Welcome to the GAIN Blog

The blog is updated Monday-Friday. Tune in for posts and discussion about health, fitness, nutrition, training experiments and reflection. We share articles, videos and more. We post the link to our Instagram story every day, make sure to follow along there to never miss a post.

Justin Miner Justin Miner

Winter Run cHat 2

Anything is better than nothing.

That’s what I keep reminding myself this winter. Last week I mentioned this is my first winter since 2020 even trying to run. I took my winter running gear out of the back of the closet and have been trying to get out at least twice a week.

Lowering the bar, or my expectations, has helped me get out there when I don’t feel like it on these cold days.

Even 20 minutes is more than I was doing a year ago, I think. And I get out the door.

I’m not training for anything in particular, rather just being ready to turn up the dial when better weather and more running opportunities arrive. Summer 2024 was my running revitalization and I want to carry the stoke into 2025 too, and that means taking my time building the base.

On a recent 30 minute neighborhood run, I could imagine the routine easily turning into a 60 minute run.

I’m keeping the urge to do more in check and getting out there when I can, knowing that anything now will help turn up the dial when the time is right.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Interval BReakdown

If you regularly do intervals at GAIN, the following interval may be in your program soon. I use something like this while building my running base, and I’ve found it to be a sweet spot to get a nice training effort to improve your endurance. The intervals break up the session nicely and make it more tolerable and more effective than your standard 20-minute ride.

I want to break down this interval, go over its intent and provide context to you so you can get the most from your workout.

5 sets:

3 min @ moderate pace

1 min @ recovery pace

First, let’s add up the total working time; 20-minutes.

That tells us that it’s an endurance-focus workout.

The work interval is 3 minutes long. The rest, or specifically in this case, active recovery, is 1 minute. Active recovery means you’re going to keep moving, as slow as needed during the “off” interval.

Work duration is 3 times a long as the recovery period. Now we can contextualize our pace.

We want to see you use a sustainable pace. Something you can repeat round after round, after round.

The trick here is avoiding coming out too fast in the earlier intervals, then getting slower and slower. That’s something we see often with endurance training and specifically what we’re trying to avoid - getting slower. The active recovery plays into that, if you’re starting to slow down, maybe you’re not going slow enough during the recovery interval.

The goal with a sustainable pace workout is to improve your endurance by staying at the right intensity. This will elevate your heart rate, but not spike it really high. You should be able to talk, though it should be slightly labored. You’ll be able to answer a question I ask, but if you took a phone call your friend on the line would know you’re exercising.

So how fast do you go?

You should complete the same amount of work (meters or calories) in each set. Knowing a specific pace, like per 500m splits on the rower would require having other knowledge, like from a test or other recent workout. Some of you recently did a 5 minutes for max distance finisher. If we start there, we know that was a maximum effort, not a sustainable one. So to start, it’ll be slower than that.

We can also assume your pace will be faster than if you did 16-20 minutes straight. The recovery interval, while you’re still working, makes it easier to hold a slightly faster pace compared to a straight effort. Going a bit faster lets us increase the intensity to get a better training effect by staying in that sweet spot zone of ‘easy,’ but not too easy.

TL;DR

It’s takes some practice to get into the sweet spot of an endurance interval. Each time you’re on a machine however, is an opportunity to take a look at your paces/rpms/watts to build more context and gather information. Keep in mind the goal is sustainable paces, and matching the total work (meters or calories) done in each on interval. Spending time here will build endurance and stamina, will feel good on your muscles and joints and promotes longevity and heart health. Get to work!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

How to Get Strong: Reps in reserve

If you want to get stronger you’ve got to pay attention to reps in reserve or RIR.

RIR is a way to identify how many more reps could you do AFTER completing your prescribed reps.

When chasing strength, your reps in reserve should be low.

Here’s a scenario:

You’re goblet squatting 4 sets of 10 reps.

You pick the blue kettlebell because that’s what you always use. You do your 10 reps concentrating on excellent form, breathing and everything else. Suddenly, I run up to you and offer you $300 for 10 more reps. You grind them out and eventually complete the 10 additional reps for a total of 20.

The last 3 reps took everything you had. You have no reps in reserve. However, if you finished that set at the prescribed 10 reps, you left a lot on the table. You had 10 reps in reserve!

