This title may seem a little odd, but this is a concept that I've realized more and more over the past few years..
How many of us have been in this situation?:
You have a training cycle where you train consistently but your performance (in terms of numbers you're hitting in training) isn't anything remarkable. Then you make some training changes, or switch to a different program, and after a few weeks start hitting PRs.
It's easy for the obvious reaction to be, "this program is so much better than my last one, I'll definitely be sticking with this!"
While the current way you're training is certainly having an impact on your performance; what you have to realize is that when your strength performance is peaking in training, that is the result of 'realizing' the work you did in past training.
Often times the best training (in terms of work that will result in progress), doesn't make you "feel" at your strongest. That work is accumulating fatigue in a way that when you change some training variables, or recover better (deload, reduce stress, etc) THEN that work results in PRs.
I noticed this in particular when I go from a high volume/high workload period of training, or a banded cycle, or utilizing pauses, etc. While I'm doing that I'm usually not hitting PRs every week; but after that period of overreaching is done, when I reduce the overall training stress then the PRs rack up.
So next time you start seeing some great progress, don't forget what you did the months leading up to that point. It will benefit you as you plan your future training.
-Joe
