1. WORKING HARD TO BECOME
A TOUGH MUDDER
By: William Strong

2. GETTING STARTED
• Participation in sports all throughout high school
• Lack of time/motivation to workout
• My two roommates, Andrew and Evan, talked
me into training with them for a Tough Mudder
competition on June 29th and 30th in
Detroit, Michigan.

3. WHAT IS TOUGH MUDDER?
• A fundraiser for The Wounded Warrior Project
• A 10-12 mile obstacle course
• Designed by the British Special Forces
• Tests an individual’s stamina, physical and mental
strength, and their ability to work in a group to
accomplish a task
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedd
ed&v=vh5HdPM_QuE

4. DESIGNING A SELF-MANAGEMENT
INTERVENTION: FIRST STEP
• Gather baseline data
• Worked out for 30 minutes/day an average of
2 days/week
• I ran an average of 2 miles/week

5. DESIGNING A SELF-MANAGEMENT
INTERVENTION: CREATING A ROUTINE
• Looked up recommendations on how to train for a Tough
Mudder competition
• Be able to run a minimum of five miles at a time
• Lift for a minimum of 3 days/week
• Incorporate full body workouts into your daily weight-lifting
routines
Created this workout routine:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Arm & Chest Workout Crunches & Pull-Ups Legs & Lower Back Crunches & Pull Ups Full Body Workout
Workout
Run 2 Miles Run 2 Miles Run 2 Miles Run 2 Miles Run 2 Miles

6. DESIGNING A SELF-MANAGEMENT
INTERVENTION: MONITORING PROGRESS
• Enlisted the help of my roommates to create a behavioral contract
• Deadline: the five-day workout must be completed by Sunday, of each week
• For every workout missed, I must pay each of my roommates a quarter
• Losing quarters was aversive, as I need quarters to complete my weekly
laundry needs
• This is an example of a Rule-Governed Analog to Avoidance
Contingency:
I will have to I will not have to
I have
pay each of my pay each of my
completed one
roommates a roommates a
workout
quarter quarter

7. THE THREE CRUCIAL CONTINGENCIES:
INEFFECTIVE NATURAL CONTINGENCY
• The ineffective natural contingency occurs because the reinforcement and
punishment contingencies that occur naturally in our environment are not
effective, as the outcome for each instance of behavior is too small or too
improbable.
• The ineffective natural contingency in my self-management intervention is:
• Ineffective in motivating me to workout, as the outcome is too small.

8. THE THREE CRUCIAL CONTINGENCIES:
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CONTINGENCY
• The performance management contingency is a contingency designed by a person with
the intent to increase, decrease, or maintain behavior.
• The performance management contingency in my self-management intervention is:
• Deadline: By the end of the week (Sunday night)
I will not have to
I will have to pay I have
pay each of my
each of my completed one
roommates a
roommates a workout
quarter
quarter
• Effective at maintaining behavior, as it involves the aversive condition of paying each
roommate a quarter.

9. THE THREE CRUCIAL CONTINGENCIES:
INFERRED DIRECT ACTING CONTINGENCY
• The inferred direct acting contingency is the statement of the rule (which describes the
performance management contingency) acts as an establishing operation that establishes
noncompliance with that rule as aversive. In other words, when you are not doing what
you are supposed to be doing, you are in the aversive state of fear.
• The inferred direct acting contingency in my self-management intervention is:
Fear of having to I have No fear of having to
pay each of my completed one pay each of my
roommates a workout roommates a
quarter quarter
• Effective at maintaining behavior, through the use of the aversive state of fear.

10. RESULTS
• Currently been following self-management intervention for 4 weeks
• First week: Paid both roommates 3 quarters ($1.50 total), as I missed 3 workouts
• Second week: Paid both roommates 2 quarters ($1.00 total), as I missed 2 workouts
• Third week: Did not miss any workout sessions. Got to keep all my quarters!
• Fourth week: Did not miss any workout sessions. Got to keep all my quarters!
6
5
4
Workouts Missed
3
Workouts Attended
2
Money lost
1
0
1st Week 2nd Week 3rd Week 4th Week

11. IMPLEMENTING AN AVOIDANCE OF THE LOSS OF
A REINFORCER CONTINGENCY
• In order to make working out more enjoyable and reinforcing, I have decided to implement
an avoidance of the loss of a reinforcer contingency:
• If by the beginning of February, I have increased my physical strength and am capable of
running five straight miles, without fatigue, then I will sign up for the Tough Mudder
competition in Detroit, Michigan on June 29th and 30th.
• Signing up to do the event with my roommates, that we have been training for, would be
highly reinforcing!
• Avoidance of the loss of a reinforcer contingency looks like this:
Will lose Won’t lose
opportunity to sign Capable of
opportunity to sign up
up for the Tough running 5 straight
for the Tough Mudder
Mudder miles
competition by
competition by February 1st
February 1st

12. THE END
Thanks for listening!