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.
Friday Thoughts 61
Greetings! Happy Holidays. Welcome to the 255th blog of the year, and also, the last blog of the year. I do enjoy writing the blog, especially these Friday posts, but I’m looking forward to 10 or so days away from it ready to come charging out of the gate in January.
New Year, New Me?
If you don’t have any big, drastic, life-altering goals set up for the new year, or any new habits you want to develop - that’s okay. I’m at war with half-assed goals and would venture to say that not having one is better than some non-specific, hard to define wish. If you are eager to make change in the new year, please, start small. Tiny changes that don’t seem like much, that seem too easy, are the ones you’ll be able to stick with for the long haul. Don’t ‘burn out’ from your goals after a few weeks. Set it up to be manageable.
Other Notable 200 Day Streaks
I’m one of the most impressive habits I’ve seen pulled off this year, my wife Hannah just hit her 201st day in a row of 10k steps. I asked her how long she plans to continue and she said forever. For the most part, she rolls out of bed and gets straight on the treadmill for a 30 minute walk before running or lifting in the garage. There’s been some days she gets an extra walk in at night to hit the number, or a couple of crazy travel days involving overnight flights and time zone changes. Which, funny enough, at the GAIN party when I overheard Hannah telling Taylor her account of getting her steps in that day he replied, isn’t that kind of missing the point?
Their conversation has sparked a lot of discussion between Hannah and I over the past couple weeks.
I see Taylor’s perspective. The point of a steps goal is to have something to strive for and encourage you to move more and make it a natural part of your day to be exposed to more movement and more walking. While I get Taylor’s point that it could be seen as unnecessary or over-the-top to take a late night walk (early in the morning at home) after an international flight. To Hannah’s point, that’s the exact reason she’s doing it. Nothing can unwind 12 hours of travel like a nice walk, and if keeping the steak going encourages you to do it, I think it’s good.
KB Swings Update
The kettlebell swing challenge continues on. On Day 19, I’m averaging 295 swings per day with 5600 total 95% with the 24kg kettlebell, some lighter if I need to warm up or some heavier with the 32kg. I’ve taken more 0 days than I expected but that seems to be helpful to get a big day in. The most I have done in a day so far was 800. That was spread out throughout the day plus a workout of push ups and swings that accumulated 400. It takes about 5 minutes to do 100 no matter which way you slice it. It’s more time consuming that I expected and I thought sneaking in sets of 25 throughout the day would add up more, but it’s really only worth it when you can bang out 100 at a time, so I try to work within 5 or 10 or 20 minute chunks to get some work done. Technique feels great, and well-connected to the ground. Initially my forearms were a bit stiff and I’ve been trying to stretch my wrists more. I’m looking forward to moving on to something else, but in the meantime I’m going to keep chipping away at these swings, and hopefully log a couple of big days (1000+) over the holidays. I’ll keep my kettlebell roasting by the wood stove.
Holiday Hours Reminder
CLOSED: 24-25-26-31-1
Until next year!
Justin Miner
Must Watch
This podcast with Andrew Huberman and Kelly Starrett is a gold mine of information about health span, lifestyle, movement, fascia, training, the pelvic floor and breathing amongst many other topics as well. It’s loaded with discussion that will make you think and actionable items you can start implementing in your life.
It’s a long one, so buckle up.
Enjoy!
Justin Miner
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
running by the numbers 2024
Like many of the apps we use these days, Strava has an end of year wrap up that shows how many miles you ran, vertical gain, time spent training, etc. I want to share this with you today because I had a bit of a comeback to running this year, and I was surprised to see my miles compared to the past few years. If you get anything out of this, I hope it’s that you realize playing the long game is key. If I run for the rest of my life, a couple of down years will just be a blip.
To paint the picture, let’s go all the way back to 2019, what I would consider my ‘peak’ running year where I logged the most miles and felt very fit.
(btw, this is chump change for big milage people)
In 2020 I start my slow decline. I ran a couple big epic runs like a Hut Traverse, but it seems stressful now.
2021 - We have a baby at home and running is hard to prioritize but I still get out there.
