The Science of "Buy-In"

When I first started digging into the tenets of evolutionary biology I would have never guessed that it could make me a better coach. Learning about it in my free time, coupled with my more regimented study of sport psychology has led me to better understand the basic human behaviors that are hard wired into almost all of us and exist for good reason. The study of evolutionary biology attempts to identify the biological mechanisms that exist in EVERYONE because our ancestors developed them over many years in order to push our species forward. The "soft" wiring of our brain is more malleable and can be changed depending on how we interact with our environment and the people in it.

An example I use often to explain this hard wiring we all have in us is the act of being inherently uneasy in the dark. Most people are, at least a little bit, more uneasy in the dark than in the light. Why? Our biological wiring increases anxiety when light isn't present, because when things got dark for our ancestors they were at a much higher risk of becoming someone else's dinner. After the sun set, being on high alert was a necessary survival mechanism. Evolution of a species moves at very slow rate. Industrialization, however, progresses exponentially, so it's important to be able to identify where these hard wirings can help explain basic human behaviors we may not necessarily need, but still have, due to the fact that they were of necessity to our ancestors.

I'll give one more example. Robb Wolff, author of Wired to Eat, does a better job of linking the tenets of evolutionary biology to the way we eat better than anyone I've ever read. He suggests that we are all hard wired to eat things that are of the highest caloric density whenever they are available and then rest as much as possible immediately after we've filled our bellies. Sound familiar? It's the way most Americans eat today and a huge reason why we have an obesity epidemic on our hands. Again, industrialization has outpaced our evolution. The hard wiring in our brains hasn't evolved to understand that there is a grocery store less than a mile down the road where we can get our hands on just about anything we want at any time. It still governs you as if you hunted down and killed that meal and have no way of anticipating when you'll get your next meal. The survival mechanism wired into you as a result is to conserve as much energy as possible until you'll feed again.

There's good news, though. We can reason with this hard wiring using the more malleable parts of our brain and discipline ourselves to not fall victim to these innate responses. This is why, as most of us get older, we learn to convince ourselves not to fear darkness and discipline ourselves not to eat junk food whenever it's in front of us.

I opened this blog discussing the tenets of evolutionary biology because I think it can help us, as coaches or employers, utilize tactics that will allow us reach most everyone. If we can understand the way human behavior is hard wired into us all, we can better understand what it is people need from us, and engage in practices that allows both parties to win. 

In coaching circles we have a knack for giving names to things that are already heavily researched in the scientific literature under different terminology. One of these terms that is used in almost all coaching circles is "buy-in." Coaches around the world are constantly searching for what it takes to get every individual they recruit or inherit to "buy-in" to the principles and practices of their program.  My opinion is that "buy-in" is just a term coaches use to refer to the principles of adherence and motivation. If you search the term "buy-in" in your campus' online library you may not find much, but if you search "adherence and motivation" you'll find that there is a plethora of scientific literature covering how we can better understand "buy-in" by better understanding hard-wired, basic human needs.

One of the most widely accepted theories of adherence and motivation is the self-determination theory (SDT) originally constructed and proposed by Deci and Ryan (1985). The SDT suggests that individuals are motivated to pursue high levels of mastery in any endeavor by two means. These means are intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivations. Our goal should be to get the individuals we work with (athletes or employees) as intrinsically motivated as possible, because research shows that it is the longest lasting and most enduring form of motivation. The simplest way I can define someone who is intrinsically motivated is someone who does something simply because they are madly in love or with it or genuinely curious about how it works. These people are drawn to tasks because of their interest and drive to master the task itself and not the things that becoming competent at the task can provide them. 

Extrinsic motivations aren't worthless. They just aren't as enduring and can't be relied on to create genuine forms of adherence and motivation. Examples of extrinsic motivation are public perceptions, awards and accolades, verbal approval from prominent figures, financial compensations, etc. This is why we intuitively understand that people who pursue money, fame, and attention typically burn out while those who are obsessed with the process and do their work because they love it typically have longer, more successful, and enduring careers. 

