This is a topic that @kodiakbarbell brought up a couple weeks ago in regards to offseason training. I feel like it's something that isn't talked about enough or at least isn't talked about enough properly.
There seems to be a trend right now in the fitness industry, and specifically the powerlifting industry, for coaches to charge a lot of money for very average programming that overwhelmingly caters to making people happy or having them to comp lifts so they are “being a powerlifter” rather than becoming better lifters overall, which sets you up for the best overall success and most importantly, platform PR’s. Let's be real, no one cares that your low bar squat @85% felt like an RPE 7 instead of a RPE 8 3 months ago and you shouldn’t really care either.
Always doing competition lifts is almost never a good idea. It has it’s time and place just like anything else and normally that is closer to meet prep and definitely during that meet prep. The thing is people that are new to powerlifting generally don't understand why they can't lift heavy all the time. Things tend to come fairly easy in the beginning because you're starting to move more efficiently, you're starting to get more volume/practice in and things are starting to come together. So you start “powerlifting” now you're hitting some PRS but what is often misunderstood is that you could hit bigger PRS on the platform if you do things the right way. By the right way we mean not lifting heavy all the time, but instead working harder with less weight. I personally will never program someone to make them happy, they are paying me to make them better so I will give them what I personally believe, what I have learned from others and tried myself is going to make them better. That progress and getting better normally comes from video feedback (coaching) and variations of the three main lifts. These variations can be anything from pausing, using a different bar, adding Tempo or Tempo with a pause. Also the variation will most likely include the fact that is not the exact exercise you are doing competition. We can go to a high bar or train the opposite stance deadlift. then see how far we can push this movement in an offseason. .
My example of this is in my last offseason leading into the prep where I squatted 705 lb all I did was highbar tempo which was prescribed to me by my coach @pauloneid. I added my belt for my last 4 to 8 weeks because it was starting to get a bit heavier. So by the end of this offseason I was doing four sets Tempo with a pause (4-2-0-0) and four sets of no tempo with 365lbs. That's just over half of what I ended up squatting in competition. I also pushed my front squat and hit a 60lbs front squat PR about 4-6 weeks out
Currently I am starting that whole cycle over again except starting from a bit higher of an offseason Max (since my competition max went up and I clearly got stronger). I am also using a different bar, being the SSB. 3x5 @300lbs tempo followed by 3x5 without tempo. Slowly adding sets and then bumping up weight slowly.
While writing this it was talking to a client I person about it. He asked why I am percirbed this by my coach and why he is doing it as well. There's a couple reasons. It's good for learning now to squat by keeping tension, staying upright, hinging properly, proper movement patterns etc which is his case. It's also good for coming back to squatting either from an injury or a meet to get back in that groove and add intensity without adding weight which is my case..
You don't have to complicate things, you don't have to lift heavier, you just have to work smarter. Working smarter will still be hard, but it will help ensure longevity in the sport. Make things harder with less weight. Trust the process or you're going to burn out before you're able to add any more wood to the fire.