Strength Testing Is Complete. Here’s How to Use Your Levels.

First, congratulations to everyone who participated in strength testing on January 17.

Completing true 1RM attempts on the back squat, bench press, and deadlift takes preparation and effort. Whether this was your first time testing these lifts or you’ve done it many times before, you showed up and did the work and the energy in the gym reflected that.

Strength Levels: What They Are

Strength Levels are a tool to help make training more structured and easier to navigate.

Your level is determined by adding together your 1RM back squat, bench press, and deadlift totals and placing you into one of five categories:

• L1: Men < 400 lb | Women < 280 lb
• L2: Men 400–600 lb | Women 280–420 lb
• L3: Men 600–800 lb | Women 420–560 lb
• L4: Men 800–1000 lb | Women 560–700 lb
• L5: Men > 1000 lb | Women > 700 lb

These levels provide a clear snapshot of your overall strength foundation and serve as a simple benchmark to track progress over time. Starting Monday, January 19, you’ll see these levels integrated into conditioning workouts—both on the gym TVs and in SugarWOD. They’ll suggest scaled weights (e.g., for KB swings, hang power cleans, etc.) tailored to each level, making it easier to choose loads that challenge you appropriately without guesswork.

A few key reminders to keep in mind as we move forward:

• This system is completely optional. It’s designed to empower you, not restrict you.
• You can (and should) always adjust weights based on how you feel that day—recovery, energy levels, any nagging tweaks, or just wanting to focus on technique all matter more than hitting a specific level.
• Strength Levels are meant to be a helpful guide. The goal is smarter, safer training with more confidence and purpose

With our next testing window set for July, you now have about six months to build. Here’s how to approach things in the meantime:

• Use your current level as a starting point for conditioning workouts. If a suggested weight feels too heavy or too light, scale it up or down—listen to your body first.
• Focus on consistent training: show up regularly, prioritize good movement patterns, progressively challenge yourself (whether that’s adding weight, reps, or intensity), and recover well (sleep, nutrition, mobility work).
• Track your progress beyond just the numbers—better form, faster recovery between sets, more confidence under load, and improved performance in conditioning workouts all count as huge wins.
• If you’re in L1 or L2, celebrate the foundation you’re building—many people never reach these totals, and you’re already ahead of the general population. If you’re in L3+, keep pushing; small, steady gains compound massively over months.

The beauty of this is that progress is personal. Some will jump levels quickly, others will grind for incremental improvements—that’s all part of the journey. We’re here to support every step: coaches are always available for scaling advice, form checks, or programming tweaks.

If you have questions, want to make up testing day, or want to establish an estimated level based on your most recent lifts just reach out!