How to find a workout for your personality type

How to determine your personality type

To determine the type of personality, the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) questionnaire is often used, which is well received in the scientific community.

This psychodiagnostic technique is based on the fact that each person is genetically programmed with a different level of neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. This is what determines the personality traits.

According to Cloninger, there are three personality types, which are defined by an increased or decreased number of neurotransmitters: novelty seekers, reward-dependent, and harm avoidance.

Type 1. Seekers of novelty

Seekers of novelty have low dopamine levels. They do everything to improve it. Such people often become dopamine addicts: they are constantly looking for thrills with an adrenaline rush.

They are very curious and get bored quickly. They get bored with the same strength training or endurance sports. They are strong, but tire quickly.

Seekers of novelty are extroverts. They feel good around people and love to compete. They enjoy challenging themselves and learning new things.

Sports preferences

They prefer extreme sports and contact sports: football or martial arts. Individual sports with short intense loads are also suitable for seekers of novelty: sprints, jumps, throws.

In strength sports, they like demonstration sports, such as bodybuilding. They also make great crossfit athletes. The variety of exercises and the ability to compete keep them from getting bored.

Nutrition

A low-carb, high-protein diet is best, most of which is consumed before or after exercise. Every 3-4 days you should do a refeed - a carbohydrate load.

Rules for effective training

1. Prepare your body for exercise

At the beginning of your workout, you need to raise your dopamine levels. To do this, after warm-up, make activating explosive movements, for example, three sets of five vertical jumps.

During warm-up sets before strength training, try to go through the concentric phase (lift the equipment) as quickly as possible. This will strengthen the nervous system by allowing the release of dopamine.

2. Change exercises often

Change your program every two weeks, complement your workouts with different activities, or arrange different workouts within the same week.

If you are a powerlifter, try the Westside System. It includes different workouts: strength and speed, unusual strength exercises instead of basic ones, and a program change every week.

3. Exercise often, but not for long

You are better off doing short but frequent workouts. Heavy training can deplete your dopamine levels, so the next day you will need a recovery load - short bursting sessions to help replenish your dopamine stores.

Alternate between high activity, recovery workouts, and moderate workouts every day. Exercise six times a week, rest one day. Do not rest for two days in a row, as this will reduce your performance and make the first workout after rest ineffective.

4. Low training volume

You have good strength indicators, but you tire quickly. An intense workout of 45-60 minutes is fine. You will have time to give all your best, you will not get tired and will not get bored.

For multi-joint basic exercises, 4-6 repetitions will be enough for muscle growth and 1-3 for strength, for isolated - 8-10 for hypertrophy and 6-8 for strength.

5. Change methods and strategies

If you can't change the exercises, change the way you do them. For example, you can replace a regular bar with a trep bar, try the usual exercises with dumbbells or kettlebells on one leg.

Vary the number of repetitions, try isometric and explosive sets, drop sets. Your main goal is to keep your workout fun by adding new things all the time. There will be novelty, there will be progress.

Type 2. Dependent on remuneration

These people have low levels of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter associated with self-confidence and a sense of well-being. The self-esteem of such people directly depends on what others think of them. It is very important for them to be respected, supported, admired.

They are very social, sympathetic, caring, they can help others even to their own detriment, because for them there is nothing worse than disappointing someone. Their main motivation is to look good and to please others.

Sports preferences

Usually, reward addicts perform poorly in individual sports, but perform well in team sports. They rarely become superstars, but they do everything to make their team win.

They also love bodybuilding and other strength sports because it allows them to look great, admire other people and become more confident.

Nutrition

They tend to diet well if they feel responsible, for example, if they want to please their dietitian or trainer.

Because food itself can be a reward, they run the risk of becoming food addicts. Therefore, they need to completely exclude unhealthy foods from their diet, and consume only what is in the main menu in the refeed.

Rules for effective training

1. Learn the exercise technique well

It is important for you to do the exercises correctly, so carefully practice the technique, and during preparation, make activating movements that will help to include the necessary muscles in the work.

2. Do not change exercises until you have learned it

Your main motivation is to do the exercises correctly and feel the right muscles. Therefore, you should not change the program often. It is enough to change the main exercises every 4-6 weeks. Simple isolated exercises can be changed more often.

3. Exercise often

Frequent exercise raises norepinephrine levels, so you can exercise 5-6 times a week without any problems. Try to focus on one movement pattern (pulling or pushing exercises) or one muscle group in one workout.

4. Don't overload yourself

To impress others, you may take too much of a load. This can lead to injury or increase cortisol levels, which will stunt muscle growth. Therefore, try to avoid competition and do not drive yourself.

For muscle hypertrophy, do 6-12 reps, for strength gain 3-5. Stay away from the one-rep high: it raises cortisol levels.

5. Dilute complex exercises with simple ones

You can get frustrated with difficult exercises from weightlifting and gymnastics if you can't master them in any way. Simple exercises that do not require special skills and techniques will help keep you motivated in such moments.

Type 3. Harm avoidants

People with this personality type have low serotonin levels. They have low energy levels, get tired quickly, and like to be in a familiar environment that can be controlled.

Harm avoidants are usually introverts, shy, vulnerable to criticism, and try to avoid conflict. Their anxiety causes high levels of cortisol, which negatively affects muscle growth.

Unexpected changes are frustrating and stressful for them. They like to plan, are very organized and careful, but under the pressure of stress, they can begin to procrastinate.

The main driving force behind this personality type is staying away from stress and trauma. They love repetitive workouts, are completely focused on their workouts, and strive to do the exercises with perfect technique.

Sports preferences

Such people do not like contact sports or sports in which unexpected factors can make a big difference.

They are best suited for a stable training program where exercises, methods, and rest intervals change very rarely.

Nutrition

Do not limit the amount of carbohydrates too much - they should be present in every main dish. It is worth consuming some carbs before exercise to lower cortisol and at night to increase serotonin.

Rules for effective training

1. Warm up well

You are afraid of injury, so pay special attention to warm-up. Roll out on a massage roller, do a dynamic warm-up, exercises to increase mobility.

On lightweight warm-up sets, tense your muscles as if you were going to work with a one-rep max (1RM). This will warm up the muscles well, reduce the risk of injury and reduce your anxiety about it.

2. Try not to change your exercises

Changing exercise raises your cortisol levels. Try to change them as little as possible - once every 12 weeks.

If changes are still necessary, change only the exercises, and leave the number of approaches and repetitions, the training scheme and the order of exercises unchanged. Any changes to your training program should be gradual.

3. Exercise four times a week

Your type is most sensitive to the production of cortisol during stress, and strength training is stress. To reduce cortisol levels and the catabolic effect of stunting muscle growth, don't exercise too often.

Exercise four times a week, alternating upper and lower body workouts with rest days.

4. Choose an average number of repetitions

For muscle hypertrophy, do 8-15 reps. For strength development, sets with 4-6 repetitions are suitable. When working with large weights, do 2-3 reps at 75-85% of 1RM and 4-6 reps with your maximum weight and ideal technique.

5. Keep everything under control

You are demotivated by danger and loss of control, so work on your technique and choose a weight you are confident in. Work on a clear program with a gradual increase in load is suitable for you. It will give you a sense of confidence so you can train harder.