July 12, 2024 -- Peter Reid was once a legendary triathlete, a three-time Ironman World Champion (1998, 2000, 2003) who was seemingly unstoppable. But in 2006, he began having doubts. After finishing a race in first place, he dishearteningly remarked to a friend, “What am I supposed to do? Win again?”
At another competition, he didn’t even make it to the starter's pistol, walking off the course pre-race and later explaining, “I just couldn’t think of a good enough reason to keep going.”
By 2007, he was done, permanently retired.
Reid’s crisis of faith had nothing to do with his athletic ability. He was stronger and faster than ever. What stopped him was his inability to answer what behavioral scientists call the “why” question. It wasn’t about how it could be done, but why it was worth doing.
“It’s one of our best motivational tools and central to goal setting,” said behavioral psychologist Ayelet Fishbach, PhD, a professor at the University of Chicago who studies motivational science — she’s been called “arguably the world’s foremost expert on motivation” — and author of Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation.
“When people ask ‘why,’ they gain a better understanding of the purpose behind their actions,” Fishbach said. “It’s the first step in maintaining a workout regimen.”
With the 2024 Summer Olympics on the horizon — the opening ceremony begins at sunset in Paris on July 26 — we reached out to seven of the competing athletes and asked them to share their very personal “why.” Other than the dream of winning an Olympic medal, what inspires them to come to the gym every day and keep pushing themselves harder, even when their bodies might be begging them to quit?
Then we asked Fishbach and Katie Heinrich, PhD, associate professor of exercise behavioral science at Kansas State University, to explain how these athletes’ “whys” are so effective. And just as important, what you can learn from their secrets, finding your own “why” and leveraging it for a happier, healthier life.
CAELEB DRESSEL, swimmer
Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel, who’s representing the U.S. this summer in three events: the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, and 4×100-meter freestyle relay, admits he sometimes has days he’d rather stay in bed than hit the gym. What keeps him going?
“I tell myself that challenges are a part of the journey towards success,” said the 27-year-old Green Cove Springs, FL, native. “I remind myself of all the hard work I have put in and how far I have come. I know that every day I have the opportunity to become better than I was yesterday, and that drives me to give my all and push my limits.”
Why This Works: Heinrich calls this a form of intrinsic fundamental motivation, as in a motivation that comes from within.
“He’s focused on enjoying the journey that his training is taking him on rather than a specific destination,” she said. “We can learn a lot from Caeleb. For example, instead of focusing on a goal weight, focus on making each daily nutrition choice the healthiest one you can. Begin to enjoy the challenge of how to build the healthiest meal out of menu offerings.”
A 2019 Stanford University study confirmed that people whose fitness goals are more journey-oriented than goal-oriented — who, like Dressel, want to get a little better every day rather than crossing some finish line — are more likely to continue those behaviors for the long run.
KRISTEN NUSS and TARYN KLOTH, beach volleyball
Kloth and Nuss joined forces in 2021 at Louisiana State University, and this summer the pair of 26-year-olds, who recently ranked No. 2 in beach volleyball in the world (just behind Brazil), will be going to their first Olympics to compete at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.
Both women have the same answer when asked what motivates them to keep training and pushing themselves further.
“Kristen,” Kloth said without hesitation. “I can't let Kristen down. Of course this journey is challenging, but doing it with my best friend/sister/business partner makes it way easier to get through the tough times. This allows my focus to switch to her and not the tough task.”
Nuss said much the same. “What keeps me going is seeing Taryn push herself and wanting to do the same,” she said.
Why This Works: “What a great example of the impact of role models,” said Fishbach. All human beings are social animals, she said, and we live (and pursue goals) in groups. “We look around us, and if others are working hard, we work hard as well. We know that exercising and working alone is very hard because it goes against our nature. Those around you inspire you and motivate action.”
Heinrich compares Nuss and Kloth’s supportive partnership to the findings of the first sports psychology study, conducted by Norman Triplett in 1898, who found that cyclists performed better when cycling with others, even though they did not feel like they were working harder.
“If you find it easier to push yourself during a group exercise class rather than exercising alone, you have benefitted from this same social facilitation principle,” Heinrich said. “There is science showing the benefits of moving together. This also might look like having a pickleball partner who counts on you to perform well when playing in a league. You can push yourself harder to play better because you don’t want to let your partner down.”
NICK ITKIN, fencer
Itkin, who started fencing at 7 years old, made his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2020, where he won a bronze medal in the men’s team event. He goes to Paris as the No. 1-ranked foil fencer in the world.
The 24-year-old gets motivated by the very thing that makes most people want to throw in the towel (or at least hit the snooze button and skip that early-morning trip to the gym).
“I kind of like the pain, especially when I want to give up,” he said. “I think those are the moments that make you stronger. I remember when I was younger, I had to fight through those moments, and it’s what made me the athlete I am today. I like to think of all the other athletes training at the same time as me, and I have the vision that I can’t let them outwork me.”
Why This Works: “Itkin suggests that instead of avoiding discomfort, we should seek it out,” said Fishbach. “He’s right in his intuition that ‘no pain, no gain.’ Achieving personal growth often requires experiencing discomfort.” Several studies have found a link between pain and motivation, and not because they’re motivated to find a way to make it stop. “Good” pain can indicate mild inflammation or micro-tears in the muscle, tendons, and connective tissue, a physical signal that positive changes are being made. What’s more, people who exercise regularly have a higher pain tolerance than those with sedentary lifestyles.