The sweet spot of getting strong, and not trashing your body, is leaving 2-3 quality reps in the tank. In this scenario, the kettlebell weight was too light for the rep scheme of 10. You should never be able to double the reps with the selected weight. That’s a clear indication you won’t create the stress stimulus required to make strength adaptations.

If you do push ups with your hands elevated on a box or a bar, this is another way to check and see if you’re being properly challenged. If you normally use a certain height for a set of 10, but could easily crank out 15 or more reps, it’s time to lower the bar.

The general goal with strength training is to create stress that our bodies will adapt to. Make sure you’re hitting the right stimulus by checking in and seeing how many reps you have in reserve.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Friday Thoughts 65

Welcome to this week’s Friday Thoughts, where I share my favorite things I saw on the internet this week, plus the occasional random thought that didn’t make it into a full post. Enjoy!

Shoe Police:

I hate playing shoe police, but this time of year, it’s important that you bring a clean, dry pair of shoes to train in. The salt eats away at our rubber flooring and stains it. Help us keep the gym clean this winter and bring an extra pair of shoes. Don’t forget the shoe rack if you want to leave a pair in the gym. Thank you!

James Clear Quote:

I saw this on James Clear’s newsletter this week, and thought it’s such simple explanation of what it really takes to stick with something. Adaptability is key. In all these years of training people I’ve noticed that many people are unwilling to do the easy version, and that stops them from doing anything.

Biking Steps?

I can’t seem to stop mentioning 10,000 steps. Over the past week I’ve noticed that when I select “Indoor Bike” for my AirBike workout, it will not count towards my step total. However, if I select “Cardio,” which I use for most general in-gym workouts, my step count increases from the bike. Remember, with the AirBike, you pump your arms and your legs to move.

I’m on team, yeah it’s close enough to a step to count as a step. I’m moving, exerting myself physically, breathing, the only missing piece when compared to actual walking is that I’m not supporting my own bodyweight, and I’ve got to say that is a good point, too.

So, what do you think? Do AirBike steps count?

This was a good, thought provoking post from author Ryan Holiday.

This is a deep cut but hopefully one of you will appreciate the Eastbound and Down clip.

That’s a wrap for this week!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Winter Run Chat

I’ve been back in the winter running game, and I’ve got to say, it feels good. For years I was a dedicated winter trail runner, running 3, 4 or 5 days a week regardless of weather.  I experienced all the conditions possible, deep snow, thick ice, wet slush, strong winds and freezing temperatures. For the past few years though, I’d run all summer, get burnt out and focus on something else for a few months. This year, my desire to run is still there so I’ve been getting out for 2-3 runs each week. In no particular order, here are some winter running thoughts.

  • Be bold start cold. This old adage rings true when you’re heading out for a longer run or a hike. When I’m doing my neighborhood 5k lap, I’m going to layer up as much as needed to get myself out the door. If I’m too warm I swing into my house and drop it off.

  • I wear leggings or tights when I run in the winter. I have two pairs, a light pair for when the temps are above freezing and a fleece lined pair for anything less than that.

  • Wool socks.

  • Move some dirt. In 2024 my first run of the year was in May. I feel like I’m cheating by getting such an early start this year. Anything is more than I was doing last January, so I’m trying to remember that. If you’ve seen the shovel and spoon flag in the gym, it’s inspired by a quote that goes: “training is like moving a pile of dirt. Sometimes you take a shovel full and sometimes you get spoonful. Either way you’ve got to move the dirt.”

  • Hoods > Beanies.

  • Speaking of hoods, the tighter the fit the better. If it looks like I’m gearing up to go scuba diving - perfect.

  • If you’re scared of slipping on the ice - run on the treadmill. If you run too cautiously, you’re more likely to fall than if you just go for it. If you keep your center of mass over your mid-foot, and don’t reach too far on your stride, you shouldn’t slip on the ice. In fact, check out the video of Dr. Romanov, creator of the Pose Method of running, and who taught me how to understand running mechanics, running on ice below.

  • Grid fleece, with a big zipper to dump heat = GOAT layer.

  • Two pairs of gloves: 1. Super light weight, used for 30 degrees and above. 2. heavier, wind-proof, water-resistant and used for colder days under 30.

  • Audiobooks. You know I’m a fan of running without headphones, but lately for a little extra motivation on those cold days, I’ve been listening to an audiobook while hitting the pavement.

