It's called Behavior Modification

You've heard about how Pavlov would ring a bell and then give food to a dog causing it to salivate. Then Pavy would ring the bell after a few trials and without giving the dog a treat it would simply salivate. I have a person in my program that gets visibly ill on Mondays because of the FEAR she has about Deadlifting and hurting her back. Here's the quandary...DEADLIFTS done correctly are going to STRENGTHEN her already weak and painful back but she has it her wheelhouse that the deadlifts CAUSE her back issues. As we were setting the gym up this morning I could see her trepidation. As I approached her she started to well up in her eyes and frantic in her breathing. She was so stressed over the exercise that she was paralyzed by it. What to do? Work on the parts of the exercise she KNOWS she can do to build confidence. Very high pin pulls with a weight that she felt comfortable with put her mind at ease. Multiple sets at a low rep count built the volume in that was necessary to feel the exercise in her glutes and hamstrings while giving her the "OK" that we needed to work smart and not hard. I reassured her that I thought it to be an oxymoron to get injured in a Strength and Conditioning program. From here, we will take her down a pin level and work a slightly greater range of motion until I can get her down to the floor. Sometimes you have to go through your ankle to scratch your head...but the smiles and the confidence of overcoming are totally worth it.     Today's Training: AirDyne: 30 mins Meridian Stretches Dead Lift: 3 rep max w/ double overhand grip to a PRE=7 Add a little bit of weight and hit it for a single   Dynamic Effort Squat: 8x2x + 10 lbs more than last week   GHR: 6x10 Reverse Hyper: 6x8 Suspended Knees to Elbows: 2x20 4 way neck: 1x15 for all four positions @ 65 lbs Bike Commute: 25 mins Sprints: 10x50 yards @75%