Originally Posted by
Mark Rippetoe
This is a fascinating program. The author of this ridiculous mess, John Cissek, was actually instrumental in the development of the basis of the program you know as Starting Strength. He wrote an article for the SCJ back in 1999-2000, IIRC, about -- I swear this is true -- How To Periodize Your Abdominal Training. At the time I was trying to fall in line with the conventional S&C wisdom, reading the journals and going to conferences, and this bizarre article is the piece that started me thinking about just how weird it was to misconstrue the principles of periodization to this extent. As a direct result, the thinking that became PPST originated. So all you people who have become stronger by ignoring pointless complexity in favor of simple arithmetic, Selye's GAS principle, and the principle of diminishing returns have John Cissek to thank for it.