Challenges
Strength Challenges
I regularly participate in challenges through Strength Origins. Here's what I've done, how I trained for it, and the footage to prove it.
Strength Origins · October 2026
Widowmaker Squat (2026)
245 lb × 20 reps at 160 lb BW — +20 lb over 2025
Perform a 20-rep back squat set using your approximate 10-rep max with rest-pauses at the top. The bar cannot be reracked until all 20 reps are complete, and every rep must reach parallel or deeper.
- squat
- widowmaker
- high-rep
- endurance
- pr
- 5-3-1
Strength Origins · April 2026
5,000 lb Deadlift
5,670 lb — 18 reps × 315 lb in 35 seconds
Accumulate 5,000 lb of deadlift tonnage in under 60 seconds. Weight × reps must equal or exceed 5,000 lb with the clock running from first pull to final lockout.
- deadlift
- tonnage
- challenge-of-the-month
- 5-3-1
Strength Origins · December 2025
Max Single-Arm Deadlift
315 lb — Tier 2
Perform a 1-rep max one-arm deadlift. Belt and chalk permitted, no straps. Tiered performance levels from F-Tier (135 lb) up to Tier 1 (405 lb).
- deadlift
- one-arm
- max-effort
- grip
Strength Origins · November 2025
Spartan Hang
303 lb (168 BW + 135 added) — 60+ seconds
Dead hang from a pull-up bar for 60 seconds with a combined body weight plus added weight of at least 300 lb. Double overhand grip only, chalk permitted.
- grip
- dead-hang
- weighted
- endurance
Strength Origins · November 2025
1,000 lb Club Straight Flush
1,065 lb — OHP 185 / Dip +90 / Squat 365 / Deadlift 425
Hit four lifts in sequence — a 1-plate push press, a 2-plate wild card, a 3-plate squat, and a 4-plate deadlift — totaling 1,000 lb or more. Each lift must meet its plate minimum.
- powerlifting
- total
- straight-flush
- overhead-press
- 5-3-1
Strength Origins · October 2025
1,000 lb Club
1,085 lb total (S: 365 / B: 295 / D: 425) at 165 lb BW
Hit a combined one-rep max total of 1,000 lb or more across the squat, bench press, and deadlift — performed with good form and recorded on video.
- powerlifting
- total
- 1000lb-club
- squat
- bench
- deadlift
Strength Origins · October 2025
Widowmaker Squat (2025)
225 lb × 20 reps at 165 lb BW — Tier 3
Perform a 20-rep back squat set using your approximate 10-rep max with rest-pauses at the top. The bar cannot be reracked until all 20 reps are complete. Tiered from F-Tier (135 lb) to Tier 1 (405 lb).
- squat
- widowmaker
- high-rep
- endurance
- mental-toughness