Ok, so if intrinsic motivation is the holy grail of buy-in, how do we use what we know about how all people are hard wired to get them more intrinsically motivated? Deci and Ryan (1985) suggest that we can do this by catering to three hard-wired basic human needs: autonomy, perceived competence, and relatedness. I believe in these three concepts so much that I've made them a staple of all my presentations to any recruits that come onto our campus and I make a conscious effort to manage my employees and coach my athletes by them. I'll explain in the next three paragraphs what each of these concepts are and how we can use them to improve adherence and motivation with the people we work with. 

Autonomy

Autonomy is a hard wired human need for self-governance and independence. People NEED to be given freedoms to pursue their goals in their own way. As coaches and employers, we often feel like we're the experts in our field, so things have to be done the way we've learned to do them. This often leads to micromanagement and black and white rules or restrictions that end up de-motivating the people we've been tasked with leading. The best thing about becoming radically open-minded about the many different ways tasks can be completed and goals can be achieved is that you open yourself up to new learning opportunities on a daily basis. As an employer I've learned that the best way to lead my people is to explain to them what the task at hand is or the goal to be achieved and then step back and give them the freedom to do their thing the best way they know how. If the end result isn't in parallel with our expectations, we re-visit the method they're employing and make minor adjustments for it to better fit our vision. This has allowed me to learn new ways of doing things and made them feel like they have the freedom to explore their own development and come up with more effective means of helping the people they work directly with. As a strength and conditioning coach, I provide autonomy to my athletes by providing them with programming that I believe best incorporates the most efficacious exercise science literature I'm aware of, but allow them to make small tweaks to the programming to better fit what they believe allows them to make progress as an individual. The old school strength and conditioning coach may step into my weight room and see chaos and disorder, but I see autonomy and a conglomerate of individuals in pursuit of mastery. Adults want to be treated like adults, not children. I strive for adherence and motivation with my people, not obedience. If you're the type of person that needs someone to drive obedience into you, you don't fit my culture anyway, so I'd rather not engage.

Perceived Competence

Perceived competence is simply how competent one perceives themselves to be in any endeavor (duh). Scientific literature shows that the most powerful means of developing this trait is something referred to as "mastery experience." This simply means that the people we work with have to have experiences in the domains that they care most about that lead them to believe they are becoming more competent. This is why it's so important for us to not only become competent professionals ourselves, but also work to understand what it is that is important to the people we work with. Employees want to have access to the tools and education they need to do their job well. If we're able to deliver that to them they will perceive themselves and more competent and subsequently become more motivated to their job well. As employers, therefore, our focus shouldn't be to make sure our employees are doing things OUR way, but to make sure our people have everything they need to do the best job possible in the best way they know how and have access to education to continue improving. As a strength coach, this means I have to find ways to help my athletes improve at their sport of choice, not just at lifting weights. I have to find a way to utilize the weight room in a manner that provides athletes with more mastery experiences when they go to compete. Having mastery experiences in the weight room will likely be helpful, but if you're working with a basketball player, it's probably best that your methods are focused on providing them with mastery experiences on the basketball court rather than on the platform. This will ultimately motivate them to keep coming back to work with you. 

Relatedness

Relatedness refers to the basic human need for connection. As human beings we need to feel like we are a part of something bigger than ourselves and are working in concert with others to achieve a common goal. When we feel connected to a larger group, and feel like we have the support of that group and its leaders, we become more motivated to do well. My opinion is that this is the most important component of achieving buy in with our employees and athletes, but also the most difficult. It requires that you care. Not that you put forth demonstrations to show them you care, but that you GENUINELY CARE. It can't be faked and it can't be systematically implemented. Team building activities and organizing events to create a family like atmosphere can help, but none of it will last if you don't genuinely care about the well-being and emotional state of those you are in a position to lead. This takes time and effort, which is what makes it so challenging. These aren't a luxury we all have a lot of, but making a point to ask those you lead how they are doing and if there is anything you can do to help goes a long way to making them feel connected. Understanding that everyone you work with perceives things differently, acts differently, has different things that make them tick, and needs for individuality is incredibly important. It's hard, but incredibly important.

