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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 120
Greetings! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share what’s been on my mind throughout the week. Enjoy!
4 for 4
On the Monday blog I said I was going to train everyday this week. I nearly messed up Monday. The plan was for a quick lift when I got to the gym in the morning. I got sided tracked doing work things, which happens when you work where you workout.
I ended up doing a few rounds of pull ups and strict presses—my go to when I need a low barrier-to-entry workout.
On Tuesday conditions were prime for a snow run with Clem.
Wednesday I deadlifts, half kneeling angled bar press, push ups and split squats.
Thursday, Taylor and I did an AirBike workout together: 5×1 mile - start every 5 minutes. That was a doozy.
Next up, the 26.2 Open Workout.
Prev Main
Hopefully you’ve had a chance to meet one of our newest members, Ariel. She owns a massage and facial stretch therapy studio here in Portsmouth called Preventative Maintenance. If you know me, you know I love the concept of preventative maintenance on your body. I did a facial stretch session this week and thought it was awesome.
Check out Prev Main if you need a massage, or want to see what the fascial stretch session is all about.
Also, details coming soon: Ariel is going to led some recovery-focused weekend classes here-with a chance to try out the fascial stretch therapy!
Scientist Don’t Want You to Know!
I found this to be well done. I completely agree with the pronunciation of foods, “I can say gasoline and bleach, but not Worcestershire Sauce.” The only thing I disagree with here is the grocery store filming being a yellow flag. No way. It’s a full on red flag.
Secret Running Snack
This is actually my top-secret ultra running fuel.
Seriously though, Barrington’s own, Calef’s Country Store, has a similar menu item called the Cleve and it’s really good. I tried it soon after we moved here and then started making my own running version (swapping out the hot pepper jam for regular jelly).
Packs a lot of calories for long mountain days.
Paraolympics
Are underway today. Sled hockey is wild!
Thanks for reading, see you in the gym!
—Justin Miner
February By the Numbers
Welcome to this month’s edition of By The Numbers, where I break down data from my watch and training log to reflect on the past month.
Each month, I track a few simple metrics—average sleep, daily steps, and total workouts. I’ve been doing this consistently for over two years, and it’s become one of the most useful tools I have for spotting trends, holding myself accountable, and fine-tuning habits. I highly recommend building a practice like this into your own routine.
Let’s get into it.
STEPS
Total: 252,532
Daily Average: 9,019
Less than January 20206, but more than February 2025. I’ll take it.
Sleep
Average Sleep Score: 80
Average Duration: 6 hours 53 minutes
My sleep score is climbing! I had a great week of sleep on vacation, with averages higher than normal. I’m trying to carrying that sleeping energy into this week, and so far, so good.
Vacation week sleep scores
Workouts
I didn’t have a good guess as to how many workouts I did in February. I took the whole week off during vacation . Before we left I was able to test the waters and do some heavy deadlifts—which felt really good. Much better than expected. My lower back had been a little cranky from wrestling snowmobiles around all winter, and some heavy deadlifts got my confidence back.
Total: 14
Runs: 4
Bike: 6
Lift: 4
FINAL THOUGHTS
Thanks for reading along. As always, I encourage you to build a monthly reflection practice like this into your routine. It’s one of the simplest and most effective ways to keep your health, fitness, and daily habits moving in the right direction over the long haul.
— Justin Miner
Deliberate Practice
We've all heard the saying practice makes perfect. Have you ever thought about how to practice though?
You’ve likely heard of the 10 thousand hour rule; It states that it accumulating many hours your craft'/skill will make you a true master. The type of practice that you accumulate matters though, you can’t just go through the motions. Deliberate practice is the most effective way to carve and hone your skills and abilities.
Deliberate practice requires three criteria:
A clearly defined stretch goal. The task must be clear and challenging to achieve.
Immediate informative feedback. Success or failure in the task must be clear and provide new information.
Repetition. The task must provide an opportunity to alter our effort for a better result.
Deliberate practice methods are found in all top performers routines. It requires focus, intensity, and commitment over time. If you want to improve at something, build some deliberate practice into your routine to fast track your progress.
—Justin Miner
March Challenge
Sled Combine
Speed. Strength. Power.
This month we’re using the 25-foot turf to test three things:
Speed.
Strength.
Power.
We’re going fast.
We’re going heavy.
And we’re going fast and heavy.
After last month’s longer grind, we’re due for a short burst. And there’s nothing better for short bursts than the sled.
Event 1 — Speed Test
How quickly can you cover 25 feet?
