Why Strength and Conditioning

Do you ever wonder why I named the gym Gain Strength and Conditioning? Until recently there weren’t many strength and conditioning coaches in private facilities like there are today. Instead, the title was reserved for athletic development, mostly at the collegiate and professional level. As training became more popular, and more and more high school kids were interested at playing in the collegiate level, more and more high school and private facility strength coaches started appearing. 

Today, strength and conditioning has transcended its athletics background and serves people of all fitness levels and goals. We learned that training like an athlete is the superior way to be generally fit and healthy. To have a strong, independent and capable life. 

Strength and Conditioning is about taking the whole body into consideration. Instead of training just to get tired or sweaty, strength and conditioning coaches take many factors into account when creating a plan. Physiological response to improve force production, power output and stamina are a few of the main ones. We also consider how the musculoskeletal system plays a role in quality of movement, soft tissue health, volume tolerance, training age and injury history.

The goal of strength and conditioning, and how it deviates from a general fitness classes, is that it's performance driven. Strength and Conditioning was born in athletics to increase on the field/court/ice performance. Today, we use these principles to improve performance in our everyday life. That’s the beauty of strength and conditioning, it scales. We use the same principles and the same understanding of physiology to get you on an Olympic team or to hold up better gardening in the hot summer sun. 

We’re called Gain Strength and Conditioning because we’re here to improve your performance, whatever that means to you. 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain 

Hot Hot Hot

It’s time for my yearly blog about the heat. It’s hot, and when it’s hot, our bodies are under extra stress to perform all the physiological functions it takes to be a human. Especially if we’re exercising. The good news for you is that you have the capability to adapt. Our bodies can get used to the heat and learn to function better in it.

In order to adapt, however, you need exposure. Air conditioner in the house, through the cool garage, into the air conditioned car and straight into an air conditioned store doesn’t give you much a change to get used to it - it’s why so many people hate the heat. 

Now, I’m not saying go run a marathon on the 90 degree day. But total avoidance of the heat will prevent you from adapting. A little dose here and there, a modified workout or even spending time outside in the garden can help you adapt. Be sure to stay hydrated, stick to the shade when possible and don’t overdue it. People run into trouble when they try to keep doing what they were doing with cooler weather. Pump the breaks, slow down, do less, drink some water and before you know it, you won’t get hit so hard by the heat.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Four Stages of Competence

This funny thing happens in the gym. What you learn, do and experience inside the gym has so much carry over to the real world. Our exploits in the gym can lead to remarkable real-world awareness. The controlled environment of the gym is rich for learning. 

Here’s an example of how you learn in the gym and you may not even be aware of it, because that’s exactly where we’re going to start. The first stage is unconscious incompetence. 

There are four levels of competence when learning or developing a skill. As I mentioned, the first stage is unconscious incompetence. That means you don’t know how to squat and you don’t even know it, you’re unaware of the deficit. This is many people who walk into a gym for the first time. 

The next stage is conscious incompetence. You don’t understand how to squat perfectly, but you’re aware of the lack of understanding. You know that you need coaching cues and eyes on your form to make sure it’s right.

The next stage is where many of you are in regard to training. Conscious competence. You understand how to squat well, but it requires a lot of brain power to do it. If you start thinking about work while doing goblet squats your form gets sloppy. You need to focus in order to do it well.

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post called ‘muscle memory.’ In the post I described how many reps and how much time it takes to develop a skill to do it without thinking - to know what it feels like to do it well. This level is called unconscious competence. It’s second nature. You can easily perform the skill without any thought or brain power. In the gym, this is a hard place to get to. You might get it on squats but not deadlifts or push ups. We’re all different here, but one thing make this stage possible for all of us: time and focus. 

We’re got to put the time in and use our brains to learn and develop new skills. The end game for all of this is to become better movers, unconsciously. So that when we’re hiking or kayaking or playing tennis we move better, in safer and more powerful positions without immense focus. Focus in the gym so you can have fun in life outside the gym.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Simple Things

When it comes to health and well-being we tend to complicate things. Make them more difficult than they need to be and often overlook simple, small details that make a big impact. One of those things is drinking water. It’s going to be hot over the next few days, which means you better be drinking more water. 

The water thing is funny. Many people chug it all day and make a dozen trips to the bathroom while others don’t take a sip. The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle. I’m not going to tell you an arbitrary number of ounces you need to hit, but instead, I’m going to ask that you pay attention. Notice when you’re thirsty, drink some water. Stay hydrated and keep your body operating functionally. 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Just a Little Longer

Mobility, or how much active range of motion we have, contributes to so many tasks that we do. The more mobile you are, the easier it will be to get off the floor, buckle your seatbelt or even walk down stairs. In the gym, you’ll notice better moving mechanics, more stable positions, greater strength and reduced risk of injury.

