Title: Exercise Psychology
1Exercise Psychology
2Mental Health Aspects of Exercise
3 Stress Reduction Effects of Exercise
Evidence and Mechanisms
- Reduced state and trait anxiety due to the
rhythmic-nature of exercise that stimulates an
inhibitory or relaxation site in the brain stem
of the CNS quieting cognitive activity associated
with anxiety - Reduced depression due to the release of biogenic
amines (e.g., serotonin and norephinephrine) in
the brain and/or the social interaction and
increased self-efficacy from exercise
4Cognitive Benefits
5Cognitive Benefits
6Cognitive Benefits
- Vascular Changes - increased cerebral blood flow
- Neurotrophic factors - increased neurotransmitter
levels (e.g., dopamine) in the brain - Neural efficiency improved in the brain
- Fluid intelligence (reasoning or problem solving)
improved more than crystallized intelligence
(accumulated knowledge, word recognition, and
recall facts) - Genetic basis for loss of cognitive functioning
in the elderly suggests physical inactivity may
be more detrimental to some than others
7Goal Setting
8Goal Setting
- Progressive standards of success (short-term
goals) are set to increasingly approximate a
desired standard of achievement (long-term goal) - Goal setting is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor
- Identify the clients or athletes true wants
and needs
9Setting Goals for Feedback and Reinforcement
- Long-term (L-T) goal provides a meaningful
pursuit for client/athlete - Short-term (S-T) goals provide a strategy to
achieve the long-term goal via attainable steps - Feedback is inherent in the completion of or
progress toward the S-T goal and leads to the
cognitive evaluation of success or failure - An effective yet challenging goal is one that
has about a 50 chance of success - Successful achievement of S-T goals leads to
behavioral reinforcement and the development
of self-esteem and self-efficacy
10Types of Goals
- L-T and S-T goals vary for each client/athlete
higher or greater the L-T goal, more S-T
incremental goals are needed to reach L-T goal - Types of Goals Based on Personal Control
- Process goals - client/athlete has a high
degree of control over - Outcome goals - client/athlete has little
control over - Performance goals - fall in between in
relation to control
11 Process Goals
- Effort given during a workout
- Exercise form and technique
- Positive attitude during workout
- Important for maintenance of exercise behavior as
success or goal accomplishment becomes
increasingly difficult
12Outcome Goals
- Progress or accomplishments gauged by social
comparison (winning or beating an opponent) - Can be highly arousing and induce great intensity
for competitive individuals - Probability of success is less for outcome goals
compared to process goals as outcome of success
is dependent on the performance of others and
hence success can not be guaranteed
13Performance Goals
- More difficult to achieve than process goals
- Typically stated in terms of a self-referenced
performance standard for the client/athlete - Examples
- Increasing strength or cardiorespiratory
fitness level - Reducing percent body fat
14Example of Setting a Performance Goal
- Average 3 to 5 recent 1-RM efforts in the bench
press - Calculate the difference between the average 1-RM
and best 1-RM - Add the difference to the best 1-RM to determine
performance goal - Recent 1-RM efforts in bench press were 140 lb,
145 lb, 150 lb - Average 145 lb, best 150 lb, difference 5
lb, and new performance goal is 155 lb
15Diversified Goal Setting
- Successful goal-setting program should include a
diverse combination of short-term and long-term
goals as well as process, outcome, and/or
performance goals depending on the client/athlete - During the consultation and assessment session
with a new client/athlete, the trainer should
maintain focus on the clients or athletes
desired goals and expected outcomes, and should
develop a sound plan of action
16Goal Orientations
- Clients or athletes who gauge their performance
or fitness improvement on the basis of previous
ability or fitness level are said to be tasked
involved and process and performance goals would
probably be best - Clients or athletes who gauge their performance
or fitness improvement on comparison to the
performance of one or more others are said to be
ego-involved or other-referenced and process and
outcome goals would probably be best
17Tips for Effective Goal Setting
- Identify the clients or athletes needs and
desires and plan long-term goals - Identify steps and short-terms goals that will
lead to long-term achievement - Initial goals may best be process goals
- Develop knowledge-based goals to compliment the
performance and/or fitness goals - Gradually add in more aggressive and measurable
outcome and performance goals - Sent a time frame for the attainment of
measurable outcome and performance goals
18Tips for Effective Goal Setting
- Agree on a way to determine if the program is
working toward the goals - After setting goals, make sure client believes
that the goals are obtainable - Examine the goals to make sure the goals are
compatible with one another - Goals should be prioritized
- Attach a time frame to each goal and note if a
goal is not achieved by the assigned date - Goals can and should be evaluated and adjusted at
regular intervals
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20Motivation
21Motivation
- Internal drive or neural process that arouses and
directs behavior - Two dimensions of motivation
- Direction aspect that affects choices about
time and commitment to exercise - and other program goals
- Intensity with which choices are pursued
22Reinforcement
- Reinforcement increases the likelihood that a
target or operant behavior will be repeated - Positive reinforcement gives something to a
client/athlete in response to a behavior (e.g.,
social approval or congratulations on a good
workout) - Negative reinforcement takes something away from
a client/athlete in response to a behavior - (something aversive is removed or taken away to
reward behavior such as not requiring clients or
athletes to rack their plates after a good
workout is completed) -
23Punishment
- Punishment decreases the likelihood that a target
or operant behavior will be repeated - Positive punishment involves presentation of
something aversive such as criticism of a client
for poor exercise techniques - Negative punishment involves removal of something
in order to decrease the likelihood of a behavior
such as removal of a privilege because of poor
exercise techniques or failure to reach a goal
24Self Determination or Internalization
- Intrinsic motivation - engaging in a behavior for
the sense of enjoyment derived for it true love
for the experience of exercise a sense of fun
during its performance - Extrinsic motivation - engaged in a behavior to
achieve another goal or outcome desire to be
