Will power. Muscle not brain.

Willpower: Unveiling its Muscle-like Nature
In our pursuit of personal growth and success, willpower often plays a crucial role. It is commonly believed that willpower is a skill that can be honed through practice and discipline. However, recent research suggests that willpower is more akin to a muscle that can be strengthened and fatigued. This blog post aims to explore the concept of willpower as a muscle, supported by academic references.

Understanding Willpower as a Muscle:
Willpower can be defined as the ability to resist short-term temptations in order to achieve long-term goals. Just like a muscle, it can be trained, depleted, and strengthened over time. This muscle analogy provides a useful framework for understanding the dynamics of willpower.

1. Baumeister and Heatherton (1996):
Baumeister and Heatherton conducted a seminal study that compared willpower to a muscle. They found that individuals who exerted self-control in one task experienced a subsequent decrease in self-control in a subsequent task. This depletion effect suggests that willpower, like a muscle, can become fatigued with use.

2. Muraven, Baumeister, and Tice (1999):
In another study, Muraven, Baumeister, and Tice explored the concept of willpower depletion further. They found that participants who resisted eating tempting chocolates performed worse on subsequent cognitive tasks compared to those who did not exert self-control. This study provides evidence that willpower depletion can extend beyond the specific domain of self-control.

3. Job, Dweck, and Walton (2010):
Job, Dweck, and Walton investigated the malleability of willpower through a series of experiments. They found that individuals who believed willpower was a limited resource experienced more self-control failures compared to those who believed it was a flexible and trainable trait. This study highlights the importance of mindset in developing and maintaining willpower.

Building Willpower Muscle:
Similar to building physical muscles, there are strategies to enhance and strengthen our willpower:

1. Gradual Progression:
Start with small, manageable challenges and gradually increase the difficulty. This approach allows the willpower muscle to adapt and grow stronger over time.

2. Rest and Recovery:
Just as muscles need rest to recover and grow, willpower also requires adequate rest. Engaging in activities that replenish mental energy, such as relaxation techniques or hobbies, can help restore willpower.

3. Mindfulness and Self-awareness:
Developing mindfulness and self-awareness can help individuals recognize their triggers for self-control depletion. By identifying these triggers, individuals can proactively manage their willpower resources.

Conclusion:
Willpower, often considered a skill, is better understood as a muscle that can be trained and strengthened. Academic research supports the notion that willpower can be depleted and restored, similar to the dynamics of a muscle. By adopting strategies to build and maintain this muscle, individuals can enhance their self-control and achieve their long-term goals.

References:
1. Baumeister, R. F., & Heatherton, T. F. (1996). Self-regulation failure: An overview. Psychological Inquiry, 7(1), 1-15.
2. Muraven, M., Baumeister, R. F., & Tice, D. M. (1999). Longitudinal improvement of self-regulation through practice: Building self-control strength through repeated exercise. Journal of Social Psychology, 139(4), 446-457.
3. Job, V., Dweck, C. S., & Walton, G. M. (2010). Ego depletion—Is it all in your head? Implicit theories about willpower affect self-regulation. Psychological Science, 21(11), 1686-1693.

Psychology, belief, or training development?

Mindset advocates wax lyrical about Roger Bannister who on May 6, 1954, broke the world record for the mile by nearly two seconds, becoming the first man to (officially) run the distance in under four minutes. The previous world record had lasted for nine years. Within 46 days, Australian Jim Landry broke Bannister’s record by a further 1.5 seconds.

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Prilepin table

Assuming you get to a decent gym, that allows you to do some barbell movements, how do you go about developing the strength you so long for? The reality is that the average Gym instructor may know a bit about hypertrophy ( ” 3 sets of 10 mate!”) but that’s about it. Sitting in a Globo gym among a pile of machines does that to people. It’s tragic. But, let’s say, you have something heavy and you want to lift it, how many sets, how many reps?

One of the secrets of elite trainers, like me, is that we are quite well-read: we look at British, American, and Russian strength training literature. ( mind you, if  Tabata is Japanese, add Japanese literature to that list).An interesting piece of research was carried out by soviet Sports scientist, AS Prilepin, who studied the training logs of  1000 leading weightlifting champions. The table below is an averaging of these logs and shows the % of 1 rep max, the number of reps performed per set,  the optimal amount of reps per workout, and the range of reps used indicated by the research. This table is specifically for gaining maximal strength

The Prilepin Table: 
IntensityReps per setRecommended optimal Total of RepsRange of reps seen in research
Below 70%3 – 62418-30
70 – 79%3 – 61812 – 24
80 – 89%2 – 41510 – 20
90% and above1 – 274 – 10

There are of course a few points worthy of mention. These tables were extracted from the training journals of Olympic weight lifters and it’s possible to argue that this would not apply to other lifts ( the slower lifts like the squat, deadlift press, etc).

This also assumes you have a reliable 1 rep max figure, and for that matter, an up-to-date one.

What I don’t know ( and if anyone does, please let me know) does he use the idea of a 1 rep max as your best ever lift. If you look at Zatsiorsky and Kraemer, they establish a difference between a training max and a competition 1 rep max. They suggest that the difference is about 12.5%  +/- 2.5% in superior weightlifters. The further makes the distinction that a training max is  a load you lift with no emotional arousal which can be monitored by your heart rate. If someone says, lift that weight, and your heart rate zooms up in anticipation, that load is  (probably)  above your training max. This,of course, assumes some experience. Stopping the average sedentary person and saying, lift that weight, will probably get most people’s heart rate up!

These tables and information are, of course, a snapshot. I’m not discussing long-term fatigue, issues of scheduling.

Yet.

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