  • Speaking of pavement, all my runs lately have been on the road. It’s much easier and more predictable than the trails. I love some snow running in the woods, but getting to the trails, even though they’re just a mile down the road, is another barrier to entry, plus any required gear like snowshoes or micro spikes.

These are some of the thoughts I’ve been having while winter running lately. I hope you picked out a thing or two that will help you get some cold weather exercise in this year!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

December by the Numbers

Welcome to this month’s by the numbers, where I look back at the data that my watch collects over the month. I look back to spot trends and make adjustments for the next month. It’s been a useful exercise for me, and I encourage you to do the same. Let’s get into it.

Steps: 281,202 total steps for a daily average of 9,071.

I feel like I say this every month: higher than I expected. Something I learned last month, while doing a lot of kettlebell swings, is that my watch would count the swings as steps. At first I was annoyed at this revelation - only steps should count as steps! Then I realized if I do a 600 kettlebell swing workout, and get 600 steps from it, that’s nothing if trying to get into the tens of thousands.  This discussions has evolved into what activities should count towards your step goal? Only steps? Or should movements like kb swings be okay, because you’re moving anyway?

Sleep: Average sleep 7 hours 2 minutes, average sleep score 79

December was a tough sleep month. Lowest average of the year, and not too surprising too. I was off my routine a lot, stayed up late more that usual, spent a few days sick. Instead of getting caught up I wasn’t getting 8 hours, I’m reminding myself that a couple years ago, a month like that probably would have been a 6 hour average.

Workouts: 25

24 of those sessions were kettlebell swings. I wrote my recap of the 10k swing challenge here, if you want to check that out. All in all, it was a fun challenge but all I did was swing a kettlebell. I mixed some push ups and pull ups in when I could and I got one trail run in as well.  Lately I’ve been enjoying more variety and spending time working on my conditioning on the various gym machines.

Thanks for reading, as always, I hope this inspires you to look back at your previous month and spot any trends and set some realistic marks for the next month.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

How to Improve Your Push ups

Push ups are frustrating. On one hand, they’re a simple exercise, no equipment required and something that most everyone in the world familiar with. Many people think they should be able to do them based on that alone. However, push ups require a lot of strength and technique, and practice.

Eventually, poor technique will halt your progress.  Whether your shoulders starts to feel achy or you’ve plateaued and can’t tack on any more reps, it’s likely that both strength and technique are your issue.

Here’s a checklist to ensure you’re doing everything to build the strength and technique required for big set of perfect push ups.

They should be hard but not too hard.

Reaching failure is a sure fire way to halt progress. We want you to use variation that is challenging to get the reps done, but not impossible, leading to frequent misses or sloppy technique. When you train your body to fail, it doesn’t adapt as well. Whatever the goal reps are, always try to leave one or two more reps “in the tank.” This is a discussion for another day, but this is called reps in reserve and knowing your RIR is a high-level gym skill.

Frequency

If push ups are really on your mind, talk to your coach and add in an additional day to get the reps in. One day should be hard, grinder reps focused on progressing in difficulty and building strength. The other day should be an easy volume building day where you do 40-50 reps at a variation that’s easy for you.

Place a premium on accessory movements.

A push up is just a plank where you bend your arms. Seriously, think about that. Lock in your plank technique, grip the ground, engage your glutes, use your upper back, breathe purposefully and realize that the more robust you are here, the better your push ups will be.

Mobilize those wrists.

If your wrists are really stiff, it can place more pressure on your shoulders while doing push ups. Stretching them out prior to your set can make a significant difference. Sometimes this is all it takes to unlock better technique.

Even if you were to never get a push up on the floor, chasing one is a worthwhile training pursuit to build total body strength, awareness and control.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

All Week

Taylor and Caroline are headed off for their honeymoon this week. That means I’ll be at the gym covering Coach T’s normal sessions and I am looking forward to spending more time on the floor coaching and catching up with those of you who I don’t see regularly. Clementine is excited to catch up with you, too.

See you soon!

PS

6am session cancelled today due to the snow, opening at 7:30am!

Justin Miner

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Friday tHoughts 64

Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share half formed blog ideas and some of my favorite videos I saw on Instagram recently. Enjoy!