We’ll use a standardized load so everyone is pushing the same weight. This lets us see who can move a moderate load the fastest.
Women: 4 plates
Men: 6 plates
Score = Fastest time
Event 2 — Heavy Drive
How heavy can you go?
This one is pure strength with a time cap.
Load the sled as heavy as possible and drive it 25 feet in under 10 seconds. Ten seconds is generous. If it takes longer, it doesn’t count.
Score = Heaviest successful load under 10 seconds
Event 3 — Power Score
Power is strength expressed quickly.
It’s not just about how heavy you can go.
It’s about how heavy you can go and still move it fast.
We’ll calculate a simple Power Score:
Power = (Load × 25) ÷ Time
Example:
Sled load
4 × 45 lb plates + 2 × 70 lb kettlebells = 320 lb
Power Score
(320 × 25) ÷ 4.41 seconds = 1814
For the math sticklers: no, this isn’t peer-reviewed physics data we’re publishing. It’s a clean, simple number that rewards moving heavy loads quickly — and that’s the point.
Score = Highest number wins
GAIN SLED COMBINE — Official Format
1. Speed Test
Fastest 25 ft
Women: 4 plates
Men: 6 plates
Score = fastest time
2. Heavy Drive
Heaviest 25 ft under 10 seconds
Score = heaviest successful load
3. Power Score
Highest calculated power number
Power = (Load × 25) ÷ Time
Score = highest number
Rules
Load = weight added to the sled (25 lb minimum)
Multiple attempts allowed
Three separate scores — one for each event
Timing rounded to two decimal places (X.XX)
Clock starts on first sled movement
Clock stops when sled crosses the black tape finish line
Monday Check In
Happy Monday!
I’m excited to be back in the gym today. We had a great week hanging out in the mountains playing in the snow.
I’m excited to get back into my normal routine today —even though I was gone for a week, Taylor was gone the week before and I’m looking forward to a “regular” week.
My simple goal for the week: workout everyday.
Enjoy!
—Justin Miner
Friday Thoughts 119
Greetings! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, coming to you from Twin Mountain, NH.
SkiING
Over the past 10 winters I have had countless people make their return to skiing after a long hiatus. A lot of the conversations go the same:
Them:” “Hey, I went skiing for the first time in 20 years!'“
Me: “Wow. That’s incredible! How did it go?
Them: “Horrible. Everything hurt and my legs weren’t ready for it.
Me: “But you did it… And you just mentioned you haven’t tried in over 20 years…”
Nothing prepares you for skiing better than doing the thing. The positive aspect I aim to point out is that you were confident enough to try.
Anyway, I got to live this experience.
I hadn’t been snowboarding since 2007, I was a senior in high school.
After spending the morning honing in my skiing skills with Elliot, I strapped on my snowboard and proceeded to be shocked at how much came rushing back to me.
I was nervous the whole way up on the chairlift, because no one wants to fall getting off one of those. And somehow I managed a smooth dismount, and then it all came rushing back. I was strapping my other foot on while standing on, hoping along flat spots and riding like I never had a break. Expect for my legs. Wow they were burning!
All I could think of was that my legs weren’t prepared—and the only thing that could have prepared them? More exposures to snowboarding, not more time in the gym.
That’s all for this week, catch you in the gym on Monday!
—Justin Miner
Add to Subtract
Gyms are good at helping people make changes in their life is because it’s a new thing to add in.
You need to commute to the gym, be there for an hour and commute back to home or work or wherever. You can’t fake it. You have to carve out that time and actually show up.
Health and fitness often emphasizes subtraction. Take diets for example, they often eliminate something that is deemed “bad.” Cut this thing out, stop doing this, no more of this type of food. The restriction and focus on what you can’t do makes compliance difficult.
If you’re having trouble getting to the gym, remember, once you add this habit in, other good habits are going to fall in place and you’ll subtract bad habits with the addition of your new one.
—Justin Miner
Now Hiring
We’re searching for someone to join our small, established coaching team at GAIN Strength & Conditioning.
This role is ideal for a coach or trainer who loves working with people, values long-term development over quick fixes, and wants meaningful responsibility inside a semi-private training environment.
This is a salaried position with consistent hours, autonomy on the floor, opportunities to earn additional income through private training, and real room to grow as a coach.
If you—or someone you know—might be a good fit, reach out to me directly at justin@gainsc.com.
—Justin Miner
Heaviest Ball in the gym
In 2015 I learned something important about the human mind and how we create our own limitations.
