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Performance Ceiling Misattribution

Meaning

Performance Ceiling Misattribution describes the clinical error of incorrectly assigning the cause of a sustained plateau or decline in physical or cognitive performance to factors such as inadequate training volume or lack of motivation, when the true underlying limitation is a fundamental physiological or hormonal dysregulation. This misattribution prevents the adoption of appropriate restorative interventions, leading instead to further counterproductive stress and potential overtraining. Recognizing this pattern is essential for moving from a symptomatic approach to one that addresses the root cause of the functional decline.