Buzz
Many of us follow a familiar path in fitness. Initially, you take each workout as it comes: trying this class or joining a friend at the gym. Eventually, you realize you can achieve progress in your sport—be it lifting, running, or something else—and begin following a plan that moves you toward a specific goal. Everything seems on track.
Experiencing Newbie gains is both fun and motivating. Every workout, you run farther or lift more than before. However, things eventually slow down. You might feel discouraged, but ideally, you push through. Before long, you’re breaking personal records (PRs) again. After all, with years of training, strength gains are inevitable. You just need to trust the process.
As you gain experience, it’s easy to forget that progress involves ups and downs. If you’re not lifting as much as before or feel fatigued at times, it doesn’t mean you’re failing. In fact, a rough patch is often a necessary part of the training cycle, especially if your coach (or whoever designs your programs) knows what they’re doing.
For example, when preparing for a weightlifting or powerlifting competition, the final weeks of training are intentionally less intense to allow your body to recover and gear up to hit new personal records (PRs). (Runners also experience a similar phase during the taper before a big race.) This phase focuses on recovery rather than pushing for more gains. However, in other stages of your training cycle, the focus shifts to prioritizing gains. You push your body hard, and as a result, you become stronger over time.
The issue arises when you forget the context. When lifting becomes harder than before, some people might assume something’s wrong with their body or their training plan. It’s easy to want to fire your coach, get discouraged, or ease off, thinking that things aren’t progressing. But in reality, you’re likely just in a phase of your training cycle where it’s normal to hit a rough patch.
(This assumes, of course, that your training is thoughtfully structured. Whether you have a coach or are following a reliable plan designed by an experienced trainer, as long as the person guiding your workouts knows what they’re doing and you’re listening to them, you’re probably on the right track. If that’s not the case, then yes, you might be overdoing it for no reason and should consider switching things up.)
I was reminded of this concept of rough patches when I came across this Instagram post by weightlifting coach Tom Sroka. He explained that, as you train, the highs (progress) get higher, but the lows (rough patches) also feel more intense. However, to keep progressing, you have to trust the process and push through those tough moments.
It’s true. For example, earlier this year, I was trying to juggle workouts from two different coaches (which, in hindsight, was a bit chaotic, but that’s a story for another time). I quickly realized I was overtraining, so I scaled back. Not long after, during a lighter week, I hit several unexpected PRs. It was a great reminder that sometimes, backing off leads to strength gains, and I thought, 'Wow, I’m getting stronger.'
So what happened when I increased my training volume again? My body handled it just fine—I wasn’t overly fatigued, and there were no injuries flaring up—but that unexpected progress I’d made earlier seemed to vanish. I couldn’t hit those same numbers anymore. That was another tough patch. But when competition day came and I was fully rested and prepared, what happened? I smashed a whole new set of personal records.