Closing

I'm hoping that if you read this far you learned something about what the scientific literature says about getting buy-in from the people you lead. Giving them some more freedom and allowing them to have a say in the way things are done is difficult for some, but it's incredibly important if achieving long-lasting adherence and motivation is the goal. The more liberties we give those we lead in concert with our professional guidance, the better they'll become at what they do and the more they'll perceive themselves as competent at what they do. Reminding them and making them feel like they are an important part of something that matters should be a done DAILY. Being supported and connected creates incredibly loyal and highly motivated people and these kinds of people are the ones who ultimately achieve great things. How you incorporate these three things is entirely up to you. I don't micromanage :), but I can tell you that they are important.

As always, thank you for reading. 

Caleb Heilman, MS, CSCS, USA-W Owner, Heilman's Performance Director of Human Performance, Minot State University 701-340-3547 | calebjheilman02@gmail.com www.heilmansperformance.com 1928 2nd Avenue SW Minot, ND 58701

Don't Call It a Comeback

Writing is hard, but I know it's an important skill for me to continue developing if I'm going to grow into the professional I want to be. For the last couple of years I've gotten up before the crack of dawn to fulfill my reading and writing requirements for the master's program I was enrolled in. The writing style I engaged in over the last two years was good for me, but it wasn't really my style. I love sharing new ideas, engaging in professional discourse, and having great discussions with like-minded individuals, but mediums like Twitter, where I can be open and honest about what's actually going on in between my ears suits me much better. I'm infamous amongst my friends, family, and colleagues for being long-winded, though, so Twitter has always left something to be desired. It's just too difficult to share complex thoughts with enough context to really get an actionable message out. All that said, I've realized that actively blogging and vlogging is the only reasonable solution.

Now that my educational responsibilities have been fulfilled I'd like to commit to writing more often to help share information, new ideas, and to spark discussions with the coaches and athletes I work with in my own community. I'm going to try my best to keep it short to keep you all actively engaged because I know what it's like to open an article, observe how long it is, and then close the article immediately knowing that you just don't have time to truly absorb the content it contains.

So here's the plan: honest and informative writing on a weekly basis with a conscious effort to blend what I know to be true of the scientific literature and practical applications pertaining to:

• the development of speed, strength, power, and athleticism 
• the acquisition of gross and fine motor skills
• the tenants of sport psychology and how we can use them to better prepare athletes at all levels
• the importance and habitual application of proper nutrition and recovery strategies 
• the business of fitness, strength and conditioning, and sports performance

My plan is not to just share information, but strategies and guidance that all readers, whether they be parents, business owners, coaches, or athletes, can put into practice. Adjusting my writing style from one that fits the scientific literacy of my professors to one that the layman can absorb and put to good use will take some time, but I'm hoping you follow along and find some value as I work to develop this important skill. I see writing as an opportunity for me to help those in my community, grow as a professional, and potentially provide more for my family as quality content in online forums becomes more sought after.

So I guess this is the official re-birth of my blog inspired by all the things I couldn't fit in a Tweet. I can already picture all of my employees rolling their eyes. But worry not, I won't get any of us in trouble, at least not WRITE away. LOL. I'm evolving already. Follow along and I hope you learn something!

As always,

Thank you for reading!

Caleb Heilman, M.S., CSCS, USA-W Owner, Heilman's Performance Director of Human Performance, Minot State University 701-340-3547 | calebjheilman02@gmail.com www.heilmansperformance.com 1928 2nd Avenue SW Minot, ND 58701

Not Exercising Isn't Just Dangerous... It's Selfish.

It pains me to admit, growing up in central North Dakota, that it was a rare experience for me to witness an adult engaging in rigorous physical activity simply to maintain or improve their physical and mental health. It isn’t commonplace in the Midwest for individuals to subject themselves to physical activity as a means of cognitive enhancement or preservation despite all the evidence to support it as an efficacious strategy.

I’m passionate about the subject because the effects of Alzheimer’s and dementia have been highly prevalent in my family’s history. I had grandparents on both sides of my family that dealt with significant neurocognitive deficits and decline that I am certain, now, could have been managed or even reversed, had they been willing to change their diet and engage consistently in physical activity. Most people think of physical activity as something that we engage in to stave off unwanted physical or biological traits from the neck down, but the evidence is incredibly robust in support of physical activity as a means to preserve and improve physiological traits that display themselves from the neck up. I’ll share some evidence in this writing that will hopefully convince you that consistent physical activity gives you the best possible chance of staying sharp as a whip long into old age.

