may not be so obvious to you at this point in your life but maybe painfully so at a later point in time.

Multi File Quadrant Analysis and Recommendations

It has been a while since I did one of these but I am reminded of the important aspects a simple multi-file quadrant analysis can reveal. For those not familiar with quadrant analysis and what each quadrant represents from a neuromuscular standpoint please visit this link.

This file is from an elite European professional mountain biker whom I am training. We track his training stress on a weekly basis and have set training stress goals for him to reach. Main thing is to make sure he doesn't over do things before he comes to nationals this year in July.

He is looking to improve his limiters and race his strengths. Here in the graph above we see that his strength lies in low cadence/high force output. He is a great hill climber so he can produce a good deal of force at a low cadence which implies that he has a good mix of slow twitch and fast twitch muscles. How much of each no one really knows without doing a biopsy of the muscle fiber. Either way, it is important to know where his strengths lies and even more important to know what to do about improving his limiter.

Speaking of limiter,,,,that would happen to be his ability to maintain his power output over time. Please See Power Profile Below. He is a great climber, his limiter seems to be his sprinting ability when compared to other cyclists. He is quite able to get up to speed but has difficulty maintaining that speed on the flats. He relies heavily on a lower cadence after reaching top speed and may want to consider increasing his cadence earlier on in his all out efforts. Once up to speed you can see that he attempts to maintain that speed by shifting his time over to quadrant I (high cadence/high force)and does a pretty good job of it....

Based on this analysis it is recommended that he improve his force at high cadence on the bike (Quadrant I). This is referring to his fast twitch muscle fibers. Enhancing those fast twitch muscle fibers through the use of limited plyometrics in the gym along with continued 1 minute efforts should help bridge the gap for this highly motivated mountain biker.