My workout is deeply flawed. And, no offense, but so is yours.
I’m paraphrasing this thesis from A.J. Jacobs, who wrote an Esquire article exploring the deep-seeded biases, insidious fallacies, illogical assumptions, poorly or not-at-all thought-out habits and other garden-variety irrationalities of his unconscious brain.
“It’s scary when you start to scrutinize it,” he writes. “Probably 90 percent of our life decisions are powered by the twin engines of inertia and laziness.”
Sure, he wasn’t talking about workouts. Still, the article was eye-opening. No more merely going through the motions. I must rid my routine of prehistorically ingrained inefficiencies. I will create The Rationality Workout.
But first, I must clear these mental hurdles.
The LakeWobegon Effect
In our minds, we’re all “delusively cocky.” The attribute that perceives our abilities to be greater than they are is named for Garrison Keillor’s fictional town where “all the children are above average.” The gym might be the only place where this effect might be manifested more than Wall Street. I mean, just look at how many push-ups I can do! Oh wait, you mean I should slow down, keep my head in line with my shoulders and not arch my butt in the air? Nevermind that this will actually make me stronger. For the moment, it makes me feel so much weaker.
The Rational Alternative: Stay within your capabilities. It will pay off in the long run, and may save you from looking like an idiot when you throw out your back attempting to curl a 50-pound free weight.
Source Amnesia
We tend to believe whatever we hear, and we tend to forget where we learned that information. As a consequence, we can give equal weight to something that came from a credible source like, say, the New England Journal of Medicine or from a less-than-credible source like, say, a 30-second political attack ad. “They are stuck deep, these myths,” Jacobs writes. “But how do I identify them?”
The Rational Alternative: We often do exercises in sets of three. Why? Studies show that two sets of exercises is just as effective as three. At least, I think that’s what studies have shown. Now I can’t remember where I read that.
The Mere Exposure Effect
We’re trapped by our culture. The Mere Exposure Effect states that we accept what we’re exposed to without giving equal opportunity for possible alternatives. “The basic idea,” Jacobs writes, “is I like Crest because I’m accustomed to Crest.” But would you be bench-pressing if you were born in Japan? Would you get on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes every day if you lived in Kenya? Would you be a triathlete if you got into Pilates?
The Rational Alternative: You might be missing out on your favorite exercise activity just because you haven’t given it a chance. Yet. Tai Chi, anyone?
Unit Bias
In a single sitting, we can wipe out the effects of a strenuous workout just by following a childhood lesson. We clean our plates – weather we really need that amount or not. Jacobs cited a study where subjects were instructed to eat soup until they were full. Secretly, the scientists refilled their soup from tubes under the bowls. “If the scientists hadn’t dragged them from the table,” he wrote, “they might have exploded.” We let the medium dictate our appetite, rather than the other way around.
The Rational Alternative: When you’re full, STOP!!!
So. Now that I’ve rooted out these irrationalities from my workouts, I can rest assured I’m getting The Best of All Worlds workout. Clearly. I think.
Then again, I might just be falling victim to the Availability Fallacy, which means our minds “glom on the mot vivid, emotional examples.” In this case, the master narrative of a men’s magazine writer. The angst!
This is why l still follow the Cigelske Principle. This rule states that when you’re confused and frustrated, just go for a run. If you run long enough, the problem should eventually sort itself out. If not, you’re too tired to care.
Training with Tim is arguably Milwaukee’s third most underrated fitness blog. It’s updated semi-daily at trainingwithtim.com.
