Coaching practices for I Keep Hammering Hard Sessions and Saw Quick Gains but Now I've Plateaued and I'm Wondering If All My Easy Runs Are Wasted Time Whether Slowing Down and Building a Foundation is What Actually Raises My Ceiling Over the Long Haul
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Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- I keep hammering hard sessions and saw quick gains, but now I’ve plateaued and I’m wondering if all my easy runs are wasted time
- I’ve been showing up faithfully for weeks and the needle just won’t move
- For a while I could add a little weight every single session and it felt amazing, but lately that exact same approach has dried up
- I’ve been lifting the same weights for weeks and seeing nothing change
- I keep practicing the whole thing over and over and my overall level just won’t budge
Practices that may help
- Build aerobic base with easy running to raise the VO2max ceiling over time
High-intensity intervals raise VO2max faster in the short term; aerobic base training raises the long-run ceiling.
VO2max Training - Push through the plateau
Keep going through the flat stretch where effort seems to produce nothing.
The Compound Effect, Made Practical - Choose linear progression for beginners; switch to wave loading as you advance
Beginners can add load every session; intermediate and advanced athletes need weekly or monthly undulation to continue progressing.
Progressive Overload - Linear progression: add weight every session
Novice lifters can and should add a small amount of weight every training session — this is the fastest route to strength.
Compound Movements: The Foundation of Strength Training - Drill: attack your weakest sub-skill
Isolate the rate-limiting component and drill it directly.
Ultralearning: Aggressive, Self-Directed Learning - Practice deliberately, not just repeatedly
Target weaknesses with full focus and feedback, not comfortable repetition.
Grit: Passion and Perseverance, Honestly Assessed - Train at conversational pace for aerobic base
Keep effort low enough to speak in full sentences — the sweet spot for building aerobic capacity.
The Talk Test: Gauge Exercise Intensity Without a Monitor - Check for diminishing returns before continuing
Beyond roughly 50–100% overlearning, additional practice yields less return per hour.
Overlearning: When Practicing Past Mastery Pays Off - Understand all the levers of progressive overload beyond just adding weight
Weight is one overload variable — you can also progress by adding reps, sets, reducing rest, improving range of motion, or increasing tempo.
Progressive Overload - VO2 max intervals
Use 4–8 minute high-intensity intervals at near-maximum effort to directly stress and expand your oxygen ceiling.
VO2 Max and Longevity: The Peter Attia Framework
Related concerns
- When Compound Movements Form Before Load
A technically correct movement with moderate weight builds more strength — and far fewer injuries — than a heavy sloppy one.
Establish form before chasing load
- When Compound Movements Linear Progression
Novice lifters can and should add a small amount of weight every training session — this is the fastest route to strength.
Linear progression: add weight every session
- When Deliberate Practice Edge Of Ability
Work on tasks just beyond what you can reliably do, not what you already do well.
Train at the edge of your ability
- When Grit Deliberate Practice
Target weaknesses with full focus and feedback, not comfortable repetition.
Practice deliberately, not just repeatedly
- When Kaizen Improve The Process Continuously
Keep refining how you do something, so quality compounds along with quantity.
Improve the process, not just the output
- When Progressive Overload Linear Vs Nonlinear Progression
Beginners can add load every session; intermediate and advanced athletes need weekly or monthly undulation to continue progressing.
Choose linear progression for beginners; switch to wave loading as you advance
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