Knowing what to do when gains inevitably grind to a halt is the key to fitness success
The Purposeful Primitive approach is rooted in decades of empirical experience gleaned from working with elite athletes. I have taken this direct knowledge (and direct knowledge trumps reflected knowledge every single time) and modified the methods of the elite to make them user friendly for regular folks on their own more modest fitness quests.
The goal of the Purposefully Primitive system is simple: we seek to favorably reconfigure the human body. What constitutes a favorably reconfigured body? If you add a significant amount of muscle and melt off a significant amount of body fat (within a specified time frame) you create a favorable reconfiguration. Systems exist that can and will build muscle and strength. Systems exist that can and will mobilize and melt off stored body fat. The seasoned elite athlete understands that every effective system, albeit training or nutrition, no matter how sophisticated or effective, at some point ceases producing results.
The Soft Machine is a remarkably adaptive mechanism; given time it will figure out how to neutralize any and every training and nutritional system. The human body is hardwired with a primordial mission statement: achieve homeostasis. The body seeks normality. Unfortunately normality is not conducive to building muscle or oxidizing body fat.
Only when subjected to "abnormal" circumstance will the body build new muscle and mobilize body fat to use as energy. Hypertrophy is the cellular equivalent of a nuclear explosion. Hypertrophy is not a gradual process. Hypertrophy is a sudden event; like flipping a light switch or squeezing a trigger. Body fat can only be mobilized and used for energy when the body senses it is operating at a caloric deficit. This is a razor-edged proposition in that if the body senses starvation (as opposed to a mild caloric deficit) it will cannibalize muscle tissue in an effort to preserve precious body fat - body fat is the last line of defense against death by starvation.
These are inconvenient biological facts. When the Soft Machine successfully re-establishes homeostasis, physiologic normality, muscle gain and fat loss cease.
The only way progress can be stimulated anew is to discard the neutralized training and eating template and institute a radical departure to what the body perceives as the current status quo.
Coincidently two of my phone clients each achieved homeostasis in the same week: Jim Vee hit a predictable peak in week seven while Beck hit his peak in week ten. Both men, one 54 the other 59, lost 25 pounds of body fat and added 5 pounds of muscle using an identical training and nutritional template. In both cases each man had gone as far as they could go using our ultra basic, entry level, Purposefully Primitive approach. It was time for some sweeping, across-the-board changes. The Soft Machine in a state of homeostasis has no problem neutralizing minor changes to the status quo. This is why changes need to offer significant contrast to the current regimen. Here are the dramatic contrasts we instituted for both men in the resistance training portion of the Purposefully Primitive training paradigm...
Status Quo (thesis) New Prescription (antithesis)
Train twice a week Train three times per week
Entire body worked each session Shift to a split routine
Multiple low rep sets A single high rep set
No "assistance" exercises Add assistance exercises
Muscles attacked twice weekly Muscles attacked once weekly
Paused reps "Touch-and-go" reps
Both men had made fabulous progress using our PP entry level "Thesis." This was mathematically demonstrated by each man's dramatic increases in poundage handling ability and muscle gain. As every Old School Purposefully Primitive trainee knows, all resistance, cardio and nutritional regimens, no matter how sophisticated or advanced eventually run out of steam: not that we discard a program that has proven effective - we simply hang the proven-effective approach on a hanger and place it in our "fitness closet" for future use, after the body has "forgotten" it. Here are the specifics of the antithesis resistance prescription I worked up for each man...
Monday - legs/shoulders
Back squat work up to one all out set of 15 reps
Leg curl super-set with calf raise
Seated or single leg calf raise three alternating super-sets of 15-30 reps
Overhead press 2-3 sets of 15 reps
Wednesday - chest/triceps
Bench press - moderate grip work up to one set of 15 reps
Bench press - narrow grip work up to one set of 15 reps
Bench press - wide grip work up to one set of 15 reps
Tricep extensions 2 sets of 15 reps
Tricep pushdowns 2 sets of 15 reps
Friday - back/biceps
Deadlift work up to one all out set of 8 reps
High pull to belt work up to one all out set of 8 reps
High pull to pecs work up to one all out set of 8 reps
Barbell row 2-3 set of 12-15 reps
Curls 4 sets of 15 reps
Thesis-antithesis-synthesis: Hegel had it right; every system that develops critical mass becomes a thesis and this thesis-status quo eventually gives rise to a contrasting system that becomes the antithesis. Eventually the antithesis that once seemed so radical and different becomes the new thesis and the whole cycle commences anew...I have prescribed the resistance training antithesis and we'll keep you posted as to the effectiveness of this radical progress inducer....
Anyone wanting to become a 'phone-train' client of Marty Gallagher can contact him at MGSO@embarqmail.com.