I’ve always liked listening to podcasts and books. The first audiobook I ever listened to was the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson while I was commuting to finish out my college credits. Back then you had to download a book on a computer and transfer it over to an iPod. That book had a big impact on me, and is the reason we have a pirate flag in the gym. This past year, I have been listening to and reading the same book.

I forget exactly how it came about, but in early 2024 I was reading the Expanse series by James S.A. Corey and had a road trip coming up that I would be solo on, so I got the book I was currently reading on Audible, and listened to it on the road trip. This let me listen to a chapter or two while driving, and then pick back up when reading later. It isn’t always feasible, to get both the book and audiobook, but I will when I can. It helps me stay engaged in a book and I love it.

This clip talks about some of the interesting benefits of listening to books be read aloud.

This clip makes me sad, and unfortunately, it’s a reminder that no matter how perfectly you do something, shit happens. Lauren knows all the right ACL prevention; does all the warming up, cooling down, strength work, plyometrics, recovery, etc. You can still take a funny step and tear right through the ACL and become another non-contact ACL statistic though. Best of luck on your rehab Lauren.

Some January James Clear Inspiration.

This was an interesting take on stability from the internet’s favorite Olympian.

Pie January…

Thanks for reading, until next time!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Which is more impressive?

I’ve mentioned a couple times in the past two weeks that I wanted to hit 10k steps more consistently this year inspired by my wife Hannah’s 230+ day streak she has going.

Well, it’s a lot harder than I expected. I’ve only hit 10k about 50% of the time, so my streak is non-existent.

I did, however, realize last week that I took 3.7 millions steps in 2024, for a daily average of 10,109.

That got me thinking. What’s more impressive? The consistency of Hannah’s streak? Or does the consistency not matter because we got the same result?

Personally, I feel like I cheated my way to that daily average, because there were a lot of days that I only got 5 thousand steps (or less), but there were some outliers to make up for it. I got 20-30k, or even on one occasion over 100k.

Either way, they’re both impressive and show a commitment to moving and getting your steps in, but I just can help but think Hannah’s is more impressive due to the every single day consistency, whereas mine ebbed and flowed throughout the year.

Let me know what you think. What’s more important? Consistency, or is just getting the result just as impressive?

If you need to know where I’m at on this, take a look at our core values; be consistent not heroic: consistency and moderation over intensity.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Do This to get Stronger

If you’re doing your program at GAIN and stuff is starting to feel hard, or maybe harder than it should or usually does, there is one simple thing you can do to get more out of your workouts, strength and fitness.

Rest more.

When people see 4 rounds, or 5 rounds, they think, I need to complete these rounds quickly without any rest - and there is a time and a place for that. If we’re trying to get stronger though, a 90-second break can make the difference on a heavier weight feeling too hard or just right. As you work through the rounds, you accumulate fatigue. Your muscles get tired, your heart rate increases, blood is pumping to where it needs to go. Eventually things will feel harder than they should and your form could get sloppy.

Slow down!

Taking a minute, or two, or even sometimes up to 3 minutes is completely appropriate, especially for the big compound lifts typically completed at the start of the workout. Movements like squats, bench press, deadlifts, strict press, db snatch and the like.

To be clear, I’m not advocating for you to rest all the time. There’s a time and place to move quickly without rest, and there’s a time to slow down and let the body recover. If your main goal is to gain strength, slow down, rest a little more between rounds and you’ll be surprised at how much more weight you can add to the bar.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Movement Patterns

The fundamental movement patterns are a collection of shapes and positions that our bodies can make.

When creating a training program I use these fundamental movement patterns to guide exercise selection.

As a general framework I aim for clients to hit each movement pattern every workout. This ensures we’re exposing our bodies to the right ranges of motion and properly working all the muscles.

The movement patterns make it easy to individualize training plans. We can work around an injury or customize for a specific goal.

  • Pressing aggravates your shoulder? Let’s dial that knob back, maybe once per week is enough with the right variation, or maybe we cut it all together for a period of time.

  • Lunges bug your knee? We can work on more hip dominant single leg movements instead, and revisit quad dominant movements in a month or two.

  • Want a big bench press? We can turn up the volume and press more frequently.

Keep in mind, these are not exercises in and of themselves, but classifications of movements, and specific exercises are derived from these patterns and shapes.