According to Mandolesi (2018) physical activity acts as a strong gene modulator that creates structural and functional changes in our brains. These structural and functional changes facilitate enormous benefit on cognitive functioning and well-being. Some of the benefits include staving off neurodegeneration, the death or loss of function of brain cells; improving brain plasticity, the ability for our brain cells to adapt and change their structure or function; and emotional regulation. The cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis (Lox, Martin Ginis, Petruzzello, 2014) suggests that intense physical activity may actually provide us with a physiological experience similar to that of stress and anxiety and actually help us better cope with the effects when we face them in our external environment. Yes, I’m telling you that there is scientific evidence to suggest that people who engage in rigorous physical activity are actually cognitively sharper and manage stressful situations better than those who do not.

I think people in our country have learned to live with carrying a little extra weight and it is socially acceptable to do so. Selling exercise as a means to change or optimize body image, therefore, isn't likely to move the needle the way we'd like. People need to understand is that if you aren’t consistently engaging in physical activity, you are not doing everything you can to keep your brain functioning at the highest level possible. Even if your only goal is to be the smartest person in the room, you should be exercising. If you want to absorb and retain information more efficiently, exercise. Want to be able to critically think your way through problems and provide actionable solutions quicker and easier? Exercise. Want to be easier to get along with? Exercise. Want to give yourself the best chance possible to avoid neurodegeneration associated with diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s? Exercise.

Engaging in consistent rigorous physical activity is so much more than wanting to have chiseled arms and washboard abs. Chasing aesthetic goals doesn’t have to be your thing. You don’t have to care about looking great in a bathing suit or moving like a professional athlete, but I do believe not caring about preserving (or optimizing) the function of your brain for your time on this earth makes you selfish. According to the Institute for Neurogenerative Diseases, people suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases cost our nation nearly $200 billion every year in patient care and lost productivity. Add that to the American Diabetes Association's estimate that Type 2 Diabetes; a disease that is man-made and can be reversed through diet and exercise, costs us $327 billion per year and you can see that we have an existential crisis on our hands. Unless something is done to eradicate these diseases, the cost is estimated to increase to the trillions by 2050. It is, quite literally, your responsibility to society to take care of yourself. With more of the baby boomer generation moving closer to retirement it is imperative that they find ways to stay active or else the impact of neurocognitive diseases on the Medicare and Medicaid systems may be unsustainable. Living in a country that seems to be closer and closer every year to implementing a health care system funded by tax payer dollars, this scares the hell out of me. Our current model will undoubtedly bankrupt us if people don't take ownership of their own health.

Barnes (2015) has shown that there are many different modes of regular exercise that can improve cognitive function through beneficial adaptations in vascular physiology and improved neurovascular coupling (more blood flow to the brain), so pick literally anything that gets your blood flowing and makes you feel better. Going for a brisk walk, taking in a yoga session, going for a bike ride, lifting weights, playing sports, working hard in the back yard are all great options. The key is to stay busy and never stop challenging yourself physically and cognitively.

The great philosopher Plato once said, "In order for man to succeed in life, God provided him with two means: education and physical activity. Not separately, one for the soul and the other for the body, but for the two together. With these means, man can attain perfection."

Now get off the couch and find something to do.

References

Barnes, J.N. (2015) Exercise, cognitive function, and aging. Advances in Physiology Education, 39(2), 55-62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/advan.00101.2014

Lox, C. L., Martin Ginis, K. A., & Petruzzello, S. J. (2014). The psychology of exercise: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway.

Institute for Neurogenerative Disease. (2013) Retrieved from: https://ind.ucsf.edu/supporting-our-work/cost-dementia

Mandolesi, L., Polverino, A., Montuori, S., Foti, F., Ferraioli, G., Sorrentino, P., Sorrentinio, G. (2018) Effects of physical exercise on cognitive functioning and wellbeing: Biological and physchological benefits. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 509.