The trick with improving mobility is that it takes a long time. It might take weeks or months to see progress. On top of that, consistency isn’t the only factor to keep up with. You need to make sure your consistent mobility sessions are long enough. Stretching or rolling for 30 seconds here and there might help you maintain your baseline mobility, but in order to see positive change, you need spend minutes at a time. 

This uncomfortable time under tension is where you retrain your brain. You’re telling your nervous system that you’re in control and this position is safe. Too short of a duration and you won’t see the big mobility gains you hope for. 

If you’re a person with tight hip flexors that are always nagging them, it’s time to up your post workout stretching routine. Hold that position for 90 seconds to 2 minutes before giving it up. Those 30 second holds aren’t doing much, go just a little longer. 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Monday Momentum

I’m a big momentum guy. When stuff is feeling good, or I’m motivated to take on a challenge, I just got for it. If I’m being productive, I try my best to take advantage of the momentum and keep rolling. Monday gives us all an opportunity to build momentum for the upcoming week. 

Monday’s didn’t give us much opportunity to build momentum during quarantine. They were more of a shock back into this weird reality we were all living in. As restrictions continue to fall, we’re getting back to a sense of normalcy, a sense of regular life. 

With that taste of regular life, our chance to take on Monday and build momentum for the week is greater than ever. Take the time today to set the tone for the week. Get that workout in, eat some veggies and go to bed a reasonable time. Journal your intentions or brain dump your to-do list. Whatever it is, get your mind organized and get ready to take on the week. Build some momentum so on Friday you can look back and know that you gave it your all. 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

A Note on TrueCoach and Programming

As you probably know by now, we’re using TrueCoach for all of our programming needs. This new system keeps us better organized and gives us the ability to better track your progress. The most important feature is one you may be overlooking.

The excel sheets we used to use were permanent. Slight changes in reps or exercise variations here and there was difficult. It wasn’t conducive to calling audibles or making changes as we gained more information. This is the reason for the whole whiteboard versus sheet person debate that’s been around the gym for a few years now. We liked programming on the whiteboard because it gave us the ability to make more subtle changes on the fly while keeping the direction of the program the same. 

Having a program is paramount. However, I don’t know how your week 3 day 2 workout is going to go when I write it. TrueCoach now let’s us take that extra information into account and make edits as we see fit. For example, if week 3 rolls around and day 1 was really tough for you, I can go in and edit Day 2 when it comes up and I transfer it to your personal whiteboard. Maybe you get an email that says you’re going to be kettlebell deadlifting on Friday. When you get to the gym and get in your space you notice a barbell set up. Well, what happened was we looked at previous weeks, and decided that it’s just time to try something different (that’s still the same). This also allows us use our creative coaching juices. Shaking up finishers and conditioning work week to week can give you a better training effect and sometimes it’s helpful for us to make those decisions right before your session.

What I’m getting at is that your workouts may change from what you see in the morning email. If that bugs you, turn off the email notifications. As you transition back into the gym, TrueCoach will be a record of what you’ve done, not a set-in-stone schedule of what we’re planning to have you do. We reserve the right to try new things, change rep schemes, add in different movement variations and keep the program fresh for all parties involved. As I mentioned above, a program is important, but so is creativity and variety. 

Justin MIner

@justinminergain

Building Your Savings Account

The following is an original blog post I wrote on October 12, 2015. I was inspired to post it again after having this exact same conversation with the exact same client as she took on her first in gym workout after quarantining. After nearly 5 years of training, she’s built enough savings that a month off will do no harm.

Training for Life – Starting Your Own Savings Account 

This post was inspired by a recent conversation with a client. 

The client had been traveling and they had to take a week off. The week before they only got one workout in. So, it had been some time since they were doing their normal workout program.

After getting in all regularly scheduled workouts in this week, her body was pretty beat up. Since they have taken some time off, the readjustment to training took a toll Not a big toll, like they couldn’t do what they were doing a week before, but things that were normally easy weren’t as easy. Things that didn’t make her breath hard before were making her out of breath this week. 

 So what’s all that have to do with your savings account? 

Well, the client asked if they would have to keep up a training regiment of 3 days per week for the rest of their life if they wanted to keep reaping the benefits from this style of training. 

 That’s not the case at all. 

 Training is like building a savings account. This client has been practicing strength and conditioning for only 4-5 months. 

