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Ever wonder what is the best motivational tool? We all know some that backfire ("If I finish this set, I get to have pizza after this!") and some that are just counter productive ("If I finish this set, I'll skip the treadmill!").
Is there a tool that will undoubtedly motivate without having to engage in any unhealthy behaviors?
According to one study published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise, the key to a better workout is plenty of friendly competition. For their study, they had participants do planks in two different sessions with a three minute break in between. In one group, they essentially noted that "on average," people do better--igniting some indirect competition.
Psychologist Christian Jarrett summarized the findings in the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest.
"Sixty-eight regulars (nine men) at a Pilates studio were asked to perform two plank exercises, and to hold each for as long as they possibly could," Jarret wrote.
"The participants were given a three-minute rest between each attempt. The key intervention is that between planks, half the participants were given the “social norms” message that 80 per cent of people similar to them (in terms of age, gender and Pilates level) had achieved a 20 per cent longer time on their second effort. The other participants were told nothing of this kind, or anything else.”
Yahoo! Health continues, "On average, the participants who were told that their peers had been able to hold the plank longer on their second try held the pose 5 percent longer than they had the first time; the group who hadn't been told anything, on the other hand, saw an 18 percent drop in hold time on their second attempt."
There you have it: competition. Try bringing a friend and start some competitions on your own. Maybe simply do some harmless trash-talking ("I went with Sally yesterday, and she finished that set.") or try making it a game ("I'm going to hit the one mile mark faster than you.").
Whatever you try, just make sure it's friendly and lighthearted, you don't want to lose any friends in the process!
What do you think about this study? Do you believe it to be true? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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