Back then we only had two medicine balls at the gym. An 8 pound ball and a 12 pounder.
After a few months the 8 pound ball was looking beat up, but the 12 pounder looked brand new. If someone was waiting for the 8 pound ball, I would suggest they try their medicine ball slams with the 12 pound ball instead.
“No way,” they would reply, “It's the heaviest ball in the gym!”
I bought another 8 pound ball. Soon both of the 8s were wearing down and the 12 pounder was pristine.
This time, when it was time to order some new medicine balls, I bought a 14 and 20 pound ball.
Something funny happened.
Suddenly, the 12 pound ball was no longer the heaviest. People who wouldn't use the 12 started using the 14, since now it wasn't even close to the heaviest medicine ball in the gym.
The same thing happened with the kettlebells. No one would swing a 45 pound kettlebell when it was the heaviest one in here. But, once there were several heavier than that, more and more people started to swing the 45.
We need context for everything. Including figuring out our limitations and comfort zone.
Seeing the heaviest medicine ball in the gym can be intimidating. But it isn't intimidating when it's the second, or third heaviest.
—Justin Miner
Monday Check In
Happy Monday!
The gym is closed today due to the storm.
We’ll be back at it tomorrow.
—Justin Miner
Friday thoughts 117
Greetings! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share what’s been on my mind this week. Let’s get into it.
GAIN SKI DAY
There’s a solid crew planning to hit the slopes at Ragged Mountain tomorrow.
Olympian Speed Skater Home Gym
Honestly wished we got a better view of the gym in the video, but I appreciate high level athletes building their own home gyms nonetheless.
Speed skating training hours
This is one of those classic, I don’t really know the source to this but I saw it on the Internet. Allegedly this speed skater logs 30-35 hours per week of training—which is nuts.
USA Hockey
Hopefully you caught the US Women’s Hockey Team winning gold yesterday afternoon against Canada. The men’s team is playing today at 3:10 against Slovenia—winner gets a trip to the gold medal game.
That’s all for today. I’ll be at the gym all day, see you there!
—Justin Miner
Praise for the Split Squat
I’ve got nothing but good things to say about the split squat.
It’s a versatile exercise that builds stability and strength, gives you a bit of a stretch, and is easy to load or unload. Almost everyone can do some variation of it.
It mirrors the shapes we make while playing sports and closely resembles the positions required to get up and down from the floor unassisted. In other words, it scales easily. High-level athletes and older adults training for independence can both get a lot out of it.
Along with squats and deadlifts, split squats and their many variations should be staples in your training program.
Justin Miner
Now Hiring
We’re searching for someone to join our small, established coaching team at GAIN Strength & Conditioning.
This role is ideal for a coach or trainer who loves working with people, values long-term development over quick fixes, and wants meaningful responsibility inside a semi-private training environment.
This is a salaried position with consistent hours, autonomy on the floor, opportunities to earn additional income through private training, and real room to grow as a coach.
If you—or someone you know—might be a good fit, reach out to me directly at justin@gainsc.com.
—Justin Miner
Do tHis to Be Stronger Today
If you want to get stronger, this one thing will help you more than anything:
Rest more.
That’s the big secret. Take more time between sets. You’ll recover more. Your muscles have a chance to reset and prepare for the next effort. When you’re more recovered, you can apply more force.
More force = more strength.
There are times when we intentionally limit rest to build fatigue and stress the system in a different way. Conditioning days. Density work. That has its place.
But when the goal is strength, rest is necessary.
Slow down. Take your time between sets. Often, one more minute is the difference between a few extra push-ups or reaching for the heavier kettlebell on your goblet squats.
—Justin Miner
Monday Check IN
Happy Monday!
It’s going to be an exciting week. Coach T is on vacation, so I’ll see many of you this week that I don’t see on the regular. I’m looking forward to the routine shake up.
Coaching a lot of sessions in a day makes it hard to do two things: eat and train.
I planned my workouts and prepped food for the week yesterday.
If I haven’t eaten enough, my desire to work out just isn’t there. Those two things go hand in hand.
I try to plan like this every week, but especially weeks like this when I won’t have as much flexibility.
Now it’s just about sticking to the plan.
See you in the gym.
—Justin Miner
Friday Thoughts 116
Greetings! Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Thoughts, where I share what’s been on my mind this week. Let’s get into it.
GAIN SKI DAY
Mark your calendars, skiers.
Winter Olympics
As promised I’ve been tuning into the olympics. I’ve watched skiing, snowboarding, hockey, luge, figure skating and curling. The luge is crazy impressive, and I’m not buying it that the athletes are just laying there, come on! They’re flying. Look at the angle of the track! Insane.
