P/PC Balance in fitness to be able to get results and maintain results
What is P/PC Balance?
P/PC Balance is having the ability to recognise the work load that you need to produce to be able to obtain a result. Whilst keeping in mind your capability to produce that result for a sustained amount of time.
P- stands for production of desired results
PC – stands for production capability
If you find yourself working increasingly harder to obtain your desired result you will eventually reach it. Being able to sustain what you have earned is a different story. If you feel sick or burnt out after working so hard. The results that you have achieved will just be going out the window in the time you have needed to rest to be able to get back to training again.
Why keep a balance?
If you find yourself training really hard there is only a certain amount of time before you start feeling a negative effect on your body. The ability to keep that balance of knowing when you need to rest and when you need to train is the best way to make long term results. Without jeopardising what you are training so hard to achieve. You might be wanting to lose weight or become faster. Both are really demanding on the body and with both you’ll need to rest.
If you keep a balance you will still feel like you’re getting results without having to deal with the YOYO effect. Of getting to the result and having to lose it straight away just because you haven’t given yourself the chance to get used to it gradually.
This method is way more effective in the long term.
Lots of you might think it’s great to workout for an end goal that is close. You’ll see it all the time ‘Get ripped for summer’ or ‘Get shredded in 3 month’. These sorts of selling techniques play with your emotions because you want to be able to look a certain way. What if I told you that you can have what your goals are? But you will have to change your lifestyle to be able to reach it. Not just a short fix where you give up your normal lifestyle for a while for the result and then go back to your lifestyle once you’ve achieved your goal.
What you have to do is focus on changing habits to be able to get your results without sacrificing the everything straight away. This will give you the ability to make your new habit obtainable. So in the long run you will be able to reach your goal and keep it forever. Not just for the summer.
Last Note:
In personal training I get a lot of people who come to me with these short term goals. I have to tell them that they won’t be sustainable in the long term. So I workout a way that they can incorporate a lifestyle change. To give them the results and keep them for a lot longer.
You can read more about P/PC balance from a book called “The habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey”.