If you look at a lifters strength level during a workout, they often workout in such a way so that their strength will start out high. At some point, fatigue sets in and strength will steadily diminish until the workout is finished. If you were to graph the strength level, it would start out high and end up low. In between workouts, the strength level would start out low right after a workout. As recovery progresses, strength will continue to increase until it matches or exceeds the previous workout. A graph of this would start low and move up to a higher point. If you look at the graph of strength both during a workout and in between workouts, it would zigzag up and down from one workout to the next. This would represent how many people train.
If we consider Precision Point Training, a different pattern would emerge. Strength would be nearly level throughout a workout. You would see strength decrease a small amount during a marker rep. However, strength stays almost even through most of the workout. At the point where strength would begin to diminish because of fatigue, a lifter stops doing an exercise, or they quit working a body part. Since a lifter stops working out right at the point where strength would begin to decrease, the lifter’s strength would be almost as high between workouts as when he is fully recovered. If you graph the variation of strength, it would show only a small variation during a workout as well as between workouts. If the workouts are done according to Precision Point Training concepts which allows for workouts to become easier over the course of an adaptation period, then by the end of the adaptation period, a graph would reveal an almost completely straight line in regard to strength level both during and between workouts. There would be a slight rise as strength increases over time
The reason I point all of this out is that Precision Point Training lets the body get into a steady state which is what the body wants. A steady state is where the laws of supply and demand equal out and the amount of supply is approximately equal to the amount of demand. Most training systems keep putting a demand on the body that is bigger than the supply of strength. The consequence is a strength debt or decrease of strength during a workout. The body also goes into a strength debt in between workouts. No workouts are done until the supply of energy is replenished. This is not an even steady state. The body continually fluctuates up and down in relationship to its strength and supply of energy. With Precision Point Training, you stay close to a steady state. The reason you stay close to a steady state is that it’s the sate your body wants to be in rather than being in an energy debt that fluctuates up and down. The body is always trying to get into a steady state. If you put it in an energy debt, it will adapt in an effort to reduce the energy debt that is created by the workout so that it can move closer to a steady state. However, most training methods cause the body’s strength and energy level to continually go up and down so that it never gets any closer to achieving the steady state it wants to be in during and between workouts.
Training that produces constant fluctuations of strength and energy prevent the body from finding a steady state that it seeks. The body will seek any way it can to stabilize the stress to come closer to achieving what it wants, which is a steady state. At this point, it looks for an alternative steady state. Unfortunately this means your body that it will eventually stabilize your strength. Your strength level will become steady from one workout to the next. It will not increase in spite of the fact that you are pushing it to do so.
Your body has very little choice in how you work out. You can train yourself into an energy debt during a workout if you want to, even if your body doesn’t want you to. You can keep your body out of a steady state if you want to, even though your body wants to be in a steady state. However, even though you get to choose how you train, your body gets to choose how it responds to training. When you train way outside the boundaries of a steady state, your body will eventually want to go into an anabolic steady state, which I also refer to as the anabolic zero point where no gains occur.
You can decrease the tendency of a stall out in strength that occurs when you reach an anabolic steady state (zero point) with Precision Point Training. This is because your body stays as close to a steady state as possible during workouts and in between workouts. This is exactly what your body wants. After staying in a steady state during an adaptation period that lasts for a sufficient amount of time (the time depends on how many months or years you have been training) slightly turn up the level of training. The body will still be close enough to a steady state so that it can easily adjust its steady state to adjust to a slightly higher level of training. Once you reach the point where strength gains have ceased, even though you are pushing hard in your training, try keeping your body in a steady state during workout s and in between workouts with Precision Point Training. Your body is much more willing to give you consistent gains when you approach training in this manner.
Even after saying all of this, I know from my own past experience with myself that for many years I would push, push, and keep pushing myself to improve. I loved training and I especially loved hard training and shock training. It worked in the beginning of my training before I reached my anabolic zero point. After reaching my anabolic zero point, shock training seemed to be effective for short periods of a week or two. I would get excited only to see those gains quickly fade. Then I would try shocking followed by tapering off. It usually meant going back and forth between gaining and losing with no net gain. I went around this same mountain again and again. If you have found a way to make this type of training work, go for it. If not, you can try what I’ve suggested in this article by applying the basics of PPT (click here for the basics of PPT).
I’ve learned that training results can be deceptive. Training for short term gains doesn’t always work for long term gains. In order to address how training results can be deceptive, I am going to writing a series on training deceptions that keep you confused and make you think you are training the best way when there are better ways. I will write on between six to eight training deceptions so stay tuned. Best of training to you.