 Early on in your practice you will need to train more frequently. The more your practice, the more you have in your savings account. 

 For example, I have been training for over 10 years now. I have a big savings account because of this. I’ve put in enough money (hard work) to be able to take a week or two off here or there and not have it effect my strength or conditioning very much. 

 While initially you must keep up the frequency to see the desired benefits, eventually, once you build a large enough savings account, you will be able to live off that savings more.

For every person, the necessary frequency is different. Some it is 3 days, some it is 4, others it could be 1. 

 The point is that training is part of your lifestyle. It is something that you should want to do for the rest of your life. But as you increase your training age (how long you have been doing it) the benefits are more likely to stick around – and you’ll be less sore when returning to workout out after a brief hiatus. 

 No matter how big your savings account is though, there will always be a point where it runs out. Never stop. Train for life. 

Where Do You Feel It?

A simple question to ask yourself while working out is, where do you feel it? After completing the Certified Functional Strength Coach Course during quarantine, I challenged myself to ask that question more, it’s something so simple that I’ve overlooked as a coach. 

For example, we want to feel squats in our hips and quads, not our lower back or knees. Asking that question, can help us clean up a movement that looks good, but doesn’t feel right. With an inverted row, we want to feel it in our arms, shoulders and upper back, but not our elbows or wrists.

I’m not talking specific muscles here either, that’s too much in the weeds. General muscle groups are information enough, remember, we train movement patterns not muscles. As a trainee, you can do the same thing, if you’re unsure of what you’re supposed to feel, ask! 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Cognitive Fitness

When we think of improving our health, the big 3 come to mind: movement, nutrition and recovery. Movement is what we’re doing physically. This can be lifting in the gym, spin class, going for a run, etc. We’re familiar with the kind of work we need to do here. Nutrition is a tricky one, but one we all understand. We know that we need to fuel ourselves for performance or intake less calories to lose weight. Recovery is about getting enough sleep, managing stress and includes soft tissue work and stretching.

The missing piece to get all these habits to stick, or the piece that allows you to continue to progress is your mindset. I’ve heard this described as cognitive fitness. It’s not flashy or something that you can implement right now to feel stronger or lose more weight. What it does though, is give you the tools to continue to progress and stick with and form new habits.

If you need to improve your recovery habits, let’s say by getting more sleep, your mindset is the key to unlocking a new behavioral change. Without the mindset part, the recovery part, movement part and nutrition part doesn’t matter. We see this happen with nutrition all the time. The key to nutrition is implementing a plan and having the ability to stick with it, be flexible and change how you view your relationship with food. It isn’t just about eating differently. Eating differently without a mindset shift leads to crash diets and inconsistency.

Without changing your mindset, you’re going to have a hard time making real positive change. It’s why our first Core Value is “Have a Growth Mindset.” We think that’s the most important piece of trying to improve. How do you develop it? Lean in to things that are hard or that you’re bad at. Don’t give up out of frustration and remind yourself that you’re in this for the long game.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Muscle (Re)Memory

After correcting someone’s goblet squat form this morning, they proclaimed, “how did I forget that, isn’t muscle memory a thing?” 

Did you ever play a sport growing up? If you played for a while, you may be able to close your eyes and think about exactly how everything of a certain movement felt. I spent hours in my basement as a kid shooting hockey pucks against the cellar wall. I can think back and imagine exactly how the stick blade felt as it dragged across the cement floor. How I shifted my weight into my right hip so my right arm could lean on the stick, creating a bend that snapped the stick straight; propelling the puck ahead as I guided it wherever I wanted it by pointing the stick with my right arm.

I can imagine how softly catching and absorbing a pass feels, I still know what the timing is to take a mega slap shot - even though I haven’t done these things for years. It’s no muscle memory either, it’s your nervous system. After we practice a task so much, we commonly say it has become muscle memory, but really it’s nervous system memory. Our brains know what to do and what sensations to feel.

Taking it back to a goblet squat. After 10 weeks off, you may need to remind yourself of some of the more nuanced cues to clean up your squat. In short, it takes a long time for us to develop these skills and embed them forever in our brains. You’re going to constantly have to remember to sit back, not down, to push your knees out, to maintain weight on the ball of your foot. Just like it took me years and years to master a solid snap shot, it’s going to take a while for your muscle memory to take over your movement, and until that happens, you’re going to have to concentrate hard on how each rep feels. 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Grinding

I’m a work hard with your head down and your mouth shut kind of person. I like the grind and enjoy the hustle. I’m not going to sugar coat it though, this week has been HARD. We’ve overhauled all of our operational procedures which, obviously is the case for everyone these days.  