engaged in a behavior to get an external reward - Intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation lies on a
continuum - Intrinsic motivation typically results in greater
exercise adherence - Important to know where a client or athlete falls
on the continuum of motivation
25Major Points on the Continuum from External to
Internal Motivation of a Client/Athlete
- Amotivation - total lack of motivation
- External regulation - engagement in a behavior to
avoid punishment - Introjected regulation - engagement in exercise
as a means to a valued end - Identified regulation - follows trainers
leadership because it is perceived as beneficial
instead of personally initiating exercise
behavior - Integrated regulation - personally values
exercise behavior, internalizes it, and freely
engages in it client/athlete and trainer agree
on the goals of the client
26Effect of Rewards
- External rewards can play a role in increasing
intrinsic motivation and exercise adherence - Rewards can also reduce intrinsic motivation if
they are controlling - Rewards can be viewed as controlling if the
recipient perceives a contingency or connection
between the behavior and the reward removal of
the reward may decrease the likelihood of the
intended behavior occurring
27When to Intervene with Motivational Efforts
- The transtheoretical model helps identify the
stage of readiness for exercise participation - By identifying a clients or athletes stage of
readiness, the trainer can apply the appropriate
processes for change or interventions in order to
move the client or athlete to the next level with
the ultimate goals of action and maintenance
28Stage of Readiness of a Client or Athlete
- Precontemplation - no thought or intention of
becoming physically active - Contemplation - thinks about and intends to
become physically active not physically active
yet - Preparation - accumulates 30 minutes of
moderate-intensity physical activity one day per
week - Action - accumulates 30 minutes of
moderate-intensity physical activity five or more
days per week, but has done so for less than six
months - Maintenance - accumulates 30 minutes of
moderate-intensity physical activity five or more
days per week for more than six months
29Self-Efficacy Building Confidence
- Performance accomplishments or successful
performance of a behavior - Modeling effects or observing others perform a
target behavior enhances imitative behavior - Verbal persuasion from a respected source
- Before or during exercise physiological
arousal/self-belief can increase self-efficacy
whereas anxiety/disbelief can decrease
self-efficacy - Achieving success has more impact than anything
else on raising self-efficacy
30Methods to Motivate a Client
31Minimizing Procrastination
- Almost everyone believes health and fitness are
desirable attributes, but only a small percentage
of the population commits to and maintains a
healthy, exercise lifestyle - Procrastination may occur if a client/athlete
believes that there are too many options in
diets, exercises, devices, training methods, etc - Trainers need to provide a decisive leadership
role through the many options so that a
client/athlete is not left in a frozen or
indecisive state trying to decide in the
perceived pain outweighs the potential benefits
32Identifying False Beliefs
- Because of the many quick fixes positioned as
solutions, clients/athletes may have allowed
false beliefs and information into their belief
system - False beliefs and information need to be
eliminated before a trainer can install new
empowering beliefs and information - An effective line of communication between the
trainer and client/athlete must be established
through which education and reasoning can be
effectively communicated and instilled
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34Identifying and Modifying Self TalkHis or Her
Internal Voice
- Positive self talk can be very motivating
- Negative self talk makes it almost impossible for
a client/athlete to accept even the most
positively directed affirmations - Positive affirmations will be more effective if
the client/athlete changes the negative - self-talk first
35Modifying Self Talk
- Ask client/athlete to notice and think about the
types of his/her self-talk self talk during the
day - Ask the client/athlete to identify his/her self
talk before and during training sessions - Have client/athlete write down negative self talk
on the left side of a piece of paper and on the
right side how the self talk could be changed to
be supportive or motivating instead - Have client recite and rehearse the new, positive
affirmations - External encouragement will be more effective if
the client/athlete changes his/her self-talk
first
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37Motivational Strategies
- Define your goals
- Set realistic goals
- Exercise with a group
- Exercise with a buddy
- Recruit the support of significant others
- Associate with other exercisers
- Schedule a definite time and place for exercise
- Build on successful experiences
- Exercise to music
- Participate in a variety of activities
- Keep a progress chart or daily log
38Other Psychological Tools for Performance
Enhancement
39Mental Imagery
- A cognitive psychological skill in which the
client/athlete uses all of the senses to create a
mental experience of the performance - The client/athlete stimulates reality by mentally
rehearsing a movement and/or imagining visual,
auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and even
exertional cues
40Hypnosis
- An induced state of hyper-suggestibility
- Positive suggestions relating to a clients or
athletes performance potential are planted in
the subconscious mind
41Systematic Desensitization
- A technique that helps a client/athlete initially
confront or reduce fears, which may have arisen
from an association of previously neutral stimuli
with a stressful event(s) - Involves counter-conditioning in which an athlete
replaces a fear response to various cues with a
relaxation response
42Physical Relaxation Techniques
- Diaphragmatic breathing - involves belly
breathing which focuses on breath (a controllable
aspect of physiology) to clear the mind and
therefore increase attentional capacity
43Physical Relaxation Techniques
- Progressive muscular relaxation - a somatopsychic
technique by which psychological and physical
arousal are - self-regulated through the control of muscular
tension involves performance of a series of
alternate muscular tensing and relaxing phases in
which the individual becomes aware of somatic
tension and learns to control it
44Physical Relaxation Techniques
- Autogenic training - an attentional state that
focuses on the sense of warmth and heaviness of a
particular limb or muscle group shifting
autonomic neural processes from sympathetic
dominance to parasympathetic dominance
45References
- Earle and Baechle - Chapter 8
- Course Reader - Section 32
46QUESTIONS?COMMENTS?
47Identifying and Modifying Self Talk