On Motivation

Motivation seems to be a rather vague concept that is poorly understood by most of those in a prime position to try and help others attain it. Sport coaches, personal trainers, and strength and conditioning coaches all do their best to ensure that those they work with are motivated for the daily task at hand. Often times, this turns into yelling patronizing or degrading comments at the individuals they’re coaching at the worst and positive and supportive comments at the best. Most of the time I assume this method to be driving a wedge in the relationship of the coach and client/athlete or to be falling upon deaf ears, respectively.

Research suggests that motivation, in general, is inferred from variability in behavioral patterns (Williams & Krane, 2013). They list perception and judgement of competence as critical antecedents to the attainment of quantity and quality motivation for any individual. Puente and Anshel (2010) echoed this sentiment in a way by showing that exerciser’s perceptions of their instructor’s interacting style, perceived competence, and autonomy with training had the most profound effect on their own self-determined regulation to exercise, enjoyment with exercise, and exercise frequency.

I have found, through my own experience, that these three things transcend the framework of adherence to exercise and permeate into other areas of life as well. Professionally I have been both and employee and an employer. I can say confidently that due to my experience with both, I will never allow myself to be employed again. Autonomy in my work is extremely important to me. I’ve always been a pretty hard worker so I’ve always perceived myself as competent. I don’t doubt myself often as long as I am given the freedom to conduct my work as I so choose. Now that I am self-employed, I have that freedom, and I feel considerably more motivated than I ever did working for someone else.

If I were speaking to a group of coaches I would include this in my primary message. I tell my athletes that at our University we will “Treat you like an adult until you demonstrate that you no longer deserve to be treated that way.” Education and autonomy is an important component of any well run training program and it is well supported by the literature that it is an intricate part of staying motivated in any endeavor. Once the athletes know what is expected of them and they have a firm grasp of how to carry out tasks properly we, as coaches, can start to raise our standard of excellence and really challenge them to live up to those standards. That subsequent challenge imposed on the individuals should also help to motivate them to improve their skillset and achieve a more robust sense of self.

If I were speaking to a group of athletes I don’t know that I would leave the supporting literature out, but I would probably spend more time trying to educate them in layman’s terms why I think these things are so important. Often times, especially in collegiate athletics, we conduct programs that promote obedience. I also tell my athletes that “Obedience is for kids and dogs. We’re adults, so if we act like adults, we can go into competition with well-educated adults. And I’ll take well-educated adults going up against obedient children any day of the week.”

It’s relatively simple to me. We must educate and challenge those we work with and allow them to take control of their own progress. If we want “buy in”, we also must ensure that the methods we are implementing are efficacious. A lot of times athletes will demonstrate behavior that makes them look amotivated, but often times this is a result of them not believing their coach knows how to help them improve. I am convinced that motivation comes as a result of knowing that the path you’re on may lead to mastery and working to attain said mastery.

References

Puente, R., Anshel, M.H. (2010) Exercisers perceptions of their fitness instructor’s interacting style, perceived competence, and autonomy as a function of self-determined regulation to exercise, enjoyment, affect, and exercise frequency. Scandanavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 38-45.

Williams, J. M., & Krane, V. (2014). Applied sport psychology: Personal growth to peak performance (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Protein for Recovery: How Much? And When?

When discussing the role of nutrition in recovery from training for both athletes and members of the general public it’s important to first establish the primary goals of the individual and understand that every individual will respond to specific strategies in their own way. It’s also important to understand that fatigue can manifest itself in more than one way and if we don’t understand the origin of the individual’s fatigue we will likely fall short in our attempt of achieving optimal recovery.

According Bishop, Jones, and Woods (2008) perturbed homeostasis in the soft tissues can be referred to as peripheral fatigue. This origin of fatigue is a result of tissue damage that has left the muscle biochemically or mechanically incapable of responding as effectively as it does in its optimal state. This is likely the mechanism of fatigue that can be best modulated through properly prescribed dietary interventions and strategies.

