Courtney Kelly (Strength Ratio | Ethos Alchemy) on optimality theory, trade-offs in fitness, and copywriting

Todd Nief's Show

Figuring out how to prioritize in any sort of complex system is really, really difficult.

We see this all the time in working with athletes.

A simple, linear mindset results in athletes trying to do more, more, more training — and expecting to get more, more, more results.

In reality, there are trade-offs involved in any sort of training plan.

These are not just the trade-offs between the zero sum competition between training time and ability to adapt, but fundamental trade-offs between constraints being imposed on the system.

If only there were some sort of lens through which we could view the process of making trade-offs between competing priorities in complex systems…

Fortunately, Courtney Kelly is a coach and a copywriter, and she has a background in psycholinguistics.

In linguistics, there is an understanding of the way that humans generate grammar and speech based upon trade-offs between different constraints.

This theory is called “optimality theory,” and Courtney wrote a fantastic article on its application to training here.

Check out more from Courtney, Ethos Alchemy, and Strength Ratio here:

• Article: Performance optimization? How ’bout optimality theory?
• Website: www.strengthratiohq.com | www.ethosalchemy.co
• Instagram: @strengthratio | @ethos_alchemy

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Show Notes:

• [01:01] A background on psycholinguistics and universal grammar — and why grammar is a lot more interesting than “just punctuation”
• [14:24] So, what is optimality theory? What does the way that humans generate speech have to tell us about trade-offs in complex systems — particularly in fitness?
• [28:10] A tangible example of the trade-offs involved in training for a triathlon vs building muscle for aesthetics
• [34:00] Optimality theory treats constraints as “binary” — not on a sliding scale
• [40:15] An grammatical example of optimality theory in action
• [49:02] The importance of having a robust theory of mind for effective communication
• [59:09] The practical applications of understanding theory of mind for copywriting and sales — how to understand clients’ hopes, fears, and dreasm
• [01:13:32] How to know when it’s ok to “exclude” someone with your copy who isn’t a good fit for your business
• [01:18:02] Learn more from Courtney, Ethos Alchemy, and Strength Ratio

Links and Resources Mentioned

• Slipknot “Psychosocial”
• Generative grammar
• Noam Chomsky
• B. F. Skinner
• Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization
• “Let’s face it: reading acquisition, face and word processing” from Frontiers in Psychology
• Reading Rehabilitation | American Stroke Association
• Optimality Theory
• “Optimality Theory – Constraint Interaction in Generative Grammar” by Alan Prince and Paul Smolensky
• Zach Greenwald
• Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns
• Markedness and Faithfulness Constraints
• Ruble sign
• Géraldine Legendre
• Theory of mind
• Kurt Vonnegut
• James Joyce