2022 - we have a two year old, another baby on the way, running takes a back seat. I had a hard time getting excited about running at all this year and remember that clearly.
2023, my low point of running. I hated running this year, and couldn’t get myself to enjoy it at all. I ran only once race.
Whenever I would get out on a run I would feel guilty… I should be with the kids, or mowing the lawn or calling this person back… These thoughts had been building for a couple years and reached the breaking point this year - I was no longer having fun.
After the 50k in August I decided it was time for a long break from running. I took some time to chill and the hired a weightlifting coach in November, and would spend 6 months training specifically for the sport of weightlifting thinking my running days are behind me because it just wasn’t fun anymore - it was stressful. And of course it was stressful, in 5 years I went from 200+ hours of running to only 60. The drop off was noticeable and it felt like I wasn’t being productive for any of it to even matter.
My 2024 running season started in February, though I didn’t get out for my first run until April. I was in full on weightlifting mode, gaining weight and training hard in a new rhythm now with a coach telling me what to do for a new sport.
When the Mount Washington Road Race lottery opened up, I couldn’t resist. I threw my name in for the 8th year and finally got picked!
I was stressed. I was coming off my ‘worst’ year of running and now I hadn't even run in months and Mount Washington was just 7 weeks after the weightlifting meet! But I had to do it, it’s a classic race and it’s been on my list for a while so I accepted my registration and forgot about running until after the weightlifting meet.
Getting into that race sparked something in me. I ran 7 races this past summer, more than I ever have. I had fun too, and really enjoyed it for the first time in years.
Having to ‘cram for the test,’ and get ready to charge up Mount Washington was a novel problem to solve - how can I get ready to run this very quickly with just several weeks of training? That combined with the Hannah taking on her longest trail run ever, 20-miles, was the spark I needed to be reinvigorated for the summer.
Here are the races:
Bow Lake 15k
Market Square Day 10k
Mount Washington Road Race
MMD Franconia Notch
Wasatch pacing
Great Bay 5k
Stone Cat 50 Miler (DNF, ran 25)
Here are some other numbers from the 2024 running season:
Longest run: 45 miles at Wasatch Front
Longest streak: 44 days (July 1-Aug 12)
Most active day of the week: Thursday
Most active time: 2-3pm
Average activity duration: 40 minutes
Total active days 140 - 73% increase from 2023
Total run time: 150 hours - 107% increase from 2024
Currently, I’m on a break from running. My goals for 2025 are fluctuating as I decide what to do. The break has been since early November, when I DNF the 50-miler. That result definitely changed my outlook on the 2025 season, but nonetheless I’m feeling the itch to get out there sooner than before.
Above: finish line on top of the Rock Pile.
Below: me and Noli finishing a stroller run at the Great Bay 5k and Market Square Day 10k.
The point, as I mentioned above, is to dive into these numbers because it’s fun to look back and reflect. Also though, I want to prove a point that just because you have a bad day or week or year(s) it isn’t over. We need to focus on playing the long game if we want to live healthy and fulfilling lives and part of that is the peaks and valleys of your training life cycle.
Take some time today to reflect back on your 2024 training. How did it go? What trends can you spot? How can you adjust heading into 2025?
Thanks for reading.
Justin Miner
GAIN for Gather
During the 2018 holiday season we started collecting items for our West Road neighbors, Gather. We’re continuing the collection this year, and as in year’s past, we’ll be focusing on personal hygiene items. Something they are often in need of, but these items are not as commonly donated. Things like soap, shampoo, diapers, paper towels, laundry detergent, and the like. See photo below for more inspiration.
There’s a basket near the garage door, and we’ll be collecting items till mid January.
Thank you!
Justin Miner
Holiday Hours 2024
Here’s the schedule for the holiday season.
Monday 12/23 - open regular hours
CLOSED: Tues 12/24-Wed 12/25-Thur 12/26
Friday 12/27 - open regular hours (PM classes TBD)
Monday 12/30 - open regular hours
CLOSED: Tuesday 12/31-Wednesday 1/1
Thursday 1/2 - normal hours resume
Happy Holidays!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Friday Thoughts 60
Welcome to Friday thoughts, where I share random ideas, half-formed blog posts and my favorite things I saw on the internet this week. Enjoy!