The Purposeful Primitive approach is rooted in decades of empirical experience gleaned from working with elite athletes. I have taken this direct knowledge (and direct knowledge trumps reflected knowledge every single time) and modified the methods of the elite to make them user friendly for regular folks on their own more modest fitness quests.
The goal of the Purposefully Primitive system is simple: we seek to favorably reconfigure the human body. What constitutes a favorably reconfigured body? If you add a significant amount of muscle and melt off a significant amount of body fat (within a specified time frame) you create a favorable reconfiguration. Systems exist that can and will build muscle and strength. Systems exist that can and will mobilize and melt off stored body fat. The seasoned elite athlete understands that every effective system, albeit training or nutrition, no matter how sophisticated or effective, at some point ceases producing results.
The Soft Machine is a remarkably adaptive mechanism; given time it will figure out how to neutralize any and every training and nutritional system. The human body is hardwired with a primordial mission statement: achieve homeostasis. The body seeks normality. Unfortunately normality is not conducive to building muscle or oxidizing body fat.
Only when subjected to "abnormal" circumstance will the body build new muscle and mobilize body fat to use as energy. Hypertrophy is the cellular equivalent of a nuclear explosion. Hypertrophy is not a gradual process. Hypertrophy is a sudden event; like flipping a light switch or squeezing a trigger. Body fat can only be mobilized and used for energy when the body senses it is operating at a caloric deficit. This is a razor-edged proposition in that if the body senses starvation (as opposed to a mild caloric deficit) it will cannibalize muscle tissue in an effort to preserve precious body fat - body fat is the last line of defense against death by starvation.
These are inconvenient biological facts. When the Soft Machine successfully re-establishes homeostasis, physiologic normality, muscle gain and fat loss cease.
The only way progress can be stimulated anew is to discard the neutralized training and eating template and institute a radical departure to what the body perceives as the current status quo.
Coincidently two of my phone clients each achieved homeostasis in the same week: Jim Vee hit a predictable peak in week seven while Beck hit his peak in week ten. Both men, one 54 the other 59, lost 25 pounds of body fat and added 5 pounds of muscle using an identical training and nutritional template. In both cases each man had gone as far as they could go using our ultra basic, entry level, Purposefully Primitive approach. It was time for some sweeping, across-the-board changes. The Soft Machine in a state of homeostasis has no problem neutralizing minor changes to the status quo. This is why changes need to offer significant contrast to the current regimen. Here are the dramatic contrasts we instituted for both men in the resistance training portion of the Purposefully Primitive training paradigm...
Status Quo (thesis) New Prescription (antithesis)
Train twice a week Train three times per week
Entire body worked each session Shift to a split routine
Multiple low rep sets A single high rep set
No "assistance" exercises Add assistance exercises
Muscles attacked twice weekly Muscles attacked once weekly
Paused reps "Touch-and-go" reps
Both men had made fabulous progress using our PP entry level "Thesis." This was mathematically demonstrated by each man's dramatic increases in poundage handling ability and muscle gain. As every Old School Purposefully Primitive trainee knows, all resistance, cardio and nutritional regimens, no matter how sophisticated or advanced eventually run out of steam: not that we discard a program that has proven effective - we simply hang the proven-effective approach on a hanger and place it in our "fitness closet" for future use, after the body has "forgotten" it. Here are the specifics of the antithesis resistance prescription I worked up for each man...
Monday - legs/shoulders
Back squat work up to one all out set of 15 reps
Leg curl super-set with calf raise
Seated or single leg calf raise three alternating super-sets of 15-30 reps
Overhead press 2-3 sets of 15 reps
Wednesday - chest/triceps
Bench press - moderate grip work up to one set of 15 reps
Bench press - narrow grip work up to one set of 15 reps
Bench press - wide grip work up to one set of 15 reps
Tricep extensions 2 sets of 15 reps
Tricep pushdowns 2 sets of 15 reps
Friday - back/biceps
Deadlift work up to one all out set of 8 reps
High pull to belt work up to one all out set of 8 reps
High pull to pecs work up to one all out set of 8 reps
Barbell row 2-3 set of 12-15 reps
Curls 4 sets of 15 reps
Thesis-antithesis-synthesis: Hegel had it right; every system that develops critical mass becomes a thesis and this thesis-status quo eventually gives rise to a contrasting system that becomes the antithesis. Eventually the antithesis that once seemed so radical and different becomes the new thesis and the whole cycle commences anew...I have prescribed the resistance training antithesis and we'll keep you posted as to the effectiveness of this radical progress inducer....
Anyone wanting to become a 'phone-train' client of Marty Gallagher can contact him at MGSO@embarqmail.com.
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