Motivation is a key factor in bodybuilding. Without motivation, not a single one on this site will allow you to build muscle, lose weight or achieve any “desired” result. We take the “desired” in quotation marks, since without the proper level of motivation your desires turn into a positive assessment.
Motivation or a positive assessment?
The true desire to get a result can be confused with a positive assessment of the result of possible actions. You need to distinguish desire from a positive assessment on time, because otherwise you will spend your time and energy on those “desires” that are not really yours.
We highlight the main differences between a Danabol DS10 and other steroids, that positively evaluates the result:
True desire makes you act. A person who positively evaluates the result can say “I want to lose weight” for 5 years, but do not take any real action to achieve this goal. In this example, we highlight 3 possible situations:
The protagonist of our example for 5 years tells everyone about how he wants to lose weight, but he does not take any action for fat burning. This person has no motivation to lose weight! He wants to continue to eat kilograms of fried potatoes and not go to the gym, but at the same time he appreciates the opportunity to lose weight. He longs to eat fried fish and burn fat. This is not motivation.
The protagonist of our example for 5 years talks about how he craves to lose weight. He regularly sits on diets, tries different types of fat burning workouts, but they do not give a quick result. The protagonist breaks down, goes into a “zhazh”, after which he again tries to lose weight. The motivation of this person is not great enough to keep himself in control all the time. But he has motivation.
The main character understands that he needs to lose weight, and takes active steps to achieve this goal. He switches to a healthy diet, begins to engage in fitness. In the event of a mistake or in those moments when the result is absent, the main character has enough motivation not to break. He seeks the necessary information, removes all obstacles and achieves his goal. This person has motivation, and it is significant.
A motivated person always achieves his goal. Sometimes partially. There is no such thing that motivation is present, and a person for 5 years can not lose a miserable 10 kg.
Motivation “breaks” all excuses. Motivated man is ready for anything! Let’s demonstrate the absurdity of excuses like “I don’t have time” on ridiculous examples:
- “I don’t have 15 minutes to visit the shower, so it stinks of me for 5 years”
- “I don’t have time to look for work, so I died after 2 weeks of starvation.”
- “I have a family and children, so over the past 5 years I have not had time to go to the toilet.”
- “My work is too hard. When I come home from work, I don’t have time and energy to cook, so I’ve been starving for the last 5 years. ”
- “I did not have time to find a girl and build a family, so now I am a 90-year-old virgin.”
Sounds absurd, right? For everything that a person really needs, he always finds time. If in 5 years of “suffering from excess weight” you still haven’t gone to the gym, then your motivation is either not strong enough or you don’t have it at all.
What is motivation?
Motivation is an emotional state. This is a certain ratio of hormones in our body. Since hormones are in our body, this means that the amount of motivation can be adjusted independently. The motivation is the so-called incentive system, in which the neurotransmitter dopamine dominates. Dopamine is responsible for:
The desire to achieve any goal. The high concentration of dopamine and the low sensitivity of dopamine receptors increase the pleasure of achieving any goal. Therefore:
Increase the number of desired achievements. Earlier, the main interests of our protagonist included food, watching TV and, occasionally, sex, then after the correction of the system of incentives for desires (namely, desires, rather than a positive assessment), the desire to attend the gym and earn a lot can be added.
Increased pleasure in the process of achieving goals. If before visiting the gym seemed to you hard labor, then after adjusting the incentive system, you will enjoy the workouts.
Increased pleasure in achieving goals. The dumped kilogram will deliver at times more pleasure than the thrill of a delicious dinner.
The level of enjoyment of life. If before the main pleasure of our protagonist was delicious food, now not only the number of sources of pleasure, but also their quality has increased. At first, you will be “torn apart” from an incredible thrill from the very process of life.
Success in life. Achieving any goal with a healthy system is ten times easier than with a patient. You have a motivation to earn, have an attractive appearance and create high-quality relationships. Some people have a craving not only for physical, but also for spiritual development. After improving the incentive system, a “strange man” can turn out to be a brilliant scientist, and a “professional lazy lazy person on TV” can be an excellent professional.
Improving the dopamine system does not make our main character a person whom he is not. We simply strengthen his motivation, return the desires that are peculiar to this particular person.
The goal is to bring back motivation
Here is a step-by-step system “on returning to life”, after the implementation of which the motivation of everyone who decided to put this scheme into practice will reach the maximum level:
We throw out the excess. We get rid of all external and internal factors that allow us to get an “undeserved dopmin”. These factors include:
Strong exogenous drugs. Alcohol, tobacco, and other narcotic substances that throw dopamine overdoses into the bloodstream and reduce the enjoyment of life without external stimulation.