Does coffee or caffeinated drinks dehydrate you? The research says no, but every person in the world will rush forward to tell you otherwise. I’m not suggesting only drinking coffee from now on, though maybe I should. Instead, just be careful of things that everyone repeats without knowing more details behind it. Two or three cups of coffee isn’t going to ruin your hydration status. Enjoy it.
Flashback! Here’s GAIN’s post of the day from 7 years ago. Inverted row, or as we call them now, ring row tips. Ring rows can get written off as an easy exercise and many people just kind of go through the motions on them. Being aware of the coaching points below and making sure to walk your feet far enough forward will assure a challenging movement for anyone.
Crazy 8 year old skills.
Everything that’s wrong with internet fitness. This guy is controversial in the training world because he has beliefs like squats and deadlifts are bad for you because they’re too dangerous, but has people doing things like a trapbar snatch, which in my opinion, is way less safe than simply picking something off the ground. Not to mention there are 15 other options to train that movement pattern without having to get inside of a trapbar to do it. Maybe he knows best since he’s a doctor.
NCAA Cross-Country Championships
That’s all for this week, thanks for reading along. Until next time!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
10k Swing Challenge
There’s this slightly crazy workout challenge created by renowned coach, Dan John. It involves doing 10,000 kettlebell swings over the course of a month, typically in 20, five hundred swing sessions, or spread out however you like. I’ve been having a hard figuring out direction I want to take my training and as I reflected over the past two years, I realized something. Anytime that I was stoked about training and enjoying it, I was very focused with one singular task. Focusing on one thing prevents training procrastination. It eliminates decisions and lets me get some work done.
I needed a challenge to end the year strong with. I had heard of Dan John’s 10,000 swing challenge before and had been spending time swinging big, heavier kettlebells for lower reps. On December 1, I decided I should give it a go. I asked Robert from the noon crew to join me and he didn’t even hesitate when he said yes.
It averages out to 322 swings per day for the month. I’ve been getting swings done in-between things at the gym or banging out sets of 25 paired with a different movements like pull ups, push ups or dips. Typically my workout is 20-25 minutes long for 400-500 swings, plus 10 more minutes throughout the day for another 100-200.
Soreness hasn’t been too bad. My hips are starting to feel stiff and in the early days my forearms were sore. The worst of the seems past for now anyway. I’ve been working on my hips more as the days progress and I feel tight. I was expecting my hamstrings to be stiffer, but so far they’re taking the workload well.
As of this morning I’m on track, or not falling too far behind, with 3500 swings. I’m not sure what the plan will be today yet, but I may try to make it to 4000.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Tolerable Middle
I was a young coach a seminar and the speaker was telling us whenever you’re unsure of how you’re doing as a coach, pretend there’s another coach looking through the window and judging your session. How would they grade you? Would they be able to tell you know what you’re doing? How would they rate your clients’ form?
This stuck with me for a while, and I still sometimes reflect on it, but one thing has changed - I learned that a good coaches let not-so-perfect reps go. They are a necessary part of the learning process and over cueing and correcting to achieve perfect reps isn’t the best use of time and often leads to frustration.
What we’re looking for when teaching someone a new movement or skill in the gym is the tolerable middle. That space between the perfect repetition and not good enough. That’s where you’ll make the most progress too. If you’re able to make every single rep of each and every movement perfect - it’s not challenging enough. That tolerable middle is a nice indicator that you’re working at the right effort.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Three Types of Workouts
I was digging through articles by one of my favorite strength coaches, the inventor of the goblet squat, none other than Dan John. I’m currently doing a kettlebell swing challenge of his own creation and was looking on his website for some reports of this challenge when I stumbled across a clip of Dan John talking about types of workouts he expects to have. These aren’t his favorite back squat or bench press or pull up workouts either. Neither are they his favorite set and rep schemes. Instead, we’re talking about how the workouts feel subjectively during and afterwards.
One out of five is pretty good, things go smoothly, no complaints.