“Instead of tolerating discomfort, people could actively seek it out,” said Fishbach. “And because discomfort is usually experienced immediately and is easy to detect, it’s an immediate signal of growth that increases motivation.”
But she noted that discomfort should only be temporary, “as ultimately people will stick to goals they enjoy pursuing.”
A 2022 study from Portugal found that moderate exercise, resulting in less physical pain, can be more enjoyable and thereby more likely to become a regular habit.
FREDERICK RICHARD, gymnast
Known as “Frederick Flips” to his legion of fans — he has a combined fan base of nearly 1 million on TikTok and Instagram — Richard, 20, has been immersed in gymnastics since he was 2 years old.
He’s the 2024 NCAA Gymnast of the Year and the youngest American male gymnast ever to win an individual medal at the Artistic World Championships last year. This will be his first Olympics.
For Richard, the way he stays focused and inspired is by always avoiding boredom. “Gymnastics should be an ongoing process where you can always add new elements,” he said. “Every day at the gym should be something to look forward to.”
Rather than repeating the same training routine over and over again, he tries to keep mixing it up, making every workout exciting and fresh and new.
“I know there will be days that aren’t as good as others, but the thought of giving up never enters my mind,” Richard said. “Every day is a stepping stone towards a bigger goal that I’ve been working toward, in some way or another, since I was a little kid.”
Why This Works: Richard has hit on a formula that’s inspired many pro athletes, said Heinrich: “Variety and creativity.”
Fishbach agreed. Richard “knows that you can only stick to something if it feels right at the moment,” she said. “Pursuing long-term goals is notoriously hard, so we need to make them interesting. You want to be the one who wants to do it rather than the one who wishes it was already done.”
A 2020 study by New York University’s Rory Meyers College found that people who do a wider array of exercise — not just running, but also swimming, biking, weight-lifting, and so on — are likely to spend more time at the gym, up to 150 minutes per week on average, than people who choose just one skill or exercise to focus on.
“Variety-seeking and novelty are proven methods for increasing motivation,” said Fishbach.
PIPER KELLY, speed climbing
Kelly is the first-ever women's speed climbing champion. The 24-year-old Indianapolis native isn’t new to the sport — she went rock climbing with her dad as a kid and scaled her first wall in elementary school — and she even has a degree in exercise science (and minor in psychology) from Xavier University, so she’s uniquely qualified to talk about athletic motivation.
“My goal every day is to leave my training session better than I started,” she said. “That won't always mean a better personal record, but it could mean a better average time, a better time on a specific section, better movement quality through a certain move, or whatever.”
Why This Works: Like many of her Olympic peers, Kelly focuses on the immediate experience. “The best strategies involve increasing intrinsic motivation — making pursuing the goal an end in itself,” said Fishbach. “You want your training session to feel good right now, at the moment you’re doing it.”
Feeling good isn’t just the endorphin rush of exercise; it’s about setting small, achievable goals that make you feel like you’ve accomplished something. “This could mean having a small increase in the weight lifted,” said Heinrich, “a slightly faster time on a running distance, or even just improving your form on a push-up.”
The incremental improvement approach, as Heinrich calls it, means “focusing on celebrating these small improvements each day can lead up to overall success.”
JIMMER FREDETTE, basketball
At 35 years old, Fredette is no rookie. After graduating from Brigham Young University in 2011, he played in 241 NBA games with five teams over six seasons (2011-2016, 2018-2019) before moving to China to play with the Shanghai Sharks. As part of the three-on-three squad Team USA, he’s already won a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and gold at that year’s Pan American Games.
“There's definitely days where either you're sore or you're tired, there's other things that you want to be doing,” Fredette said. “All throughout my career, if it happens, I just remember that other people are feeling like this too. And if I can push through and continue to motivate myself to get better, even on those days where I feel like I don't want to be doing it, pushing myself even harder, then you're at an advantage, because other people may not be doing that.”
He’s also a big proponent of the gradual gain.
“It's not like one day you go out there and you just crush it and then the next day you're way down or whatever it may be,” he said. “It's more like, if I can just continue to improve just by a second or just by one shot every day, then I can continue to improve and improve and improve until you feel like you've mastered that skill.”
Why This Works: Though social comparison — evaluating our merits and abilities based on our peers or those around us — can be dangerous in some settings, like social media or marketing, Fredette has found a clever way to use it as a positive motivation, said Heinrich. “He reminds himself that others are having struggles and bad days, too.”
Some research, like this 2021 German study, has found that social comparison can be especially effective among athletes, but only if the upward comparison is "moderately better." In other words, if you play basketball, you'll push yourself to train harder and work longer if your fellow players are just slightly better than you, but not if they're Michael Jordan level.
Fishbach called Fredette “an expert on goal setting. He realizes that the numbers we put on our goals need to be challenging but not impossible. As we improve, we increase the expectations.”
As a 2021 study revealed, the best exercise goals should be slightly more than we're comfortable achieving, but not impossible. For instance, if running 2 miles feels difficult but doable, shoot for 3 miles tomorrow, not 10.
“You want your target to be something that you can realistically achieve if you work hard,” Fishbach said. “If it’s too easy, it won’t motivate you. If it’s too hard, you’ll give up. So it needs to be constantly updated to meet your current level.”