Weak exogenous drugs. These include food with a flavor enhancer, coffee, and other additives that reduce the sensitivity of dopamine receptors.
Dependent behavior. Surfing on social networks, the endless check “Did anyone write to me VK?”, Excessive (!) Sexual activity, gluttony and everything that falls under the expression “addictive behavior”. These actions lead to an excessive release of dopamine, which reduces the sensitivity of dopamine receptors and reduces your motivation to live.
Any habits that do not bring benefits, and do not give pleasure. Example: “eating” one’s own nails under stress, unsystematic negative thoughts.
We add to life those things for the implementation of which before there was not enough desire. The first 3-7 days of “dopamine detoxification” you will experience a condition similar to a drug addict breaking up. But this “breaking” is weaker and shorter, which will allow already on the third day to feel an increase in craving for life. Realize your main desire on the third or fourth day of our system. This can be a trip to the gym, meeting a girl, or starting learning English. The old “bad” dopamine is partially removed from the system and at this point you add a new “good” dopamine. We delve into new positive habits and begin to get high from life. A month later, after giving up the excess and adding new positive habits, you will feel that any goal is up to you. It is impossible to refuse this condition in favor of momentary joy from harmful substances and a dependent way of life.
Do not engage in self-discipline during breakdowns. The more “extra” and “addictive behavior” you saw at home, the more difficult it will be for the recovery of the motivation system. The superfluity of dopamine, which a person receives from drugs, cannot be quickly replaced by good habits. Example: from drinking 2 liters of beer, a person gets 0.5 grams of dopamine, while training in the gym provokes the release of 0.1 grams of the hormone of pleasure. After 3 months of giving up the excess, the joy of training will feel like 0.7 grams of dopamine, but in the first 2-3 weeks the pleasure of drinking will be considered more profitable by the brain than attending a training session. This is a brain trap, the impact of which must be endured. The human brain was not “programmed” for the existence of drugs, as a result of which there is no counteraction, except for a conscious understanding of everything we are talking about today, at the instinctive level. This provokes a “breakdown”, after which it is important to continue to use the system as if you did not make this mistake. The more a person experiences because of a mistake, the greater the likelihood that a breakdown will happen again.
The result of using this system will be a constant feeling of craving for life. You will receive a motivation that does not end after understanding the lack of a “whip” and does not disappear 10 minutes after watching a motivational video.
Point motivation. Carrot and stick
In the framework of using the system to return joy to life, we recommend using “point motivation”, which is based on the principle of carrot and stick. Consider the main components of this system:
“bread” is a positive result that you will get if you do a useful job. In practice, it looks like this: you set yourself the goal of “Buy a gym membership and conduct the first training session.” To make this goal seem more attractive from the point of view of the incentive system, you add: “I will complete the task – I will go for a walk with the girl in the evening (I’ll buy a new game, eat a tasty dinner, etc.). Positive actions are reinforced by the effects that lead to the release of dopamine.
“Whip” is a negative result that you will get if you do not do a useful job. Example: “For each pass of the training, I give Vasya 1000 rubles.” We agree with Vasya, notify him of the schedule of his training. The fact that you will have to give money for every missed workout will significantly increase your motivation. For the role of “Vasya” it is better to choose not your relative or friend, but a comrade who does not want to give money, and who will not regret you “in case of what”.
You achieve maximum results with a combination of positive and negative motivation. Example: “I buy a gym membership and spend my first training. I’ll do it – take a walk with the girl in the evening. I won’t do it – I’ll give Vasya 1000 rubles. ”
A person with a healthy reward system does not need a “stick” or a “carrot”. But at the transitional stage, when the past life is already over and the new one has not yet begun, you cannot do without point motivation.
Motivation. sources of inspiration
Strong motivation in the long term of 1-2 weeks (and weak – in the long term of many months and years) can give an example of people who inspire you. Most often, these people are:
Famous personalities whose starting conditions were no better than yours.
Persons who have achieved a lot in your area of ??development.
This motivation is suitable for men and women who do not feel full confidence in their abilities. “If he was able to succeed under the same conditions as mine, then what makes me worse?” Is a key issue of this motivation.