Thee out of five are check the box - get in, get out, nothing magical but you got the work done even if you had to go through the motions or lacked motivation.
One out of five are trash. Tired, something feels off, don’t want to be there, everything feels heavy.
It was a nice reminder that each and every session in the gym isn’t going to be heroic. Most of them are going to be blah, some will be bad and some will be good. They all keep you moving in the right direction and they’re all a normal part of training at the gym.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Thank You!
On Saturday we had an epic night of celebrating all things GAIN.
I wanted to say thank you to everyone who came by the gym and had fun. I’m sure everyone has heard the story now, but if you haven’t, we scrambled to pull this off after losing our party venue with short notice. I couldn't be happier with how it all turned out, and while it created a lot of extra work for me and the guys, it was worth it.
Send me your party pics!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Friday Thoughts 59
Welcome to Friday Thoughts, where I share some of my favorite things I saw on the internet recently.
This is crazy.
The dedication to do this is very impressive.
This video has some good visuals for good rowing mechanics.
Stick the landing!
That is a freakishly fast.
There are a lot of things I love about these jumps, the upright torso, the springiness, his lack of shoes and look how his knees go over his toes! The most impressive things is how quickly he gets off the ground. Another way to describe this is the amortization phase. This is the transition between the eccentric and concentric phases of an exercise, where the body transfers absorbed energy into new power. On these jumps, this happens very quickly and in really good positions. Very impressive movement!
That’s all for now, see you at the party!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Party!
I’m excited for the long-awaited and long-overdue GAIN party on Saturday night.
Here are some quick reference details and final reminders for you.
Where: GAIN
When: 5-9pm
What: Gym friends, good times, food and drinks
Who: Members, friends and family of the gym
PARKING:
Please park in the lot in the front of the building and use either side of the building to walk around, there are lights on both sides but the footing is better on the pavement. If that lot is full you can park along West Road.
If a long walk in the dark sounds daunting to you, our typical spots are reserved for you. Park out back like your normally would - pull in spots or on the gravel out of the way of the trucks and our neighbor’s loading docks.
Looking forward to it. See you there!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
November By The Numbers
Welcome to the 14th edition of By the Numbers, where I look back and analyze passive data I collect over the month to try and make changes for the next month. Let’s get into it.
Steps: 273,434 total steps or 9115 per day average
Honestly, higher than I imagined. I ran only once the entire month, and even took a full week off. As always, I’m trying to get my steps in. While I won’t hit peak steps like I did this past summer, I’ll strive to keep that average up over the winter months.
Sleep: Average Duration: 7 hours 12 minutes, average sleep score: 79
The sleep average has been declining. What’s more telling than anything here is the new watch. The new watch is more sensitive to tossing and turning in the night, and when I actually fall asleep. Nevertheless, it still wasn’t enough sleep. I’m trying to be aware of my caffeine intake, and going to bed before I want to, otherwise I tend to fall asleep on the couch.
Workouts: 18
November is always a transition month for me. Summer running is over and it’s a nice time to take a break from training and shift gears. After my 50-mile race attempt, I dropped out halfway through, I haven’t been on a run since, and that’s a good thing. I got very focused this summer on getting quality running in and it’s hard to keep that motivation high. This past month I took some days off after the race, and did a lot of pull ups, push ups, rowing and kettlebell swings. It’s been nice to shake it up and my body is feeling good.
As always, I hope this inspires you to look back at your previous month and see what trends or habits you can spot. Make a plan and some small tweaks headed into this month and see where it takes you.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Low Barrier to Entry Workouts
Whenever I’m in a workout slump I use low barrier to entry workouts to get back in the game.
The opposite of a low barrier to entry workout would be something like a heavy back squat, deadlift, or a tough conditioning workout that requires ample warm up and mental fortitude.
Here are my requirements for a low barrier to entry workout:
I don’t have to change. I only wear gym clothes but believe it or not I have training and coaching gym clothes. An easy workout in coaching clothes is acceptable, but a hard workout is a no go.
No warm up. A low barrier to entry workout allows me to get straight into it with fussing about how to get properly warmed up. No movements that are that complex, (too) heavy or require much coordination.