I don’t bring up this point to brag about how hard we’re working, but instead, to point out that we’re doing everything in our power to make a safe, enjoyable environment for you to train in. Mostly, I want to say thank you for kindly following all the rules and being patient with us, like I said, it isn’t easy. 

As we bring week one to a close, I want to share that I’ve never been more excited to be here, coaching you, and bringing something of value to your life. 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

S.M.A.R.T. Walking

I’m going to brag about my wife today. 

Yesterday, while taking Clementine on an early morning walk Hannah confessed she had a new goal for the month of June, to walk at least 30 miles. Our standard route with Clem is one mile, so her goal is to do it once a day, at a minimum. Running will count towards her total too. 

This is a fantastic goal, for a few reasons. First, it’s a low bar, attainable task. It takes a small amount of time and effort every day. It rewards her for consistency, not heroic efforts. Meaning, the more frequently she gets a short walk in, the easier it will be to complete the goal. Low-bar challenges like this build momentum. The longer your streak goes the more motivated you are to complete it and it might even leave her walking two miles a day towards the end of the month. 

I often talk about our tendency to make goals too hard. Here is a real life example of an excellent goal. She has a process, do it in the morning or at lunch time. It’s a S.M.A.R.T. goal, which is a helpful acronym for creating good goals: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. I was quite impressed with her new goal, and I hope it motivates you to come up with a reasonable goal or challenge for yourself. 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Why Exercise

Here with a friendly reminder that there are so many benefits to training, not just for your muscles or weight loss. This is by no means the whole list, can you think of any benefits of exercise that I missed?

• Improve Bone density 

• Maintain/build power - ability to produce force quickly 

• Maintain or improve flexibility

• Develop mobility

• Create total body stability

• Improve body awareness/ motor control

• Better cardiovascular function 

• Stress management 

• Avoid overuse injuries 

• Fight off chronic disease like Type II diabetes 

• Boost your immune system 

• Sleep more soundly 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Feeling Sore?

Now seems like a better time than any to talk about soreness. Somehow, soreness after a workout has become the standard measurement the workout’s effectiveness. It’s just one of those fitness myths that won’t die - you don’t need to be sore in order for the workout to count positively. 

Let’s pretend that getting sore muscles after a hard workout and, being cautious of stairs for a couple days, truly is a measurement of workout effectiveness. If that were the case, my job as a coach would be to write programs, not to hit certain movement patterns and progressivley build strength, but instead to build plans that make your muscles sore through high intensity and high reps. 

Mike Boyle, the former Boston Red Sox strength coach has a famous anecdote he tells young strength coaches. He says if the point is only to make trainees sore, why don’t you just take a baseball bat and whale on their quads for 45 minutes instead of training? 

While it’s perhaps a crude example, consider his point. If getting sore from working out is good, all sore muscles must be good, right? As you’re getting back to it this week, you’re probably going to feel more sore than normal. The point I’m making, that doesn’t mean the workout is more or less effective, it just means you  body isn’t used to the loading, or volume or intensity that you’re bringing to the gym. Walking around feeling a little stiff from strength training isn’t bad, but it also isn’t the only way to define good.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Easing Back In

Day 1, here we go!

If you’re starting back in the gym today, or this week, we’ll be easing you back in.

Even if you’ve been training hard while quarantined, the different atmosphere and heavier weight options will immediately make your training more challenging.

Take it easy on yourself. Don’t compare past numbers or times. You’ll probably feel pretty sore after your first week and we’ll be doing our best to make sure you don’t overdue it. You’re not starting over from scratch, you’ll make progress more quickly than when you first started, but it’s going feel like your first time working out today, and that’s okay.

Can’t wait to see you in the gym! 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Reopening Guidelines

Chances are you already saw this in the newsletter email, but I wanted to post it here to easily be available for reference.

Safety is our number one priority. We have new protocols, rules and procedures that will allow us all to get back in the gym and back in the training groove. We can’t wait to have you back.

While the gym has been closed, we’ve covered the place with a fresh coat of paint, the turf has been thoroughly steam cleaned, everything’s undergone a deep scrub down and we’ve spaced out equipment to optimize physical distancing in the facility. Here’s what to expect when you come back to the gym.

 Scheduling:

You’ll notice we have a much different schedule. Per the new guidelines from the state, we’re leaving a 30-minute gap between all sessions to allow for cleaning. Each class will be limited to 5 people plus 1 coach. You can now see how many spaces are taken when booking on the website.