Fundamental Movement Patterns:

  • Squat

  • Hinge

  • Push (horizontal / vertical)

  • Pull (horizontal / vertical)

  • Single Leg (hip dominant / knee dominant)

  • Core/Carry/Locomotion/Throw

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Write It down

Still riding the New Year’s high and chasing down your goals as motivated as possible? Or has your enthusiasm wained as January ticks by?

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you probably do have some goals or habits you’re trying to work on, and the tricky thing about motivation is that it just doesn’t last. If you’re chasing a goal, challenge or new habit and you feel it starting to slip away, I have some advice for you.

Write it down.

That’s it. In a notebook, on a post-it, a napkin or the notes app on your phone. It doesn’t matter. Although, using a pen and paper does seems to pack more of a punch. Write it everyday if you need to.

13 days into the year, keep going strong!

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Friday Thoughts 63

Greetings! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share half-formed blog ideas and some of my favorite things I saw on Instagram recently. Hope your 2025 has been off to a good start. Enjoy!

  • I will do a By The Numbers: 2024 for all things exercise and Garmin tracking related, but for now let’s talk steps. I took 3,761,103 steps in 2024. That was 381,000 more steps than I took in 2023, which is pretty crazy considering it’s like a full month of steps. Daily average was 10,212. I attribute this to one thing and one thing only, running. I ran 3x as much in 2024 as I did in 2023.

  • Cost of getting lean. This is a classic article from the people at Precision Nutrition and it compares the cost of getting lean, or having visible abs, with the lifestyle choices you’ll have to make. I think it’s an eye opener for many and enjoyed Juliette Starrett’s look at it.

  • If you want to get fitness information from the internet, get it from Jordan.

  • Catch me, Elliot and Nolan doing this in the summer.

  • Loved these dinner ideas from Meg Squats.

That’s all for now, see you next time.

Justin Miner

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

10k Swings Review

In December I set out, and failed, to complete ten thousand kettlebell swings. The challenge was created by strength coach Dan John, and consists of completing 20-500 swing workouts throughout the month. The problem with those workouts is they would take 60-90 minutes to complete, and I usually don’t have that much time. Instead, I wanted to sneak in swings whenever I could, instead of them having to be in a formal workout. I would use the 53-pound kettlebell for most of my swings, until the last few days, but more on that later.

The first week had a great start. I was motivated, had other people doing it with me and felt like I could do a million swings. Then after the first week, I tallied up 2200 swings and felt drastically behind (even though I wasn’t), the enormity of 10,000 swings became clear. I had the idea that I would train as normal, plus do kettlebell swings throughout the day and during my workout. The second week I found that wasn’t going to work. I could not complete 500 swings in less than 30 minutes so I felt like I was battling the clock. Adding anything else to the workout would only slow down the swings. I ended the second week with 4700 swings and three 0 days.

The third week I needed to add some other things in, my body was craving it. So I did a bike and swing workout and a couple of swings and push up workouts. I took two 0 days this week and all in all was feeling good and really noticing some adaptations from the 6500 swings. My swing felt tighter, breathing better and they felt less taxing on my body. However, in practice that didn’t hold up. The following week, on Christmas Eve, I was doing swings on the minute and my left forearm got all nervy and weird. I couldn’t grip the kettlebell.

I took the next day off and on the following day after completing 100 swings my forearm was cranky again, and this time my hip joined the party too. I called it a day and had my lowest total day for the month. Two more 0 days and I was back to swinging, this time with a 44 pound kettlebell to see if that helps my arm out at all. It did, but I tried running and swinging while sick and this workout put me down and out for the rest of the day. This was the day, 26 or 27 days into the 30-day challenge that I thought I may not finish. I was running myself into the ground and getting a cold wasn’t helping the cause. The next day I do a measly 100 swings and end the week at 7800.

Monday the 30th, two days left, I plan on an epic day. I do 700 all with the 20 kilo bell. Wasn’t bad. The next day, final day of the challenge, I have 1500 swings left. In perhaps the hardest swing workout I did, I did EMOM 45 - 20 swings for a total of 900. I went about the rest of my day thinking I had 500 left but it was 600. When I retailed and realized I was 100 off, it took all the wind out of my sails, not to mention 900 swings is absurd.