Don’t have to change afterwards. If I get too sweaty I’m going to have to have to change. In order for it to be a low barrier to entry workout, I’m not changing afterwards.
Feel better afterwards. A good low barrier to entry workout ends like this, “That was good, I feel good, why have I been skipping so many workouts?”
Here was a low barrier to entry workout that got me back on track last recently:
EMOM 15
1 chin up + 2 kb swings + 3 ring push ups
Only 3 push ups! I know! So low barrier to entry.
The point is this; sometimes the changing, driving, eating, working, socializing and parenting stuff gets in the way of you working out. It gets complicated when you remember that working out makes all of those things better.
Big heroic workouts are cool, but small, simple and effective workouts are just as cool, and still move your fitness needle in the right direction.
As we head into the holidays, remember this concept of a low barrier to entry workout, some kettlebell swings, bodyweight squats or even a walk could be just what your body needs.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
This is Hard
It’s hard to make yourself go to the gym few times a week. You have to do it when you have no energy, no motivation, when it's freezing cold or extremely hot. You have to wake up early or come in after a long day at work.
It’s easy to get down on yourself when you aren’t making it in as much as you’d like or your progress is crawling. Today, I want to remind you that this is a worthwhile cause.
Pat yourself on the back, and remember that this is a good use of your time and frustration. In fact, being frustrating is probably a good thing, it means you’re striving to do better.
This isn’t a hall pass to skip workouts, instead this is a reminder that hard things are worth doing. Keep it up!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Write Your Own Thanksgiving Workout
An EMOM, or Every Minute On the Minute workout is one of my favorite ways to get a training session in. They’re low-barrier to entry, you don’t need to change in workout specific gear, do a complicated warm up routine, or anything of the like. Instead, pick 3-4 movements and complete them in a circuit for 20 minutes.
Movement 1: squat - pick any number of repetitions for your squat. It can be a box squat, bodyweight squat, or goblet squat if you have some weights kicking around. 5-10 is plenty for most people.
Movement 2: plank variation - any plank you want, high or low or to the side. Use your breath to time this, and aim for 5-8 big, deep breaths while holding the plank.
Movement 3: Single leg variation, 10-16 total reps. Reverse lunge, forward lunge, lateral lunge, lateral squat, cross-behind reverse lunge, split squat. Stretch those hips and get some single leg work in.
Moment 4: Player’s choice - this could be a rest block, stretch, or additional movement. Something like a kettlebell swing, push ups, hip switches, or even breathing.
During this EMOM, each movement will get its own minute. Starting the clock at 0:00, complete movement 1, wait until 1:00 to complete movement 2, 2:00 for movement 3 and so on. If you complete 5 rounds or 20 minutes, your last movement 4 will be on 19:00.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Thanksgiving Health & Fitness Guide 2024
Consider this your Health and Fitness Thanksgiving guide. Use these concepts to introduce discussion around health and fitness with family and friends. Some of these make a good on the spot test for any hot shot relatives who think they’re fit (even though they don’t train).
Sit and Rise Test:
The Sit/Rise test challenges balance, coordination, mobility and strength. If you get down and up without using your hands, you get 10 points. Minus one point for each time you use a knee, hand, or forearm to lean on. No hands is the only way to get a perfect score.
Grip Strength:
Wow your relatives with this fact: grip strength, much like the Sit/Rise Test, is an excellent predictor of overall health. In fact, grip strength is inversely associated with all-cause mortality. This is because grip strength is a pretty good indicator of total body strength. While you might not have a hand dynamometer at the ready, opening a jar or the ability to hang from a bar is a good starting place.
Walk:
All the benefits from walking more show up around 7000 steps per day (even though we’re infatuated with getting 10k). Take your relatives on a 6000 step walk, or about 3 miles. Daily walkers seem to be super human, and it’s because of all their extra outside movement they’re getting. Cardio, mobility, stamina, good vibes from the outside - walking has it all.
Better yet, test and compare your VO2 Max with the Rockport Walk Test.
Breath Hold:
What we’ve been calling the Big Breath Drill is a great way to introduce someone to focused breathing. Improved breathing can lead to better posture, less stress and improved performance.
