Need to Train Things You Hate? Try Temptation Bundling

Charles is here on a weekly basis to help you cut through the B.S. and get some real perspective regarding health and training. Please post feedback or questions to Charles directly in the comments below this article.

In all the various realms of our lives, there are two types of “things”:

The things we love to do
The things we should do

The problem is, these two categories are not always synonymous.

Fun Versus Useful

If we restrict this discussion to our training efforts, it’s easy to see the built-in conflict we need to resolve if we ever hope to actualize our potential. Naturally, we like doing certain things because we’re good at them, and therefore, doing them gives us a sense of satisfaction. Just as surely, we tend to dislike the things we’re not very good at. Those tend to be the things we ought to do.

Visualize two different circles: one representing the things you like to do, and the other the things you ought to do. The more overlap you have between each circle, the better you will do in any venture you choose. How can you bring these two circles together so they converge as much as possible? How can you learn to like, or at least accept, doing the things you need to do?

What is your strategy for increasing the overlap in the middle?

Trick Yourself With Temptation Bundling

“Temptation bundling” is one promising strategy. The idea was conceived by Katy Milkman, Professor of Economics at the Wharton School. Temptation bundling involves combining a temptation with something you know you should do, but might struggle to do. It’s similar to rewarding yourself after doing a difficult but necessary task. With temptation bundling, your reward behavior happens in conjunction with the unpleasant task.

In a recent interview with Freakonomics Radio, Milkman provides a simple example from her own life: only allowing herself to watch her favorite television shows while she’s on the treadmill at the gym. This strategy makes her much more likely to go to the gym, and she also feels less guilty about watching the shows. Here’s Milkman describing the process in more detail:

Professor Katherine Milkman on Temptation Bundling

Watch this video on YouTube

I use a similar behavioral trick in my own life – I listen to podcasts while taking my daily walk to Starbucks. Ever since I started this habit, I look forward to my walks much more than I used to. I also feel less guilty about all the time I spend listening to podcasts.

In the gym, I’ve been using this approach to help me pay more attention to mobility work. Doing simple band exercises in between sets of my normal strength exercises has been an effective way to solidify this new behavior. While it may not be temptation bundling in strict terms, it has the same flavor: for every set of weights I do, I do a set for mobility.

This strategy has been suggested by other coaches (Dan John comes immediately to mind), and the inter-set mobility drills are often referred to as “fillers.” If you’ve found yourself using this technique without having a term for it, I’d love to hear about it. Or if you have other techniques you use to “trick” yourself into doing unpalatable, but ultimately beneficial behaviors, please share them in the comments section below.

This Week’s Training:

Volume: 100,334lb (Last Week: 57,270lb)

Significant Lifts:

High Bar Squat 240×8
Swing: 124 (2×15)
2.5” Deficit Pull: 375×10

I’m quite happy with this week of training. I feel healthy, and I managed to post a few good lifts. Overall, things feel like they’re going in a positive direction. I’m gradually working to bring up areas of weakness (quads, abs, mobility, and aerobic endurance) while maintaining my strengths.

And there’s another possible new chapter that might crop up in my training in upcoming weeks. The gym I belong to has a fantastic kickboxing room, with every type of striking bag you could imagine. I spent about twenty years heavily involved with martial arts in a former life, and I think I’m going to add two short workouts per week that include a bit of kicking, striking, and stretching. Reacquiring at least some of my former abilities will serve as a primary impetus for doing the mobility work I need to do, and it’ll help with my conditioning as well.

In a sense, this bears a lot of similarity to the temptation bundling concept I wrote about above. I hate stretching and conditioning, but the prospect of being able to regain my kicking ability might be enough to get me to do it. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes. Thanks all for this week, and I hope your new year is off to a great start.

Monday, December 28, 2015

Bodyweight: 201.8lb

Volume: 23,023lb

Goblet Squat

Set 1: 30lb × 10
Set 2: 55lb × 10
Set 3: 75lb × 10

Power Clean

Set 1: 45lb × 5
Set 2: 88lb × 5
Set 3: 110lb × 5
Set 4: 132lb × 5
Set 5: 154lb × 3
Set 6: 165lb × 2
Set 7: 176lb × 1

Notes: Cleans felt much stronger today.

High Bar Squat

Set 1: 95lb × 10
Set 2: 135lb × 10
Set 3: 185lb × 10
Set 4: 215lb × 10
Set 5: 240lb × 8
Set 6: 185lb × 10

Swings

Set 1: 106lb × 15
Set 2: 124lb × 15
Set 3: 124lb × 15 (Video Below)

Notes: 124×15 challenging

Swings with the 124 pound KB for sets of 15

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Toes To Bar

Set 1: 6 reps
Set 2: 6 reps
Set 3: 6 reps (Video Below)

Notes: 6 reps only moderately hard

Toes To Bar

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Reverse Hyper

Set 1: 50lb × 10
Set 2: 90lb × 10
Set 3: 180lb × 10

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Bodyweight: 202.2lb

Volume: 26,250lb

Football Bar Bench

Set 1: 40lb × 10
Set 2: 90lb × 10
Set 3: 130lb × 10
Set 4: 150lb × 10
Set 5: 150lb × 10
Set 6: 170lb × 6
Set 7: 170lb × 6
Set 8: 150lb × 6
Set 9: 130lb × 10

Seated Row

Set 1: 165lb × 10
Set 2: 165lb × 10
Set 3: 165lb × 10
Set 4: 165 lb × 10

Incline Dumbbell Press

Set 1: 80lb × 10
Set 2: 110lb × 10
Set 3: 130lb × 10
Set 4: 130lb × 9
Set 5: 130lb × 8

Dual Cable Low Cable Curl

Set 1: 90lb × 10
Set 2: 90lb × 10
Set 3: 90lb × 10
Set 4: 90lb × 10
Set 5: 80lb × 10

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Bodyweight: 201.8lb

Volume: 25,300lb

Goblet Squat

Set 1: 30lb × 10
Set 2: 30lb × 10
Set 3: 30lb × 10

2.5″ Deficit Pull

Set 1: 135lb × 10
Set 2: 185lb × 10
Set 3: 225lb × 10
Set 4: 275lb × 10
Set 5: 315lb × 10
Set 6: 375lb × 10 (Video Below)

Notes: was probably good for 385-390×10

2.5" Deficit Pull, 375x10

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Hack Squat

Set 1: 45lb × 10
Set 2: 90lb × 10
Set 3: 115lb × 10
Set 4: 140lb × 10

Notes: Again, these feel so productive for me. I just unrack the sled, fold my arms across my chest, and use a slow tempo. I keep the whole movement restricted to the most difficult ROM (in other words, I don’t lock out at the top).

Standing Calf Raise