See the actual output before you sign up.

Hey Forge fam, Four weeks ago we started the Base Strength block, and this week we test it: back squat, bench, and deadlift 3-rep maxes, Thursday through Saturday. If you've been showing up and doing the accessory work, you're stronger than you think. Trust the block. A few notes before test week: — Sleep is your best supplement right now. Aim for 7+ hours the two nights before you test. — Warm up like you mean it. Cold squats under 90% is how PRs turn into strains. — If a number doesn't move, that's data, not failure. We adjust the next block around it. Coach Marcus hit a 15lb deadlift PR in Tuesday's open gym — ask him about his hip hinge cue, it's worth stealing. Starting December 1st, we're shifting into a hypertrophy block: higher reps, more volume, less max-effort stress on the joints heading into winter. Perfect timing after a heavy strength cycle. Bring a friend to Saturday's testing day — first-timers lift free. See you under the bar, Forge Strength Co.

For the first two years of Forge, we tested 1-rep maxes monthly. It felt productive — numbers on a whiteboard, PRs to celebrate, obvious progress. It also quietly wrecked our members' shoulders and lower backs. Here's what a monthly max-out cycle actually does: it never gives your nervous system or your joints enough time to adapt to the last max before you're asking for another one. You end up training the skill of maxing out, not the strength underneath it. Now we run 4-6 week blocks. Three to four weeks of progressive volume at 70-85%, then one week to test. The maxes still happen — they're just earned by consistent, boring, submaximal work instead of chased every few weeks. The result: fewer nagging injuries, and when members do test, the numbers are usually bigger than they expected. Turns out patience is a training variable, not just a personality trait. If your current program has you testing maxes every month, ask yourself honestly: are you actually getting stronger, or just getting better at being tired on test day?

A member asked me last week why we don't do max-out Fridays anymore like we used to. Because chasing a new number every week doesn't build strength — it builds fatigue with a leaderboard. Real strength comes from weeks of unglamorous volume work that nobody posts about. We switched Forge to 5-week blocks over a year ago: submaximal volume, then one test week. Fewer injuries. Bigger numbers when it counts. Less burnout in the off weeks. Coaching is mostly about talking members out of the thing that feels productive but isn't, and into the thing that's boring but works.

Hi from the Meridian team, If you make quarterly estimated payments, this is the newsletter to actually read before your January 15th deadline. Two things changed this year that catch people off guard. First, the safe-harbor threshold for higher earners shifted again — if your prior-year AGI was above the updated threshold, you need 110% of last year's tax liability paid in, not 100%, to avoid an underpayment penalty. We've already flagged clients this applies to; if you haven't heard from us and think it might affect you, reply to this email. Second, a few states adjusted their own estimated payment schedules independently of the federal calendar this year. If you're filing in more than one state, double-check your state due dates don't quietly line up differently than you assumed. Practically: we'd rather you overpay slightly and get a refund than underpay and owe a penalty on top of the tax itself. If your income changed meaningfully this year — a bonus, a sale, a new revenue stream — send us a quick note and we'll re-run your Q4 number before the deadline. Straightforward as always, The Meridian Tax & Advisory team

Every year we meet advisors who lead with the strategy — the trust, the entity restructuring, the retirement vehicle — before they've asked the client a single question about their actual life. We do it backwards on purpose. Before we recommend anything, we ask three things. First: what do you actually want your money to do in the next five years? A strategy that's technically optimal but locks up cash you'll need for a house down payment isn't a good strategy for you. Second: how much complexity are you willing to manage? Some structures save real money but require annual filings, separate books, and attention most business owners don't have bandwidth for. We'd rather recommend something simpler that you'll actually maintain correctly. Third: what's your risk tolerance for an aggressive position if the IRS pushes back? Two clients can have identical numbers and reasonably choose different strategies based on how much audit exposure they're comfortable with. Tax strategy that ignores these three questions is just a spreadsheet exercise. Tax strategy that starts with them is advice you can actually live with — that's the difference we're trying to build a whole practice around.

A client asked me last week why we didn't recommend the strategy her friend's accountant set up — the one that supposedly saves six figures a year. Because her friend's business, cash flow, and risk tolerance aren't hers. The tax code has a hundred legitimate ways to reduce a bill, and maybe three of them actually fit any one client's real situation. Plainspoken version: if your advisor is recommending something before asking what you actually need your money to do, that's a red flag, not a bargain. We'd rather give you the boring, right-fit answer than the exciting, wrong-fit one.

Good morning, There's a specific kind of relief in the first properly cold morning of the season — the one where you finally reach for a coat instead of debating whether you need one. This week's drop is built for exactly that moment. The centerpiece is our new Fielder Wool Coat, cut a little oversized, in a color we're calling Weathered Clay — somewhere between rust and terracotta, the kind of shade that looks right against denim or a slip dress. We only received 40 units in this colorway, and half are already reserved from our waitlist preview. Alongside it: the Harbor Cardigan back in three new colors, a restock of the merino base layers everyone asked about after last month's newsletter, and a small edit of scarves from a weaver we've worked with for three seasons now. As always, everything is one-and-done — once a size sells out, it isn't reordered this season. If something catches your eye, we'd rather you not find out on Friday that it's gone. Shop the full edit before the weekend, Linden & Sable

A great coat should work harder than any other piece in your closet. We built the Fielder Wool Coat with exactly that in mind — which is why we want to show you six ways to wear it before the season even gets started. Over denim: the most obvious pairing, and still the best one. Let the coat's oversized cut balance a slim, straight-leg jean, and keep footwear simple — a white sneaker or a low boot. Over a slip dress: the unexpected combination that photographs beautifully. The structure of the coat against the fluidity of the dress creates a silhouette worth a second look. Belted at the waist: most of our customers wear it open, but cinching it with a simple leather belt transforms the whole shape into something closer to a wrap dress. Layered over a chunky knit: for the coldest days, let a turtleneck peek out at the collar and cuffs — texture on texture always reads intentional, never accidental. One coat, six ways to wear it — that's the whole idea behind how we design.

We reordered our merino base layers for the third time this month and I keep thinking about why. It's not because the marketing was clever. It's because we made something simple extremely well, told people honestly when it would sell out, and didn't try to convince anyone to buy something they didn't need. Retail rewards restraint more than volume right now. Fewer, better pieces. Honest scarcity instead of manufactured urgency. Customers can tell the difference immediately, and they remember which brands respected that. Small edit, sold well, made properly — that's the whole strategy.