You can find the new schedule, and book your spot, HERE or using the MINDBODY app.

 With this new schedule comes some new restrictions we’re all going to have to get used to. We are requiring all sessions to be booked a minimum of 6 hours in advance. This will allow us to prepare individual workout stations, make sure you program is ready and cancel classes with no attendance.

 If you miss your sign-up time, you will text the coach who is leading that session to see if you can be added to the class. All of our cell phone numbers are at the bottom of this email. You can sign up to be waitlisted for a class that is full, and you can cancel without penalty 2 hours before. Late cancellations eat up space for other members and are unacceptable.

When You Arrive:

You must arrive to your workout on time. If you arrive more than 5 minutes early, please wait in your car. Everyone will need to be out of the building by the end of the 60-minute session to ensure we have plenty of time to clean all commonly touched surfaces and get equipment and programs ready for the next wave. 

When you arrive at the gym, please wear a cloth face covering while in the lobby and changing your shoes. Once you get your gym shoes on, head on to the floor and the on-staff coach will make sure you have your own space to warm up with any equipment you need. You do not need to wear the cloth face covering while exercising; there will be physical distance between all members and staff. If you prefer to wear one while exercising, we will make program modifications to allow for that. We have cloth face coverings available to anyone who needs one.

Upon arrival, please wash your hands or use one of the automatic hand sanitizer dispensers located throughout the gym. 

During the Workout:

After a coach leads you through the daily warm up, you will continue onto your personalized training program at your own station. You will have any bands, barbells, boxes and rings at your own station and a coach will assist you in getting any dumbbells or kettlebells that you need. 

 After completing your workout, it is your responsibility to clean any gym equipment used with the disinfectant spray bottle located at your station. 

 The water bubbler will be available but we will no longer be providing disposable cups. Please bring your own water bottle. 

We will be trying to use our space in the parking lot as much as possible. If you’d like to train outside, let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate.

 We are no longer using paper sheets to track workout programs. We will be using TrueCoach to plan and log all your individualized workouts. Prior to each session the on-staff coach will write your workout on a small, personalized whiteboard to make it readily available and easy to read from your station. 

Online Training 

 We understand that some of you aren’t ready to come back. Because of that, we’re going to make sure you still have adequate access to online training and accountability. While we’ll no longer be hosting live Zoom sessions, starting on Monday June 1, all members will have access to an online training portal for follow-along workouts led by Alex, Taylor and myself along with the continued use of customized training plans through the TrueCoach app.

Let you coach know what your plan is and if you need any modifications due to loaded equipment going to the gym. 

Equipment Drop Off:

 We need all of our loaned out equipment back before June 1st. You can drop it off at the gym during the times below. If you need any assistance, do not hesitate to ask, I’m happy to pick it up for you (especially if you have a 100-pound kettlebell). 

Equipment Drop Off Hours:

Friday 5/29 

11am-2pm

Saturday 5/30

9am-1pm 

While these new protocols will take some time getting used to, we strongly feel as though these new procedures will enhance our training experience and allow for even more personalized attention for each one of you. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to coach you and look forward to having you back in the gym.

What if it Were Easy?

Feeling stuck? Overwhelmed?

Something I learned from Tim Ferriss was to ask yourself questions when you’re struggling and unsure as to what to do.

“What would it look like if it were easy?”

That question has been floating around in my mind for the past 5 and a half years, ever since I became a business owner. Every time I feel stretched thin or tightly wound and ready to blow, I reflect on that question to simplify my process, prioritize my thoughts and figure out how to make something work better.

Whatever you’re struggling with, think about how you could make it feel easy.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Habit Reset

Opening our doors in less than a week means lots of new opportunities. We all have a clean slate, a fresh start and a chance to develop new habits, let’s not waste it.

Create a new routine around going to the gym, find a new time you love to train at, create rules to leave work on time when it’s a workout night, commit to workouts at the crack of dawn. Whatever you choose, please don’t waste this opportunity to help yourself. We’re not often given a chance to start fresh, this is it, I hope you’re able to take full advantage of it, I know I’ll be trying.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain

Light at the End of the Tunnel

We will be reopening our doors on Monday June 1st. 

The schedule is going to look a little different and everything is spaced out at least 8 feet to allow distancing between people and equipment. 

Keep an eye out for an email coming your way detailing the new schedule, new protocols and new procedures.

We’re looking forward to having you back in person. 

We will be hosting our regular Zoom Class schedule this week, including today.

Happy Memorial Day! 

Justin Miner

@justinminergain