Linear/Non-Linear Progression (X-Factor)

[Jon Brody]

It seems that most novices will have positive, linear progression during their initial phase....almost regardless of program. As time goes by, programs need *continual* (?) refinement and fine-tuning to achieve progression and PRs.

In theory, is there any reason you can't continually make such refining modifications to keep pace with your ever-growing, ever-adapting body? It seems like the "better" you get the harder it would be to keep pace.....does it become a game of adding relatively foreign challenges and stimulae -- like trying to master a gymnastic move, or some OL that has yet to be tapped -- and this rejuvenates your overall progress? A case of having to change goals altogether -- gain mass, subsequently re-shift overall program as such?

I look at some of Gant's latest evolutions, and even CFFootball.....can you stick with a set goal and genre of programing indefinitely and keep making improvements within that sphere, or at some point do you have to radically shift things (gain weight, e.g., master foreign move)?

Maybe I'm just missing a fundamental and simple concept about progression and programming. :confused:

[Enrique Billington]

No there is no reason you can't other than some people got tired trying so they just decided it's not going to work for you. It makes no sense to attain a very high level of strength and then let it go to waste simply because you feel sore, "overtrained", or whatever, by reducing the intensity, volume or outright resting. If you don't make your PR, try again. If you still can't make it, come back tomorrow, the next day, etc. A lot of people underestimate your tolerance for this kind of training. You really don't even have to try and hit PRs, just work up to your 5rm, 3rm, 1rm for the day and call it a day. If you feel you can put more on the bar, do it.

[Steven Low]

Programming needs to become more complex to elicit gains as strength increases (or whatever factors you're trying to develop).

Switching programs does work to some extent.... but it depends on your goals. As the saying goes "the program that works is the program you're not on"

If you're Oly you probably don't want to be putting on mass cause it will put you out of your weight class....