As a source of inspiration, you can use films, books and any examples from life. One cool movie can give you a start. This push will not turn into a permanent state of motivation, but it will help to overcome the stage of recovery of the dopamine system.
Motivational videos
The videos that you can find in Google at the request “Video Motivation” are the “lower floor” of motivation that “ignites” you for a short time (from 2-3 minutes to 2-3 days). In isolation from our system, motivational videos are pointless. But if you combine the viewing of motivational videos with actions to improve the work of the incentive system, the short videos that we will publish below will become your indispensable assistant.
Motivation is an emotional state that is caused by the presence or absence of certain hormones. Working with the hormonal system is a key factor in maintaining and enhancing motivation.
Thoughts predetermine actions. This rule works and vice versa: actions predetermine thoughts. The more you work out in the gym, the more sympathetic the training is. To the methods of motivation that we described above, it is useful to add a struggle with their weaknesses in the initial stages. Make yourself exercise in the gym for 8 workouts, and only then decide whether to continue working on yourself. After completing the first training session, many novice athletes have a desire to give up a new hobby. After 8-10 trainings without a “new hobby”, these same people can’t imagine their life.
Add variety to your workouts. A common cause of loss of motivation is overloading the nervous system. The central nervous system gets tired of the same type of stress, there comes training and apathy, there is a desire to quit. CNS overstrain can be cured with:
- – Full rest from physical exertion. For 2-3 weeks.
- – Making diversity in the training process. Light exercise that restores the nervous system. This practice can not only heal, but also prevent overtraining.
Example: you are engaged in bodybuilding and are faced with overstrain of the central nervous system. We temporarily reduce the number of bodybuilding workouts, add varieties of folk or team sports, and conduct light fitness workouts. A variety of physical activity significantly increases the athlete’s motivation.
Use the principles of healthy lifestyle and healthy eating to regulate the motivational sphere. A healthy lifestyle reduces the sensitivity of dopamine receptors, which leads to additional motivation for implementation in the outside world. Example: a person who drinks once a week is engaged in the gym with much less zeal than an athlete who leads a sober lifestyle. A person who overeats on a regular basis with delicious food, will not be able to give all the best for 100% in training. The human body is “programmed” to receive a certain amount of pleasure. Getting pleasure with a drink and junk food is a decrease in the enjoyment of a good workout.
Use music to recharge your short-term motivation. Example: after a working day, serious fatigue accumulated, which at the time of coming to the training “turned off” the desire to train. You put on your headphones and listen to your favorite music for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, the desire to train appears again. Here’s what happened: music boosted dopamine (the hormone of motivation) and testosterone (the main male hormone). Cortisol (stress hormone) has decreased. You set your body to workout.
Use outdoor activities when you need to relieve the neural system, but not lose shape. Sports rest keeps the muscles in good shape during the restoration of the central nervous system.
Use our “sports girls” section if the example of beautiful athletes inspires you to start bodybuilding. This applies to both men and women. Caution: this method is not suitable for everyone. Some suspicious people drive themselves into unpleasant states with thoughts like “What a beauty she is! I will never have such a girl … I’ll go play DotA, watch football and go to the porn site “or” What a beauty she is! I will never be like that … I’ll go eat better. ” If you belong to this category of people, then viewing the materials that are listed on the links above is contraindicated for you.
Work on a worldview. A correct worldview is a basic element of motivation for all spheres of life. An example of an ineffective worldview is given above: a girl instead of working on herself and following the example of an athlete put an end to herself and drove herself into an even more deplorable state. Remember: nothing is decided until it is finished! While you are alive, everything can be fixed. And even more so such a trifle as excess weight or undeveloped muscles.
Summary
As a result of reading this article, you got a system that allows you to bring the work of the motivational system to your natural peak level. This motivation does not disappear for the reason that it reflects your true desires and is not based on “brain deception.” The system consists of 4 levels:
Work to restore natural motivation. At this point, dopamine receptors (the hormone of pleasure and motivation) are freed from excessive amounts of bad dopamine. Then the dopamine receptors adjust to the natural dosages of healthy dopamine, which reinforces your good habits.
Use carrots and sticks. This level allows you to implement work to restore natural motivation with a minimum of negative emotions.
Search for inspiration. This level is intended to demonstrate to our system of incentives the way to get healthy dopamine, to consolidate good habits. Motivation is derived from films, books and motivating stories.
Watching motivational videos that make you “light up” and lead to a brief increase in dopamine levels.
We use all 4 levels of this system to transition to a qualitatively new state and return the colors of life.