The second hypothesized, and in my opinion, the most often overlooked origin of fatigue is known as central fatigue, which suggests that the brain is constantly acting as a protective mechanism to prevent excessive damage to the muscles (Bishop et al., 2008). It’s important to note that central fatigue is widely recognized as the chief mechanism in training recovery, so even if we are implementing all the right dietary strategies, our recovery will still be less than optimal if we aren’t providing our central nervous system with the rest that it needs to fully recover.

When explaining this to athletes I’ve found it useful to refer to our musculoskeletal system as our “hardware” and our central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) as our “software.” Explaining that the hardware will always be governed by the software, helps them to conceptualize the key role that sleep quantity and quality play in optimal recovery from training. I’ve found it useful to explain that sleep is akin to re-booting your computer each day while practices like meditation and mindfulness are akin to ensuring the proper upgrades are discovered and downloaded. I mention the importance of recovery from central fatigue to establish that, no matter the precision of our dietary recovery strategies, they alone will not provide us with optimal recovery from intense bouts of training and competition.

Long term recovery from peripheral fatigue requires that our nutrition strategies are well formulated and adhered to. If the individual’s goal is to recover from a specific training stimulus and increase their stores of fat-free muscle mass (FFM), then their dietary strategies must ensure that they undergo muscle protein synthesis (MPS) at a higher rate than muscle protein degradation (MPD). Tipton and Wolfe (2001) showed that resistance exercise improves muscle protein balance, but in the absence of food intake, the balance will remain negative (catabolic). This means that if you fail to consume sufficient protein prior to resistance training you may actually lose muscle mass (MPD). Muscle protein’s metabolic response to a bout of resistance exercise can last 24-48 hours (Tipton & Wolfe, 2001) so any dietary strategies implemented in that window can have an impact on your body’s ability to pack on muscle. This evidence suggests to me that the “anabolic window” a number of individuals are so eager to discuss while waiting to perform their next set of bench press at your local YMCA is probably not as important as they’d like you to think. Aragon and Schoenfeld (2013) shine light on the over-reaction to the timing of protein ingestion in their 2013 paper by writing:

“If protein is delivered within particularly large mixed-meals (which are inherently more anticatabolic), a case can be made for lengthening the [feeding window] to 5–6 hours. This strategy covers the hypothetical timing benefits while allowing significant flexibility in the length of the feeding windows before and after training. Specific timing within this general framework would vary depending on individual preference and tolerance, as well as exercise duration. One of many possible examples involving a 60- minute resistance training bout could have up to 90- minute feeding windows on both sides of the bout, given central placement between the meals. In contrast, bouts exceeding typical duration would default to shorter feeding windows if the 3–4 hour pre- to post-exercise meal interval is maintained. Shifting the training session closer to the pre- or post-exercise meal should be dictated by personal preference, tolerance, and lifestyle/ scheduling constraints”

Aragon and Schoenfeld (2013) go on to suggest that 20-40 g (depending on your age) of protein ingestion should suffice to maximize the acute anabolic response necessary to achieve muscle hypertrophy. I think we should all be able to conceptualize with the availability of this data that consistent and sufficient protein intake is required if an athlete wishes to accumulate fat free muscle mass, but the timing of the protein intake can be highly variable with little to no detrimental effects.

My current recommendations for athletes attempting to accumulate body mass in the form of fat free muscle mass are:

1.     Consume .5 gram of protein per pound of your bodyweight daily.

2.     Get at least 75% of your protein intake from real foods. Learning to properly prepare a variety of animal products (sorry vegans) makes this relatively simple.

3.     Supplement with whey protein throughout the day if necessary.

4.     Don’t worry about the timing of your consumption, worry about being consistent.

5.     Stop carrying your blender bottle around the weight room and start wearing shirts with sleeves. You look stupid.

References

Aragon, A.A., Schoenfeld, B.J. (2013) Nutrient timing revisited: Is there a post-exercise anabolic window? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 10(5), 1-11.

Bishop, P.A., Jones, E., Woods, K.A. (2008) Recovery from training: A brief review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(3), 1015-1024.

Tipton, K.D., Wolfe, R.R. (2001) Exercise, protein metabolism, and muscle growth. Interntional Journal of Sports Nutrition. 11(1), 109-132.