Strength: The Foundation of the Complete Training Method

In our last post, we introduced the Complete Training Method, our approach to helping you build strength, endurance, and freedom of movement that lasts.

Now it’s time to unpack the first pillar: Strength.

This isn’t just about lifting heavy weights or setting personal records...

Strength is about building a body that is capable of taking on anything.

Whether it’s carrying groceries, running after your kids, moving furniture, or doing hard things in the gym, strength gives you the ability to meet life’s challenges head-on and do it well into your later years.

Why Strength Matters

Strength gives you options. It allows you to:

• Move through life without fear of injury

• Keep up with your kids, hobbies, and passions

• Build lean muscle and improve metabolism, even when you’re not working out

• Stay independent and active as you age

Without strength, every other part of fitness — endurance, mobility, even energy — has a ceiling. That’s why we treat it as the foundation of our training.

The Three Types of Strength We Train

At Percheron, we don’t just train strength as one big idea. We break it down into three distinct qualities that work together.

Absolute Strength

This is your ability to move heavy loads, such as squats, deadlifts, presses, and pulls.

Why it matters: It builds a strong foundation for all physical activity. It improves joint health and bone density. It helps you handle life’s heavy lifts without fear, both literally and figuratively.

How we train it: We focus on functional movements like squats and deadlifts, progressively increasing resistance as your body adapts. For example: Three sets of five reps of back squats at a moderate-to-heavy weight.

Explosive Power

This is the combination of strength and speed, your ability to generate force quickly.

Why it matters: It is essential for athletic movements like jumping, sprinting, and reacting fast. It builds coordination and resiliency. It keeps your nervous system sharp as you age.

How we train it: We use plyometrics, Olympic weightlifting, and speed work to develop power. For example: Three rounds of five broad jumps with full recovery between sets.

Muscular Endurance

This is the ability of your muscles to perform repeated efforts over time without fatigue.

Why it matters: It prepares you for longer workouts or sustained efforts in daily life. It increases work capacity and overall resilience. It builds the foundation for moving with control and stamina.

How we train it: We use higher-rep sets, sustained time-under-tension work, and functional carries. For example: Three rounds of 12 to 15 reps of a bodyweight movement with minimal rest.

What a Training Week Looks Like

In a typical Percheron training week, you will lift heavy three to four times per week, include explosive work one to three times per week, and blend muscular endurance into workouts four to six times per week.

Each session is scaled to your level, so whether you are new to training or experienced, you will build strength safely and effectively.

The Big Picture

Strength is not just for the gym. It is for life.

It helps you pick up your kids, carry all the groceries in one trip, get up and down off the floor with ease, and keep doing what you love for decades to come.

When combined with conditioning and mobility, strength gives you the tools to take on whatever comes next.

Ready to build a foundation that's Percheron Strong?

Come experience strength training that is safe, effective, and built for longevity. Book your free No-Sweat Intro today.