Why our newest strength block isn’t a fresh start—it’s the next step.
Six weeks ago, we talked about stepping away from the barbell.
Not because barbells are bad. Not because we suddenly stopped caring about getting stronger. And definitely not because we were done lifting heavy things.
We stepped away because sometimes changing the tool gives us an opportunity to work on something else.
We explored movement. We spent time in different positions. We used different variations. We worked on our squats and hinges and gave our bodies different problems to solve.
And now?
We get to build on that work.
That’s one of the big ideas behind our newest six-week training block at Original Strength Institute and OSI Online.
Because good programming shouldn’t feel like starting over every six weeks.
Good training builds on itself.
The Last Block Wasn’t a Detour
It can be easy to look at training through the lens of individual workouts.
Did I lift more today?
Did I work hard enough?
Did I set a PR?
But zoom out a little.
Training is a process.
Sometimes the thing you’re doing today is valuable because of what it allows you to do tomorrow.
That’s how we’re approaching this new block.
With our squats, we’re taking advantage of the work we’ve already done and exploring a fuller range of motion with more load where appropriate.
With our deadlifts, we’re building from the Silverback Deadlift and moving toward more traditional deadlift variations using barbells, trap bars, or kettlebells.
The work from the last block didn’t disappear.
It gave us something to build from.
Progress Doesn’t Always Look Like More Weight
Now that we’re adding more traditional strength work back into the program, it would be easy to measure the next six weeks by one thing:
How much weight did you lift?
We certainly want to get stronger. This is a strength block, after all.
But putting another plate on the bar isn’t the only way to make progress.
Can you squat through a little more range while staying strong and controlled?
Can you perform five quality reps with a weight that used to challenge you and eventually perform eight?
Can you create a better setup in your deadlift?
Can you control your rows instead of rushing through them?
Can you press overhead from a half-kneeling position without needing the rest of your body to find a way around the movement?
Can you recognize when something is challenging enough without needing to turn every set into a test?
Those things matter, too.
This block gives us a simple way to practice that kind of progress.
Our primary squats and deadlifts use a 5–8 rep range. Our rows and half-kneeling presses use an 8–12 rep range.
Rather than automatically adding weight, the goal is to build quality reps within those ranges.
Five becomes six.
Six becomes seven.
Seven becomes eight.
Once you can consistently own the top of the range, then it may be time to increase the load and start building again.
Nothing fancy.
Just progress built one quality rep at a time.
Meet Your Body Where It Is. Then Challenge It Where It Is.
There’s another important piece to this block:
Not everyone needs to perform the same squat or deadlift.
For our squat work, one person may use a back squat. Someone else might front squat, Zercher squat, or use a kettlebell.
For our deadlifts, we can use barbells, trap bars, or kettlebells. We can also adjust the starting position when needed.
That’s intentional.
There’s a difference between meeting yourself where you are and staying where you are.
We want to find a movement you can perform successfully—and then give your body an appropriate challenge.
Maybe that means more weight.
Maybe it means another rep.
Maybe it means a little more range of motion.
Maybe it means choosing a variation that asks more of you while still allowing you to move well.
Your training doesn’t have to look exactly like the person next to you for it to work.
The better question is:
What is the right challenge for you today?
Hard Enough Is Hard Enough
We’re also asking members to pay attention to how their training feels during this block.
Along with recording weights and reps, members can record an RPE, or Rating of Perceived Exertion, from 1–10.
For most of our strength work, we’re looking for something around a 7–8 out of 10—meaning you probably have another 2–4 quality reps available if you absolutely needed them.
One of our favorite ways to ask this is:
“How many more good reps did you have?”
Good is the important word.
Not how many more reps could you grind through.
Not how many more you could survive.
How many more could you perform well?
Learning to answer that question is a skill.
Training doesn’t need to destroy you to change you.
We want enough challenge to encourage your body to adapt while still giving you the opportunity to recover, come back, and keep building.
Consistency beats chaos.
Strength Has to Move, Too
Of course, squats and deadlifts aren’t the whole block.
We’ll also be crawling forward and backward, swinging, moving side to side with Cossack squats, building strong centers with side planks and hollow holds, and getting our hearts working with sleds and the Humane Burpee.
On paper, some of that might look like “the conditioning part.”
We see something more.
Strength is useful when you can access it in different positions, directions, and situations.
Can you stay coordinated when your heart rate comes up?
Can you control your body moving sideways as well as forward?
Can you maintain quality when you start getting tired?
Can you get down to the floor and back up?
Can you push, pull, hinge, squat, crawl, and carry your strength into the things life asks you to do?
That’s where strength starts becoming capability.
And ultimately, that’s what we’re after.
What Will Progress Look Like Six Weeks From Now?
At the end of this block, progress may show up on the bar.
We hope it does.
But we also hope you notice some other things.
Maybe your squat feels better.
Maybe a position that used to feel awkward now feels familiar.
Maybe you’re using a heavier kettlebell.
Maybe you’re doing another quality rep.
Maybe you understand your own effort a little better.
Maybe crawling backward isn’t quite the adventure it was in Week One.
Maybe you simply feel stronger and more confident in what your body can do.
Those are all wins.
Because the goal of training isn’t to win one workout.
It’s to keep building a body that can do more of the things you ask of it.
The last block gave us something to build from.
This one gives us an opportunity to build on it.
And six weeks from now, we’ll have something new to build from again.
That’s training.
One rep at a time.
One block at a time.
Get stronger. Move better. Feel better. Stay capable.
Want to Train With Us?
If you’re local to Fuquay-Varina, you can experience this programming alongside our coaching team at Original Strength Institute.
And if you’re not local, that’s exactly why we created OSI Online.
OSI Online members get our programming along with Tim’s coaching videos and instruction to help you understand not only what you’re doing, but why you’re doing it and how to make the training work for you.
Because a good program shouldn’t just give you exercises to follow.
It should help you become better at training.
Come train with us.