After putting the kids down for bed and went a grabbed the kettlebell and decided, I’m done. I got what I set out for, accumulate a crazy amount of swings in a short period of time. I’m bummed and a bit disappointed that I missed the mark. Robert, who completed the challenge, gave me a push to finish out my final 600, and I had the intentions to, but I just couldn’t muster up what I needed to swing again. I was over it. I am feeling inspired though, the monotony of all the swings put me in a conditioning mood and I’ll take advantage of the motivation.

All in all, my swings improved drastically and this was a fun and rewarding challenge, though I’m not sure I’ll be rushing to take it on again any time soon.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Gather Basket

We’re still collecting personal hygiene items for Gather.

We were late getting our basket set up this year and started right before Christmas, rather than the beginning of December (would have just been more stuff for us to move for the party). We are going to collect through the end of next week (Jan 17).

Things like shampoo, soap, tampons, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, deodorant, tooth paste.

Stop by the store to grab something for the basket the next time you’re headed to the gym!

Thank you!

Justin Miner

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Tough Start

As you may know, my wife Hannah has a 10k step streak going. She’s close to 220 days in a row. It’s been inspiring seeing her walk everyday and stay committed to her goal. Well, this isn’t a story about her success, it’s about my failure and what I’ll do with it.

As we were closing down 2024, I was thinking about what I want to do in the next year, and I couldn’t get over how impressive Hannah’s streak is, so I said to her, maybe I’ll get 10k steps everyday in 2025 to try and keep up with you.

January 1 rolls around and I head out for a 3 mile run and easily hit the steps. I had a hectic day on January 2. Lots of errands to run, work to do, and before I know it, I’m headed to bed with 7000 steps. The same thing happens the next day.

I made it a one day streak…. Might as well wait till next year to start fresh!

That was my mindset around habits for a long time. They needed to be executed perfectly or I’ll just try again another time. I’ve learned that nothing ever goes perfectly, and the most impressive thing about a streak is when you start back up after faltering.

My should be 6 day streak is only a 3 day streak. Not a big deal.

I’ll continue on as planned and see where it goes. After missing a couple days so early in the year, I’m nervous of the year long commitment because I better understand how easily it can slip away. For now, I’ll focus on the day ahead of me and not worry about the grandeur of the challenge.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

First Week - Back to Basics

I know it’s already been 2025 for sometime now, but today feels like it’s really getting started with our first full week of the year.

If you have some awesome new goals and habits you’re taking on in the new year, congrats, I’m excited for you.

With all the excitement around the new year, we can often feel pressure to start a new habit or challenge just because, and that usually leads to burn out. What I’m doing this week is getting back to basics and making sure I have my old habits nailed down before focusing on adding more to my plate. I’m talking super basic.

Getting in bed by 9pm, drinking some water in the morning (and not surviving off just coffee), planning and prepping breakfast and lunch, and getting my calendar organized are my priorities this week.

New goals and habits are awesome, but also make sure you have your basics squared away too.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Friday Thoughts 62

My brain isn’t sure it’s Friday, but it is according to the calendar. Welcome to the first edition of Friday Thoughts in the New Year. I hope your 2025 has been off to a great start so far. Enjoy!

Short people AirBike hack:

This is a clever solution.

Running Warm Up?

This is some fine stroller running. Great form.

We’ve tried this in our house, no way you’re getting to a 15 block stack with Nolan around.

Whoa…

Lastly, some habits/goals/resolution stuff to think about from my favorite, James Clear (via Peter Attia’s Instagram account).

Make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying.

Happy Friday everyone, see you in the gym!

Justin Miner

Read More
Justin Miner Justin Miner

Happy New Year!

2025 is here and the blog is back!

I had a great time hanging with the family over the holiday break, but I’m eager to get back into the gym and into my normal routine.

If you’ve known me for a while you probably think I’m a New Year’s resolution hater. I’m all for big goals, I’ve just witnessed too much resolution big talk with little or fading action. I actually like the idea of the fresh start. What things can we change or adjust to make better this year? I also like reflecting back on the year. How many miles did I run? How many workouts did I do? Can I plan another family vacation for the summer? What did I do well? What didn’t work? What do I want to try this year?

They’re all good chances to bring in the year right. Whether you have a big list of goals, a few small habits to change or are using this time as a chance for reflection, I wish you all the best heading into 2025!

Justin Miner

Read More