Take big inhales through your nose for about 90 seconds - 2 minutes
Exhale lightly through your mouth or nose
At the end of the time period, exhale all your air and hold
When your desire to breath comes, start again on a big inhale
Repeat 2-3 rounds
A minute breath hold is good here, and will be easy on the second round. Can anyone get 90 seconds?
The big breath drill will improve breathing mechanics, without even having to talk about the diaphragm, the Bohr Effect, CO2 or the like. It will leave them feeling energized and and not bored from talking about CO2 tolerance.
Box Squat:
The number one movement people need to learn to get into strength training is the box squat. It’s just sitting down on something and standing up. Teach your grandparents how to squat using a chair or coffee table and they’ll be grateful the next time they get out of a car or a low couch. Find some coaching points in the video below.
There you have it, your 2024 Thanksgiving Health and Fitness Guide, enjoy!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Thanksgiving Hours
Greetings, happy Monday!
As a reminder, here are our Thanksgiving hours:
CLOSED Thursday 11/28 + Friday 11/29
My biggest suggestion to you on the holiday is to get some movement in. Whether you’re turkey trotting, or just rounding up your crew for a post-meal walk, get outside and get some movement in!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
Friday Thoughts 58
Greetings, welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts.
RIP Mark:
Long time GAIN member and well-known Portsmouth resident passed away earlier this week. Mark always worked hard, was a real trooper and a pleasure to know.
Thanksgiving:
The gym will be closed on Thursday and Friday next week for Thanksgiving. Enjoy some time away from the gym!
Stats:
On one hand, I love everything about this post. Go strength train, it provides incredible benefits for you. At the same time though, this post is the epitome of the issue with online fitness and using our beloved Instagram as an educational source - where did those numbers come from? What were the methods of the study or studies? I think we have a problem with using statistics without really know what the numbers backing up our statements are meaning. Anyway, love to see the benefits of lifting, and to be clear, I agree that it helps do those things. I’m just skeptical of anything showing off numbers like they’re stone cold facts, when we don’t really know anything about where they came from.
Hybrid:
I have a vendetta against hybrid athletes, even though I guess I am one. Truly I just have an issue with the phrase, you mean someone who can run and lift? It isn’t that revolutionary. Regardless, this was an impressive challenge.
James Clear with some things to ponder…
Going to have a busy weekend:
Until next time!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
How to get Started
Potential members at GAIN start with a 3-session trial. This serves as an opportunity to meet the coaches and see how we do things at GAIN. Our individualized, feels like a group, but isn’t actually a group, vibe is different, and unlike any other gym you’ve been to.
On the first session, you’ll work closely with a coach doing our Intro Workout. This gives us an opportunity to go over some finer details like bracing and breathing and seeing how much range of motion and stability your body has. We talk about injuries, training history and what you want to get out of your gym time.
Regardless of your fitness level and experience, we want you leaving the gym after that first session feeling as though you could have done more. Our saying is, we can write hard workouts, but don’t need to prove that one day 1. We want you to build a new habit you can stick with, easing in is key.
You’ll learn some new movements and lingo, and it can be a bit overwhelming. Just know that we’re aware of this, and try to take it slow and not overload you with gym jargon. On the first day we primarily focus on learning and breaking down the squat pattern, body weight upper body movements, the push up and ring row and some of our core training drills.
By the second workout, we’re ready to introduce some more movements and will do some conditioning (cardio) and get introduced to some of our favorite cool-down mobility drills. This workout focuses on pressing and pulling with the upper body, along with some single leg movements.
On the last workout of the trial, you’re learning and working on the hinge pattern. This can be a tricky one, but is important for everyone to learn. We revisit some movements from the previous two workouts here if needed. This will feel like a bigger workout for most, because we usually give you more to do on the third day as your body is starting to adapt to some new movements.
All in all, the 3-Session Trial is a crash course in all things GAIN. Learn our favorite exercises, get your movement broken down by an experienced coach and learn how to move better, feel more connected and get a plan that unique to what you need and want to accomplish. GET INVOLVED.
Justin Miner
@justinminergain