Training according to personality

Most of us try to tailor our training to many factors - we are interested in the goal (whether we want strength, more volume or the opposite of sculpting), our body type and our weaknesses that we are targeting. For some, time may also play a role, we take into account what time of day we go to train and how long we can be in the gym. But few people tailor their training to their psychological profile. In fact, many trainers and programs in magazines have established immutable methods for a certain type of training - we have volume workouts, circuit workouts, strength training, not exceeding 30 minutes....... There are many. But is it right, for example, for a melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic or sanguine person to do the same volume training? Shouldn't the training be different here too?

Of course frequency, type of training and the diet adapted to it are key factors for success, but what we also need to be aware of is the fact that our personality affects how we respond to these stimuli and how we feel overall. Personality is a set of emotions, feelings, thoughts, attitudes and perceptions. This whole set then influences the quality and success of training and dieting. Not for nothing did the ancient Greeks say that the strength of the mind can compensate for many weaknesses of the body.

The most important factor is MOTIVATION. Motivation to stick to the diet, training, continuing it. If the training is tuned to match our psyche, even better results can be achieved than with classical training.

Everyone knows the basic personality types, which are divided into sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic. According to this older type of division, the sanguine is more of a cheerful nature, he is a little distracted and because of his extroverted nature he is often unfocused, the training that would suit him should not be monotonous and long lasting because it would start to bore him. Sangvinik likes to train in a group, he enjoys the company. However, his training partner should also be able to keep him from chatting with his friends for half of the training. Choleric - explosive, often aggressive type, often uncontrollable, should go training fast and very hard, medium to short. In the gym, he can take the edge off. However, he doesn't like discipline very much. He prefers a partner who is good enough for him and will train as hard as he does. Phlegmatic - maybe a little slower, a hard worker, but needs to force himself into more action. Needs encouragement and if he is to race he needs a background. He likes longer training sessions with a constant workload. He's a mover and shaker, but sometimes appears quite introverted. Melancholic - sad, thoughtful, brooding but often lacking in confidence - needs someone to give him confidence and to hold him up, unfortunately he is most prone to give up training. He prefers training with a medium number of repetitions - heavy training will kill him, too many repetitions will bore and kill him. On the other hand, relaxation and visualization techniques and body-mind connection can help him the most.

But I found this assessment too brief, and many personality tests nowadays abandon it. Moreover, like any assessment - different people have overlaps from one type to another (melancholic sanguine = cheerful laughing man with suicidal tendencies :-), don't take me so seriously, but that's the way it is). Another assessment that I like, and that broadens the categories further, I found in an article on the psychology of bodybuilding by David Robson.

According to him we can distinguish between types: sad and depressed, perfectionist, shy, aggressive, paranoid, unsuccessful, lonely and type A (which according to Robson is a workaholic obsessed with productivity - why he is called type A I have no idea). Everyone has two forms - the introverted, inward-looking one and the extroverted, open-ended one. Each of these types responds to the same stimulus with their own specific behaviors. Therefore, it is important that the training strategy matches how the person thinks and feels. Conversely, poor training can encourage the negative aspects of each personality type. For example, when a perfectionist sticks to a training program that is detail-oriented (e.g., a program focused on fat loss with a resulting reduction to 3% by XY date). It's just that this focus will lead to a deepening of extreme perfectionism, and that's bad. On the other hand, it is better for the perfectionist to focus more on relaxation techniques, or to train in a group and cultivate team games as complementary sports that will distract him or her from constant self-monitoring. Of course, it is not possible to modify training for all psychological types that occur at all. Even so, it's hard to focus on your body type in training (and there are only 3 basic types!). But there are general recommendations on how we should probably direct our training if we tend more towards one type or another, and to determine what strengths and weaknesses we might have.

Personality
Everyone has some personality traits that are unique. From birth, personality is shaped by the social and cultural environment around us. (Actually, in anthropology there is an argument about what is innate, inherited and how we are constantly shaped by our environment, but I would go into great detail, which is not that important). Our opinion about what is good and bad is formed, our view of ourselves changes. Most people carry in their personality traits of all the types Robson lists, but he points out that one of these aspects is always more dominant than the others. The problem only arises when one of the components becomes extremely strong (such a personality type is already severely disturbed, and this is where a professional should come in). These disturbed personalities can include paranoia, narcissism, hysteria, anti-social behaviour, obsessive compulsive behaviour, schizoid behaviour and withdrawn behaviour. These strong deviations are already affecting life on all levels.

But let's go back to the basic types that Robson listed as normal. The main point in Robson's breakdown is that he is trying to balance motivation. Motivation affects a lot - our decision when and why we start training, the level of intensity, and the concentration we give to training. Motivation is also strongly linked to our emotional needs; if the training is not right, the initial enthusiasm and enjoyment can turn into overtraining and obsession (the inability to think about anything other than the training). On the other hand, balancing positive and negative personality characteristics can increase motivation.

Robson advises that everyone ask themselves a few questions to help determine what they tend to do. Depending on what predominates can roughly determine what type one is.

• 1.Do I set goals that are realistic and achievable?
• 2.Am I happy with the way I live now?
• 3.Am I a perfectionist at times? How often?
• 4.What are my specific strengths and weaknesses? (I mean the mental ones, not the physical ones)
• 5.Am I change-friendly or change-resistant? Do I have an established style that I don't like to leave?
• 6.Is my personality problematic in any way? What is it about me that most bothers those around me? Why do I most often get into conflicts?
• 7.Am I always in a hurry?
• 8.Am I unreasonably fearful?
• 9.Am I often sad?
• 10.Do I distrust the people around me?
• 11.Do I think of myself as more of a loner?
• 12.Am I anxious when I am stressed?

Only you can feel how you really are and if you are not lying to yourself in answering the questions. Try to determine your own type accordingly.

1. Sad and depressed type

2. Perfectionist

3. Shy type

4. Aggressive type

5. Paranoid type

6. Failed type

7. Lonely type

8. Type A personality.

Everyone is different. Even a list of personalities cannot be complete and fit everyone. All factors should fit before the first training session. But the main point is that instead of the strengths of one's personality, training should be partially directed towards the weaknesses. That's also why these personalities mostly reflect the worse qualities. I also tend to feel myself as an open-minded and optimistic person rather than a pessimist, a failure type or a workaholic. But it is necessary to think about what we tend to do. It is best to use the question properly and without exaggeration - what bothers me most about myself and what bothers others? If we answer honestly, we will steer ourselves in the right direction.Of course, this generalization is very rough and everyone should further adjust their training to their own type. But it is necessary to know that the body and the mind form a whole and one cannot be cut off from the other. I wish you good luck in creating your own workouts and the strength (even the mental one) to overcome your weaknesses.

Source: bodybuilding.com/David Robson (How your personality affects your training), General Psychology lectures at ZČU Plzeň, edited and supplemented by ELDA