More Olympics / SKi SHed
I’ve also tuned into some nordic skiing. It’s no secret these athletes have some of the highest recoded VO2 max scores in history.
VO2 max is your body’s ability to take in, transport and utilize oxygen during intense exercise.
Nordic skiers have such high VO2 max scores because they use a lot of muscles, go really long, and do it for a lifetime. The volume they accumulate is staggering. Which is why this Norwegian gold medalist, Johannes Klaebo, build his own custom skiing treadmill.
By the way, that video of him running uphill that you’ve probably seen by now—he’s going sub 4 minute mile uphill and the end of the race. Insane! (tried to post here and it didn’t work)
Nailed it
They nailed this video, and I’m sure you will agree with its accuracy.
Thanks for reading, see you next time.
—Justin Miner
GAIN SKI MEet up feat. The back porch development
The Back Porch Development is playing an après ski show at Ragged Mountain Saturday February 21 from 3–6 PM — and two of our long-time members, Adam and Kyle, are in the band!
The Plan
Ski for the day.
Or just come for the music.
The band will be playing in the lodge from 3–6 PM for a proper après ski hang.
Why This Is Cool
GAIN friends doing cool stuff.
Logistics:
Saturday, February 21, 3–6 PM
Ragged Mountain
There’s a sign-up spot at the gym so you can let other GAIN folks know you’re going.
— Justin Miner
February Challenge
Every month, I put a challenging workout up on the board. Part of it is for a little friendly competition, but more than that, it’s an experiment—a way for us to collect some data and calibrate expectations.
Some of these workouts are just plain hard. Others reward a bit of strategy and self-awareness. This month’s challenge is a precise blend of both.
February Challenge
Every 2 minutes until failure:
Complete 16 calories on the Concept2 Bike
*Every round, add 2 calories
I mentioned recently in a Friday Thoughts that I did this workout back in November of 2022. What I forgot to mention was that it was on the rower, not the bike. Since the bike tends to be easier to be efficient on, I fully expected to beat my old score—especially considering I believe I’m more fit now than I was then.
Around this time last year, I was doing a lot of machine-based work like this, and a clear theme emerged: I had spent a lot of time going long and slow. I wasn’t very comfortable hanging out at high heart rates—for me, that’s the 170s.
When I took on the challenge yesterday, things started getting uncomfortable around the round of 24. High heart rate. Big leg pump. But I couldn’t help smiling—my heart rate was hovering right around 170 bpm, and I felt…comfortable. Surprisingly so.
Then it clicked. I thought back to what I spent the summer doing: hard track workouts, tons of hills, and long tempo runs. I had spent the year getting comfortable up there. Even though my training hasn’t been perfectly dialed lately, it was reassuring to see that fitness still hanging on.
As you can see on the heart rate chart below, I was able to buffer off the work until there simply wasn’t enough time to recover and get ready for the next round.
Consider this your invitation to give the monthly challenge a go. It fits perfectly into any interval-focused training day you might already have planned.
—Justin Miner
Right on the Edge
It happened again—someone asked if push ups ever get easy.
I had to break the news.
Push-ups are always hard.
Good training lives right on the edge of your abilities. When three push-ups become easy, we slow the tempo and add a pause. Then we do five—and they’re hard again. When ten becomes manageable, we move to rings, add bands, plates, or increase the range of motion.
Progress like that can make it feel like you’re stuck. Like you’re doing the same thing over and over, with no finish line in sight. The difficulty keeps increasing, but the endpoint never shows up.
That endlessness can feel intimidating when you’re new to training. But if you stick around long enough, you realize it’s the whole point. It’s what keeps you coming back.
In the gym, it helps to focus on the process.
Training does get easier—but it will never feel easy.
It’s supposed to stay hard, even as you get better.
—Justin Miner
Monday Check In
Happy Monday!
Hope you were able to stay warm this past weekend.
Last week, I was hoping to string together a few good workouts. I was moderately successful—but I still fell apart in the second half of the week, a habit I’ve picked up recently.
Today is a new week and a fresh start. I’m heading into it with the same simple goal: string together a few good workouts. Maybe get out for a couple runs. No hard expectations—at least not yet.
Training is something I usually look forward to. Lately though, it’s felt more like a chore, and one that’s easy to procrastinate.
That happens when you’ve been training for a long time.
So here’s to being consistent, not heroic, and continuing to chug along.
—Justin Miner